Probability Distributions

A probability distribution is a representation of the probabilities associated with random variables.

It is commonly expressed in the form of a formula, graph, or table.

For any probability distribution, each individual probability needs to be between zero and one, and the sum of the individual probabilities must be equal to one.

Probability distributions can be broadly classified as either discrete or continuous.

Discrete distributions are subdivided into binomial and Poisson distributions.

A binomial distribution describes cases having multiple trials but only two possible outcomes per trial, like the tossing of a coin.

In a Poisson distribution, there can be independent events occurring in specific intervals, such as the number of website visitors per hour.

Similarly, a continuous probability is subdivided into uniform and normal distributions.

The uniform distribution represents probabilities that are evenly spread over the possible range, like the voltage provided by the electric company.

The normal distribution represents probabilities that form a symmetrical bell-shaped graph, for example, the birth weight of babies.

Overall, the probability distributions are useful in estimating the chance of an event occurring.