Random Variable
• Introduction to Random Variables
• A random variable is a mathematical function that assigns a numerical value
to every outcome which is possible in a random experiment. It is called a
random variable because its value depends on the output of a random
experiment. Random variables are usually symbolized by capital letters, such
as X, Y, or Z.
• For example, let's consider the outcome of flipping a coin. If the coin lands
head, we assign a value of 1 to the random variable X, and if it lands tails, we
assign a value of 0 to X. Therefore, X is a random variable that takes on two
possible values, 0 or 1, depending on the outcome of the coin flip. We can
represent the possible values of X using a probability distribution, which tells
us the probability of each possible value.
For the case of tossing a coin, the probability distribution is as follows:
• P(X = 0) = 1 / 2 (since the probability of getting tails is 1 / 2)
• P(X = 1) = 1 / 2 (since the probability of getting heads is also 1 / 2)
• In general, a probability distribution for a random variable specifies the
probability of each possible value of the variable.
Types of a Random Variable
• There are two specific types of Random variables:
[Link] Random variables
[Link] Random variables.
• 1. Discrete Random Variables: Discrete random variables take on a finite or
accountably infinite set of possible values. In other words, the range of a
discrete random variable is a discrete set of numbers. For example, the
number of heads obtained when flipping a coin five times is a discrete
random variable that can take on values 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.
• The probability distribution for a discrete random variable is called a
probability mass function (PMF). The PMF gives the probability that the
random variable takes on a particular value.
Example for Discrete Random Variables
Continuous random variables,
Quantiles, mean and variance
Continuous Random variables
• The Continuous random variables take on any value in a continuous range of
possible values. In other words, the range of a continuous random variable is
an uncountable set of numbers.
• For example, the height of a person can be referred to as a continuous
random variable that can take on any value in a continuous range from zero
to infinity.
• The probability distribution for a continuous random variable is called a
probability density function (PDF).
• Unlike the PMF, the PDF does not give the probability that the random
variable takes on a particular value, but rather the probability density at each
point in the range of possible values.
Continuous Random Variables
Def:
A continuous random variable is as function that maps the sample space of a
random experiment to an interval in the real value space.
A random variable is called continuous if there is an underlying function 𝑓(𝑥)
• 𝑓(𝑥) is a non-negative function called the probability density function (PDF).
PDF takes a value 0 for the values out of 𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒(𝑋). From the rules of
probability,
Example 1: 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 2 for continuous random variable X. What
is the probability that X takes a value in [0.5,1].
• To find the probability that a continuous random variable X takes a value in
the interval [0.5,1] given the probability density function (PDF),
To Compute Probability
Quantiles, Mean and variance
Quantiles
• A quantile is a statistical measure that divides a data set into equal-sized,
contiguous intervals, or partitions.
• Quartiles: Divide data into four equal parts. The first quartile (Q1) is the 25th
percentile, the second quartile (Q2) is the median or 50th percentile, and the
third quartile (Q3) is the 75th percentile.
• In the context of probability distributions, a quantile is a value below which a
given percentage of the distribution lies. It effectively divides the probability
distribution into intervals with equal probabilities.
Quantiles
• Examples of Quantiles in Probability Distributions:
• Steps to Calculate Quantiles
The steps for calculating quantiles involve:
[Link] the Data: Arrange the dataset in increasing order.
[Link] the Position: Calculate the position of the desired quantile based
on the given formula: “Position=(quantile×(n+1))/100”, where n is the total
number of observations.
[Link] (if needed): Interpolate between two adjacent values to find
the quantile if the position is not an integer.
Example - Quantiles
General Formula for Quantiles
Mean
Mean of Continuous Random Variable
• The mean of a continuous random variable can be defined as the weighted
average value of the random variable, X. It is also known as the expectation
of the continuous random variable. The formula is given as follows:
• [Link]
• To find Expected Output E(x):
Variance
Variance of Continuous Random Variable
• The variance of a continuous random variable can be defined as the
expectation of the squared differences from the mean. It helps to
determine the dispersion in the distribution of the continuous random
variable with respect to the mean. The formula is given as follows:
Var(X) = 0.26
