PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION

Poona College Of Pharmacy,

Centre of Advanced Research In Pharmaceutical
Sciences

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SUBMITTED TO: Presented By
Dr.Ajay G. Namdeo Mr.Akash Gujarathi
Dept. of Associate
Professor M.Pharm 1st sem
Pharmacognosy Dept. of Pharmaceutics
The relationship between the values of a random
variable and the probability of their occurrence
summarized by means of a device called a probability
distribution.

It may be expressed in the form of a table, a graph or

a formula.

Knowledge of probability distribution of a random

variable provides the researchers with a powerful tool
for summarizing and describing a set of data and for
reaching conclusion about a population on the basis of
sample.
DEFINITION

The probability distribution of a discrete random variable

is a table, graph, formula, or other device used to specify
all possible values of a discrete random variable along
with their respective probabilities.
THE BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
Most widely encountered probability distribution.

Derived from a process known as a Bernoulli trial.

When a random process or experiment, called a trial can

result only one of two mutually exclusive outcomes,
such as dead or alive, sick or well, male or female, the
trial is called a Bernoulli trial.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A BINOMIAL RANDOM VARIABLE
The experiment consists of n identical trials
There are only 2 possible outcomes on each trial. We
will denote one outcome by S (for Success) and the
other by F (for Failure).
The probability of S remains the same from trial to
trial. This probability will be denoted by p, and the
probability of F will be denoted by q ( q = 1-p).
The trials are independent.
The binomial random variable x is the number of S in
n trials.
 The probability distribution:
(x = 0, 1, 2, ..., n),
Px = nCx pxqn-x

Where,
p = probability of a success on a single trial, q=1-p
n = number of trials, x= number of successes in n trials

nC
n!
= = combination of x from n
x x!(n-x)!
THE POISSON DISTRIBUTION
This distribution has been used extensively as a
probability model in biology and medicine.
If x is the number of occurrences of some random
events in an interval of time or space, the probability
that x will occur is:

f(x) =
e- x x=0,1,2, >0
X!
= parameter (average number of occurrence of the
random event in the interval
e= constant =2.7183
CHARACTERISTICS DEFINING A
POISSON RANDOM VARIABLE
Poisson distribution occurs when there are events which
dont occur as outcome of a definite numbers of trials of an
experiment but which occur at random point of time and
space and our interest lies in the occurrence of the event
only.
The experiment consists of counting the number x of times
a particular event occurs during a given unit of time
The probability that an event occurs in a given unit of time
is the same for all units.
The number of events that occur in one unit of time is
independent of the number that occur in other units of
time.
NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
Continuous random variable
Has an infinite number of possible values that
can be represented by an interval on the number
line.
Hours spent studying in a day The time spent
studying can be any
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 number between 0
and 24.

Continuous probability distribution

The probability distribution of a continuous
random variable.

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PROPERTIES OF NORMAL
DISTRIBUTIONS
Normal distribution
A continuous probability distribution for a random
variable, x.
The most important continuous probability
distribution in statistics.
The graph of a normal distribution is called the
normal curve.

x
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PROPERTIES OF NORMAL
DISTRIBUTIONS
1. The mean, median, and mode are equal.
2. The normal curve is bell-shaped and symmetric about
the mean.
3. The total area under the curve is equal to one.
4. The normal curve approaches, but never touches the
x-axis as it extends farther and farther away from the
mean.

Total area = 1

x
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PROPERTIES OF NORMAL DISTRIBUTIONS
5. Between and + (in the center of the curve),
the graph curves downward. The graph curves
upward to the left of and to the right of + .
The points at which the curve changes from curving
upward to curving downward are called the
inflection points.

Inflection points

x
3 2 + + 2 + 3
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MEANS AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS
A normal distribution can have any mean and any
positive standard deviation.
The mean gives the location of the line of symmetry.

The standard deviation describes the spread of the

data.

= 3.5 = 3.5 = 1.5

= 1.5 = 0.7 = 0.7
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EXAMPLE: UNDERSTANDING MEAN AND
STANDARD DEVIATION
1. Which curve has the greater mean?

Solution:
Curve A has the greater mean (The line of symmetry
of curve A occurs at x = 15. The line of symmetry of
curve B occurs at x = 12.)
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EXAMPLE: UNDERSTANDING MEAN AND
STANDARD DEVIATION
2. Which curve has the greater standard deviation?

Solution:
Curve B has the greater standard deviation (Curve
B is more spread out than curve A.)

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EXAMPLE: INTERPRETING GRAPHS
The heights of fully grown white oak trees are normally
distributed. The curve represents the distribution.
What is the mean height of a fully grown white oak tree?
Estimate the standard deviation.

Solution:
= 3.5 (The inflection
= 90 (A normal points are one standard
curve is symmetric deviation away from
about the mean) the mean)

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THE STANDARD NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
Standard normal distribution
A normal distribution with a mean of 0 and a standard
deviation of 1.

Area = 1

z
3 2 1 0 1 2 3

Any x-value can be transformed into a z-score by

using the formula
Value - Mean x-
z
Standard deviation
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PROPERTIES OF THE STANDARD
NORMAL DISTRIBUTION

1. The cumulative area is close to 0 for z-scores close to

z = 3.49.
2. The cumulative area increases as the z-scores
increase.

Area is
close to 0 z
3 2 1 0 1 2 3
z = 3.49
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PROPERTIES OF THE STANDARD
NORMAL DISTRIBUTION

3. The cumulative area for z = 0 is 0.5000.

4. The cumulative area is close to 1 for z-scores close to
z = 3.49.

Area
z
is close to 1
3 2 1 0 1 2 3
z=0 z = 3.49
Area is 0.5000
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FINDING AREAS UNDER THE STANDARD
NORMAL CURVE
1. Sketch the standard normal curve and shade the
appropriate area under the curve.
2. Find the area by following the directions for each case
shown.
a. To find the area to the left of z, find the area that
corresponds to z in the Standard Normal Table.

2. The area to the

left of z = 1.23 is
0.8907

1. Use the table to find

the area for the z-
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score
FINDING AREAS UNDER THE STANDARD
NORMAL CURVE
b. To find the area to the right of z, use the Standard
Normal Table to find the area that corresponds to z.
Then subtract the area from 1.

2. The area to the 3. Subtract to find the area

left of z = 1.23 to the right of z = 1.23:
is 0.8907. 1 0.8907 = 0.1093.

1. Use the table to find the

area for the z-score.
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FINDING AREAS UNDER THE STANDARD
NORMAL CURVE
c. To find the area between two z-scores, find the area
corresponding to each z-score in the Standard Normal
Table. Then subtract the smaller area from the larger
area.

2. The area to the 4. Subtract to find the area of

left of z = 1.23 the region between the two
is 0.8907. z-scores:
3. The area to the 0.8907 0.2266 = 0.6641.
left of z = 0.75
is 0.2266.

1. Use the table to find the

area for the z-scores.
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Example: Suppose you have a
normally distributed random
variable with = 100 and s = 15 and
you want to know what percentage
of values fall below 115. Thus:
1. You draw a normal curve. .8413 (area to left)
2. You mark the center of the curve
at 100. .1587 (area to right)

3. You standardize the value: z

=(115-100) / 15 = +1
4. You place the z score 1 standard
deviation above the mean
X axis 100 115
5. You look up a z score of +1 on the Z Scale 0 1

standard normal table and find

that 0.8413 of the area under the
curve is to its left. Thus, this value
is greater than or equal to 84.13%
of the values in the population.