Exploring probability distributions
A probability distribution is a mathematical model that links the values of a variable to the probabilities that these values can be observed. Probability distributions are used to model the behavior of a phenomenon of interest in relation to the reference population, or to all the cases of which the researcher observes a given sample.
Based on the measurement scale of the variable of interest X, we can distinguish two types of probability distributions:
- Continuous distributions: The variable is expressed on a continuous scale
- Discrete distributions: The variable is measured with integer numerical values
In this context, the variable of interest is seen as a random variable whose probability law expresses the degree of uncertainty with which its values can be observed. Probability distributions are expressed by a mathematical law called probability density function (f(x)) or probability function (p(x)) for continuous or discrete...
