Question:medium

If \(X\) follows a binomial distribution with parameters \(n = 8\) and \(p = \frac{1}{2}\), then \(P(|x - 4| \le 2)\) is equal to

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For binomial distribution with \(p=1/2\), \(P(X=r) = \binom{n}{r}/2^n\).
Updated On: May 24, 2026
  • \(\frac{119}{128}\)
  • \(\frac{116}{128}\)
  • \(\frac{29}{128}\)
  • None of these
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

To find \(P(|X - 4| \le 2)\) for a binomial distribution \(X \sim B(n=8, p=\frac{1}{2})\), we need to calculate the probability that \(X\) takes values within 2 of the mean, specifically \(P(2 \le X \le 6)\).

The probability mass function (PMF) for a binomial distribution is given by:

\[ P(X = k) = \binom{n}{k} p^k (1-p)^{n-k} \]

Here, \(n = 8\) and \(p = \frac{1}{2}\), so we can calculate:

  1. \[ P(X = 2) = \binom{8}{2} \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^2 \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{6} = \frac{28}{256} = \frac{7}{64} \]
  2. \[ P(X = 3) = \binom{8}{3} \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^3 \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{5} = \frac{56}{256} = \frac{7}{32} \]
  3. \[ P(X = 4) = \binom{8}{4} \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^4 \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{4} = \frac{70}{256} = \frac{35}{128} \]
  4. \[ P(X = 5) = \binom{8}{5} \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^5 \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{3} = \frac{56}{256} = \frac{7}{32} \]
  5. \[ P(X = 6) = \binom{8}{6} \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^6 \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{2} = \frac{28}{256} = \frac{7}{64} \]

Thus,

\[ P(2 \le X \le 6) = P(X = 2) + P(X = 3) + P(X = 4) + P(X = 5) + P(X = 6) \]

Calculating this gives:

\[ P(2 \le X \le 6) = \frac{7}{64} + \frac{7}{32} + \frac{35}{128} + \frac{7}{32} + \frac{7}{64} \]

Simplifying the terms by having a common denominator, we have:

\[ P(2 \le X \le 6) = \frac{14}{128} + \frac{28}{128} + \frac{35}{128} + \frac{28}{128} + \frac{14}{128} = \frac{119}{128} \]

Therefore, the probability is \(\frac{119}{128}\), which corresponds to the correct option.

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