IB Precalculus

UNIT 8 COMBINATORICS AND PROBABILITY

Discrete Random Variables and Expected Value

(Homework)
1. Find the value of b and the expected value E(x), given the probability
distribution function for the random variable X defined,
p X 0 b, p X 1 b,

p X 2 3b and p X 3

1
2

2. Using the following probability distribution on X, calculate the value of

m.
x
P(X=x)

blu
e
1/9

gre
en
5/1
8

yello
w
m

oran
ge
m

purp
le
m2

3. Two fair 6-sided dice are rolled. Let X be the number of number of 5s
that are rolled. Complete the following probability distribution, then
calculate E(x).
x
P(X=x)

4. A player tosses two coins into the air. He gains to win $1 times the
number of heads that are obtained. However, he will lose $5 if neither
coin is a head. Calculate the expected value of this game and determine
whether it is favorable for the player.

5. You can choose to play one of two games. Each game costs one dollar to
play.
Game 1. A wheel with three numbers on it--zero, one, and two--is
spun so that there is a 40% chance that the wheel lands on zero, a
10% chance the wheel lands on one, and a 50% chance the wheel
lands on two. You get back the amount in dollars of the number that
the wheel lands on.
Game 2. A different wheel with three numbers on it--zero, one, and
two--is spun so that there is a 5% chance that the wheel lands on zero,
a 80% chance the wheel lands on one, and a 15%chance the wheel
lands on two. You get back the amount in dollars of the number that
the wheel lands on.
(a) What is the expected amount of money that you will get back from
Game 1? What is the expected amount of money that you will get back
from Game 2?

(b)

If you played these games every second

of every day for the rest of your life, which statement is most likely to
be true: a) you will make more money playing Game 1; (b) you will
make more money playing Game 2; or, (c) you will make the same
amount of money playing either game. Justify your answer.

(c) In Game 1, what is the probability that you will not lose money? In
Game 2, what is the probability that you will not lose money?

6. A discrete random variable X has a probability distribution as shown in

the table below.

x
P(X=x)

1
0.5

10
0.3

100
a

1000
b

(a) Find the value of a + b

(b) Given that E(x)=68.5, find the value of a and b.