Expected value

Expected value formula: E[X] = Σ [x * P(x)]

Expected value

Expected value formula: E[X] = Σ [x * P(x)]

The expected value formula for a discrete random variable X is the sum of the products of each outcome x and its probability P(x). This formula captures the weighted average of all possible outcomes, where the weights are the probabilities.

Example

For a fair six-sided die, the expected value E[X] is calculated as follows: E[X] = (1*1/6) + (2*1/6) + (3*1/6) + (4*1/6) + (5*1/6) + (6*1/6) = 3.5

Understanding the expected value formula is fundamental in probability theory as it helps in predicting the average outcome of a random variable over many trials.

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