Skip to content
Question of 165
Q.

The probability distribution of a random variable X is given below :

X=xiX = x_i12345
P(X=xi)P(X = x_i)k2k3k4k5k

Find the value of k and the mean and variance of X.

Andhra Pradesh BieapBIEAP Intermediate Board 2019Subjective· 7mImportance★★★★★
0% · 0/165 Questions
🔒 Locked · start free trial →

You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.

Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →

Requiring the probabilities to sum to 1 fixes k=115k=\dfrac1{15}; then E(X)E(X) and E(X2)E(X^2) give mean 113\dfrac{11}{3} and variance 149\dfrac{14}{9}.

Step 1 — Find kk.

Since ∑P(X=xi)=1\sum P(X=x_i)=1: k+2k+3k+4k+5k=1  ⟹  15k=1  ⟹  k=115k+2k+3k+4k+5k=1 \implies 15k=1 \implies k=\dfrac1{15}.

So P(X=1)=115, P(X=2)=215, P(X=3)=315, P(X=4)=415, P(X=5)=515P(X=1)=\dfrac1{15},\ P(X=2)=\dfrac2{15},\ P(X=3)=\dfrac3{15},\ P(X=4)=\dfrac4{15},\ P(X=5)=\dfrac5{15}.

Step 2 — Mean E(X)E(X).

E(X)=∑xiP(X=xi)=1(k)+2(2k)+3(3k)+4(4k)+5(5k)=k+4k+9k+16k+25k=55kE(X)=\displaystyle\sum x_iP(X=x_i)=1(k)+2(2k)+3(3k)+4(4k)+5(5k)=k+4k+9k+16k+25k=55k.

E(X)=55×115=5515=113E(X)=55\times\dfrac1{15}=\dfrac{55}{15}=\dfrac{11}{3}.

Step 3 — E(X2)E(X^2). …

Unlock everything free for 14 days

  • Full step-by-step solutions
  • Concept-first explanations
  • Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
  • PYQ mapping + timed mock tests

Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.