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We will now define the notion
of a random variable.

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Very loosely speaking, a random
variable is a numerical

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quantity that takes
random values.

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But what does this mean?

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We want to be a little more
precise and I'm going to

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introduce the idea through
an example.

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Suppose that our sample space
is a set of students labeled

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according to their names.

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Or for simplicity, let's just
label them as a, b, c, and d.

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Our probabilistic experiment is
to pick a student at random

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according to some probability
law and then record their

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weight in kilograms.

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So for example, suppose that the
outcome of the experiment

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was this particular student,
and the weight of

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that student is 62.

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Or it could be that the outcome
of the experiment is

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this particular student, and
that particular student has a

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weight of 75 kilograms.

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The weight of a particular
student is a number, little w.

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But let us think of the abstract
concept of weight,

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something that we will denote
by capital W. Weight is an

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object whose value is determined
once you tell me

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the outcome of the experiment,
once you tell me which student

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was picked.

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In this sense, weight is really
a function of the

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outcome of the experiment.

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So think of weight as an
abstract box that takes as

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input a student and produces a
number, little w, which is the

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weight of that particular
student.

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Or more concretely, think of
weight with a capital W as a

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procedure that takes a student,
puts him or her on a

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scale, and reports the result.

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In this sense, weight is an
object of the same kind as the

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square root function that's
sitting inside your computer.

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The square root function
is a function.

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It's a subroutine, perhaps it is
a piece of code, that takes

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as input a number, let's say
the number 9, and produces

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another number.

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In this case, it would be the
number 3, which is the

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square root of 9.

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Notice here the distinction that
we will keep emphasizing

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over and over.

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Square root of 9 is a number.

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It is the number 3.

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The box square root
is a function.

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Now, let us go back to our
probabilistic experiment.

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Note that a probabilistic
experiment such as the one in

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our example can have several
associated random variables.

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For example, we could have
another random variable

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denoted by capital H, which
is the height of a student

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recorded in meters.

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So if the outcome of the
experiment, for example, was

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student a, then this random
variable would take a value

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which is the height of that
student, let's say it was 1.7.

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Or if the outcome of the
experiment was student c, then

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we would record the height
of that student.

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And let's say it turns
out to be 1.8.

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Once again, height with a
capital H is an abstract

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object, a function whose value
is determined once you tell me

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the outcome of the experiment.

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Now, given some random
variables, we can create new

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random variables as
functions of the

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original random variables.

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For example, consider the
quantity defined as weight

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divided by height squared.

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This quantity is the so-called
body mass index, and it is

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also a function on
the sample space.

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Why is it a function on
the sample space?

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Well, because once an outcome
of the experiment is

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determined, suppose that the
outcome of the experiment was

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the blue student, then these two
numbers, 62 and 1.7, are

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also determined.

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And using those numbers, we can
carry out this calculation

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and find the body mass index
of that particular student,

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which in this case
would be 21.5.

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Or if it happened that this
student was selected, then the

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body mass index would turn out
to be some other number.

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In this case, it would be 23.

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So again, we see that the body
mass index can be viewed as an

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abstract concept defined
by this formula.

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But once an outcome is
determined, then the body mass

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index is also determined.

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And so the body mass index is
really a function of which

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particular outcome
was selected.

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Let us now abstract from the
previous discussion.

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We have seen that random
variables are abstract objects

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that associate a specific value,
a particular number, to

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any particular outcome of a
probabilistic experiment.

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So in that sense, random
variables are functions from

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the sample space to
the real numbers.

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They are numerical functions,
but as numerical functions

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they can either take discrete
values, for example the

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integers, or they can take
continuous values, let's say

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on the real line.

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For example, if your random
variable is the number of

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heads in 10 consecutive coin
tosses, this is a discrete

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random variable that
takes values in the

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set from 0 to 10.

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If your random variable is a
measurement of the time at

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which something happened, and
if your timer has infinite

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accuracy, then the timer reports
a real number and we

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would have a continuous
random variable.

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In this lecture sequence and in
the next few ones, we will

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concentrate on discrete random
variables because they are

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easier to handle.

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And then later on, we will
move to a discussion of

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continuous random variables.

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Throughout, we want to keep
noting this very important

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distinction that I already
brought in the discussion for

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a particular example, but it
needs to be emphasized and

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re-emphasized.

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That we make a distinction
between random variables,

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which are abstract objects.

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They are functions on the sample
space and they are

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denoted by uppercase letters.

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In contrast, we will use lower
case letters to indicate

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numerical values of the
random variables.

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So little x is always a real
number, as opposed to the

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random variable, which
is a function.

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One point that we made earlier
is that for the same

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probabilistic experiment we
can have several random

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variables associated with
that experiment.

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And we can also combine
random variables to

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form new random variables.

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In general, a function of random
variables has numerical

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00:07:32,810 --> 00:07:37,060
values that are determined by
the numerical values of the

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00:07:37,060 --> 00:07:38,870
original random variables.

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And so, ultimately, they are
determined by the outcome of

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00:07:42,070 --> 00:07:43,140
the experiment.

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00:07:43,140 --> 00:07:45,780
So a function of random
variables has a numerical

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value which is completely
determined by the outcome of

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the experiment.

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And so a function of
random variables is

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also a random variable.

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As an example, we could think of
two random variables, X and

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Y, associated with the same
probabilistic experiment.

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00:08:02,700 --> 00:08:07,060
And then define a random
variable, let's say X plus Y.

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What does that mean?

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00:08:08,230 --> 00:08:17,770
X plus Y is a random variable
that takes the value little x

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00:08:17,770 --> 00:08:25,560
plus little y when the random
variable capital X takes the

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00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:34,240
value little x and capital Y
takes the value little y.

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00:08:36,820 --> 00:08:39,400
So X and Y are random
variables.

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00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,140
X plus Y is another
random variable.

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00:08:42,140 --> 00:08:45,540
X and Y will take numerical
values once the outcome of the

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00:08:45,540 --> 00:08:47,510
experiment has been obtained.

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00:08:47,510 --> 00:08:50,740
And if the numerical values that
they take are little x

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00:08:50,740 --> 00:08:55,160
and little y, then the random
variable X plus Y will take

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00:08:55,160 --> 00:09:00,040
the numerical value little
x plus little y.

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00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,700
So we can now move on and start
doing some interesting

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00:09:03,700 --> 00:09:05,820
things about random variables.

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00:09:05,820 --> 00:09:09,130
Characterize them, describe
them, give some examples, and

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00:09:09,130 --> 00:09:11,860
introduce some new concepts
associated with them.