Let the random variable x represent the number of girls in a family with three children. Assume the probability of a child being a girl is 0.37. The table on the right describes the probability of having x number of girls. Determine whether the table describes a probability distribution. If it​ does, find the mean and standard deviation. Is it unusual for a family of three children to consist of three​ girls?


x p(x)

0 .250

1 .441

2 .259

3 .050

Verified Answer :

All the probabilities add up to 1, so the table does indeed describe a distribution.

The mean is given by

\(\mathbb E(X)=\displaystyle\sum_x xp(x)=0\times0.250+1\times0.441+2\times0.259+3\times0.050=1.109\)

The standard deviation is given by \(\sqrt{\mathbb E(X^2)-\mathbb E(X)^2}\). You have

\(\mathbb E(X^2)=\displaystyle\sum_xx^2p(x)=0^2\times0.250+1^2\times0.441+2^2\times0.259+3^2\times0.050=1.927\)

so the standard deviation is approximately \(\sqrt{1.927-1.109^2}\approx0.835\).