# 12. The Binomial Probability Distribution

A binomial experiment is one that possesses the following properties:

1. The experiment consists of n repeated trials;

2. Each trial results in an outcome that may be classified as a success or a failure (hence the name, binomial);

3. The probability of a success, denoted by p, remains constant from trial to trial and repeated trials are independent.

The number of successes X in n trials of a binomial experiment is called a binomial random variable.

The probability distribution of the random variable X is called a binomial distribution, and is given by the formula:

P(X)=C_x^n p^x q^(n-x)

where

n = the number of trials

x = 0, 1, 2, ... n

p = the probability of success in a single trial

q = the probability of failure in a single trial

(i.e. q = 1 − p)

C_x^n is a combination

P(X) gives the probability of successes in n binomial trials.

## Mean and Variance of Binomial Distribution

If p is the probability of success and q is the probability of failure in a binomial trial, then the expected number of successes in n trials (i.e. the mean value of the binomial distribution) is

E(X) = μ = np

The variance of the binomial distribution is

V(X) = σ2 = npq

Note: In a binomial distribution, only 2 parameters, namely n and p, are needed to determine the probability.

### Example 1

Image source

A die is tossed 3 times. What is the probability of

(a) No fives turning up?

(b) 1 five?

(c) 3 fives?

### Example 2

Hospital records show that of patients suffering from a certain disease, 75% die of it. What is the probability that of 6 randomly selected patients, 4 will recover?

### Example 3

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In the old days, there was a probability of 0.8 of success in any attempt to make a telephone call. (This often depended on the imortance of the person making the call, or the operator's curiosity!)

Calculate the probability of having 7 successes in 10 attempts.

### Example 4

A (blindfolded) marksman finds that on the average he hits the target 4 times out of 5. If he fires 4 shots, what is the probability of

(a) more than 2 hits?

(b) at least 3 misses?

### Example 5

Image source

The ratio of boys to girls at birth in Singapore is quite high at 1.09:1.

What proportion of Singapore families with exactly 6 children will have at least 3 boys? (Ignore the probability of multiple births.)

[Interesting and disturbing trivia: In most countries the ratio of boys to girls is about 1.04:1, but in China it is 1.15:1.]

### Example 6

A manufacturer of metal pistons finds that on the average, 12% of his pistons are rejected because they are either oversize or undersize. What is the probability that a batch of 10 pistons will contain

(a) no more than 2 rejects? (b) at least 2 rejects?

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