Discrete random variable
ID: discrete-random-variable
A random variable is discrete when some finite or countable set has . Its probability mass function is ; these nonnegative masses sum to one. An event determined by the value has probability . Values outside may still occur on a zero-probability event without changing this definition.
Countable support need not consist of integers: a random variable constantly equal to is discrete. Integer-indexed tail-sum formulas therefore require a separate integer-valued hypothesis. For the dice sum in random variable, the expected value is and the variance is ; the same answer follows by adding the variances of its independent summands.
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