To determine if the table represents a discrete probability distribution, we need to check two main criteria:
- Each probability \( p(x) \) must be between 0 and 1 (inclusive).
- The sum of all probabilities must equal 1.
Looking at the provided values:
\[ \begin{align*} x & : -2 & 0 & 2 & 4 \ p(x) & : 0.35 & 0.15 & 0.25 & 0.15 \ \end{align*} \]
- Check if each \( p(x) \) is between 0 and 1:
- \( 0.35 \geq 0 \) and \( 0.35 \leq 1 \) ✔
- \( 0.15 \geq 0 \) and \( 0.15 \leq 1 \) ✔
- \( 0.25 \geq 0 \) and \( 0.25 \leq 1 \) ✔
- \( 0.15 \geq 0 \) and \( 0.15 \leq 1 \) ✔
All probabilities are within the range of 0 to 1.
- Sum of the probabilities: \[ 0.35 + 0.15 + 0.25 + 0.15 = 1.00 \]
The sum is equal to 1.
Since both criteria are satisfied, we can conclude:
The table does represent a discrete probability distribution because all probabilities are between 0 and 1, and the sum of the probabilities equals 1.