the probability when a fair coin is tossed five times, that exactly
two are heads. this example follows a Binomial Distribution. How to construct this probability prior to ever hearing its name. in the probability unit
distinguishing between permutations and combinations as well as “with replacement” and
“without replacement.” Three of the
motivational factors for students to learn the specific named distributions are:
Journal of Statistics Education, Volume 21, Number 1 (2013)
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1. To simplify the implementation of probability calculations by utilizing their
probability mass functions (pmfs) and to understand the general form of a pmf.
2. To determine and utilize their specific expected value and variance.
3. To learn about the concept of modeling outcomes of a given situation through demonstration.
In order to understand how students may confuse three of these distributions, we will go through
each of the three distributions’ characteristics in more detail.