What Random variable is
A random variable is a variable whose possible values are numerical outcomes of a random phenomenon. It is a numeric description of an outcome that is determined by chance.
Steps for Random Variable:
- Identify the random phenomenon - This first step is to identify the underlying random process that will generate the random variable.
- Determine the possible values - The next step is to determine the possible values that the random variable can take.
- Assign probabilities - The last step is to assign probabilities to each of the possible values of the random variable. This is typically done by looking at the underlying random process and determining the likelihood of each possible outcome.
Examples
- The number of heads that come up when flipping a coin.
- The outcome of rolling a die.
- The height of individuals in a population.
- The amount of rainfall in a given month.
- The time it takes to complete a 5K race.
- The amount of money spent on groceries in a week.
- The number of customers that enter a store in a day.
- The number of days it takes to complete a project.
- The amount of time it takes to drive to work.
- The weight of a package being shipped.