5.1 Introduction to Distributions5.1.1 Random Variables5.1.2 Independent Events5.1.3 Discrete or Continuous Distributions5.1.4 Characteristics of Distributions5.1.5 General Shape of Distributions5.2 Discrete Distributions5.2.1 Probability Function p(y)5.2.2 Cumulative Distribution Function F[y)5.2.3 Mean, Variance, and Standard Deviation5.3 Binomial Distribution5.3.1 Binomial Distribution Characteristics5.3.2 Calculating Binomial Probabilities in JMP5.3.3 Practical Advice5.4 Distributions of Two Discrete Random Variables (Y1, Y2)5.4.1 Return of Two Stocks under Different Economic Conditions5.4.2 Joint and Marginal Probability Functions5.4.3 Covariance Cov[Y1, Y2] and Correlation Coefficient p125.4.4 Calculating E[Y1], E[Y1], E[Y12], E[Y22] and E[Y1,·Y2]5.4.5 Variance and Standard Deviation of a Portfolio of Two Stocks5.5 Summary5.6 Problems5.7 Case Study: Assessing Financial InvestmentsBackgroundBusiness Problem