STA 311

(STATISTICAL THEORY III)

It is important to understand the meaning of some basic terms that will be used frequently in this module. This module explains the
meaning of variable, random variable and other techniques that make up the mathematics of probability and statistics.

Variable: A variable is a characteristic under study that assumes different values for different units

A few examples of variables are number of students in various departments of Lens Polytechnic, number of cars that passed through
Irra Road in different days of the month, marital status of staffs of an institution, number of children per family and average monthly
income of households in a local government.

Generally, a variable assumes different values for different units or elements. For some units, however, the value of the variable may
be the same. For example, if you are collecting information on number of children per family, all families are expected to have
different numbers of children although some of the families may have the same number of children. In contrast to a variable the
value of constant is fixed. If a variable can assume only one fellow it is called a constant.
Types of variables
In this module, we defined variable as a characteristic under study that assumes different values for different elements. The
number of houses sold by each estate agent in a particular state monthly, number of accidents on Lagos/Ibadan High way
weekly, scores of students in a course are few examples of variables.
A variable can be classified as quantitative or qualitative.
Quantitative variable
Some variables can be measured numerically where as others cannot. In a case where a measured variable with units
answers questions about the quantity of what is measured, we call it a quantitative variable. Therefore, when a variable can
be measured numerically it is called a quantitative variable.
Qualitative variable
Some variables can answer questions only about categories. If the values of a variable are words rather than numbers such
variables are qualitative in nature. A variable that cannot be expressed in numerical terms but can be divided into two or
more non-numeric categories is called a qualitative or categorical variable. For example, the sex of a Polytechnic student is
a qualitative variable because a student can fall into one of the two categories male and female. A few other examples of
qualitative variables are the color of a car, the brand of a phone, marital status such as single, married, Divorced etc.
Random Variable
A random variable is a variable whose value is determined by the outcome of a random experiment.
A random variable can be discrete or continuous.
Discrete Random Variable
A discrete random variable assumes values that can be counted. In other words, the consecutive values of a discrete
random variable are separated by a certain gap.
The number of vehicles owned by a family is an example of a discrete random variable because the values of the random
variable x are countable: 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Here are some other examples of discrete random variables:
1. The number of cars sold at a dealership during a given month
2. The number of houses in a certain block
3. The number of fish caught on a fishing trip
4. The number of complaints received at the office of an airline on a given day
5. The number of customers who visit a bank during any given hour
6. The number of heads obtained in three tosses of a coin
Continuous Random Variable
A random variable whose values are not countable is called a continuous random variable. A continuous random variable
can assume any value over an interval or intervals.
Because the number of values contained in any interval is infinite, the possible number of values that a continuous random
variable can assume is also infinite. Moreover, we cannot count these values. Consider the life of a battery. We can
measure it as precisely as we want. For instance, the life of this battery may be 40 hours, or 40.25 hours, or 40.247 hours.
Assume that the maximum life of a battery is 200 hours. Let x denote the life of a randomly selected battery of this kind.
Then, x can assume any value in the interval 0 to 200. Consequently, x is a continuous random variable.
The following are some examples of continuous random variables:
1. The length of a room
2. The time taken to commute from home to work
3. The amount of milk in a gallon (note that we do not expect “a gallon” to contain exactly one gallon of milk but either
slightly more or slightly less than one gallon).
4. The weight of a fish
5. The price of a house
 Class Activities
1. Explain the meaning of a random variable, a discrete random variable, and a continuous random variable.

Give one example each of a discrete random variable and a continuous random variable.

2. Classify each of the following random variables as discrete or continuous.

i. The number of cars in a parking lot

ii. The total pounds of fish caught on a fishing trip

iii. The number of cars crossing a bridge on a given day

iv. The time spent by a physician examining a patient

v. The number of customers who visit a bank during any given hour
Probability Density Function for a Continuous Random Variable
 Class Activities
𝑐𝑦 , 0 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 2
1.(a) Given 𝑓 𝑦 =
0, 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒

find the value of c for which f (y) is a valid density function.

1.(b) Find P (1 ≤ Y ≤ 2).

2. A supplier of kerosene has a 150-gallon tank that is filled at the beginning of each week. His weekly demand shows a relative frequency
behavior that increases steadily up to 100 gallons and then levels off between 100 and 150 gallons. If Y denotes weekly demand in
hundreds of gallons, the relative frequency of demand can be modeled by

𝑦, 0≤𝑦≤1
𝑓 𝑦 = 1, 1 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 1.5
0, 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒.

i. Find P (0 ≤ Y ≤ 0.5).

ii. Find P (0.5 ≤ Y ≤ 1.2).