Lecture Three Flashcards
What is probability
A number between 1-0 that measures the likelihood that some event will occur.
what does 0 mean in terms of probability
more unlikely the event is bound to happen
what does 1 mean in terms of probability
it is very likely to happen
why is probability used
Because as humans and businesses, it is difficult to be certain about occurrence of future events - therefore businesses are able to use probability to make the best possible decisions
How to work out the probability
The outcome/all possible outcomes
What is a random experiment
process leading to two or more possible outcomes WITHOUT knowing exactly WHICH OUTCOME WILL OCCUR
what is the basic outcome
all the possible outcomes/realisations that could happen of a random experiment
e.g. a coin: heads or tails
a dice: 123456
Can wo basic outcomes occur simultaneously?
No
What must the random experiment do?
Lead to one of the basic outcomes
What is the sample space
A set of all basic outcomes
contains all the possible items including the items that cannot happen.
What is the symbol for a sample space
Ω
What is an event
a subset of basic outcomes from the sample space
When does an event occur?
If the random experiment results in one of its constituent basic outcomes
What is the nuff event
Represents the absence of a basic outcome
What is the nuff statement denoted by?
0
What is an independent event
each event is NOT affected by other events
(e.g. tossing a coin and getting head will always be the same probability 1/2)
What is a dependant event
An event affected by other events - it is conditional
What is an example of a mutually exclusive event
events cannot occur at the same time
e.g. heads and tails are mutually exclusive.
What is a random variable
a variable that takes on numerical values realized by the outcomes in the sample space generated by a random experiment
-a variable u can use but u dont know the value of the variable at the END of the period
an example of the random variable
return. u don’t know what return ur going to get at the end of the time period - u just make assumptions that it’ll be a positive return, but there’s no way of being certain
What is a discrete random variable
a variable that takes on a countable number of values
What is a continuous random variable
one for which there are infinite possible outcomes between a range - the probabilities cannot be attached to specific outcomes
Describe how the continuous and discrete random variables will be displayed on a graph
Discrete will have lots of spaces between each data point - continuous wont
What does PDF stand for?
Probability Distribution Function
What is pdf
a mathematical function that describes the likelihood of a random variable taking on a given value
What type of probability distribution is used to find the pdf
discrete
What do we want to know when working with probability distribution for the discrete
when working with discrete probability distribution we want to know the probability that the random variable (X) and the realisation of the random variable (x)
P(X = x)
What is the representation of PDF in equation format
P(x) = P(X = x), ∀x
What does ∀ mean
all values of
What are the required properties of probability distribution
-Probabilities must NOT be negative or exceed 1
-Must always add up to equal 1
∑P(x) = 1
Why must all probabilities equal to 1
follows the fact that X= x, all possible values of x are MUTUALLY exclusive and Collectively exhaustive
What does CDF stand for?
Cumulative Probability Distribution
What is Cumulative Probability Distribution
a function that describes the probability distribution of a random variable
-the SUM of all probabilities that are smaller or equal to x
What is represented by CDF
F(x0)
How would u write CDF as a equation
F(x0) = P(X <= x)
Explain the equation of cdf
F(x0) is the cdf and X is the random variable.
We want to find out the probability that the random variable isnt bigger or equal to a certain number which is x - u ADD them
What is the relationship between PDF and CDF
Derived
Why are pdf and cdf a derived relationship
Since X = x0 (which x0 is from CDF where F(x0) is the UNION of the MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE X= x (from pdf) for all values of x less then or equal to x0.
The probability of this union is the SUM of these individual event probabilities
How can u get CDF from PDF
You can get the CDF from the PDF by adding up (integrating) all the probabilities from the start up to a certain value.