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(Note: This discussion has progressed, and many of the statement in this section no longer apply.)
This page currently redirects to probability density function, but isn't probability distribution function an alternative name for cumulative distribution function (CDF)? Also I believe that there is some convention that says pdf (lower case) stands for probability density function while PDF (upper case) stands for probability distribution function. Should this be mentioned in the relevant articles? Egriffin 12:21, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
Indeed, there is a difference between the distribution and density functions. The distribution function is typically notated in upper case (PDF) and the density function in lower case (pdf). The page on cumulative distribution function seems to describe the PDF, and this page should redirect there rather than to probability density function. Any good text on random variables should point out the difference, in particular a well known text by A. Papoulis, Probability, Random Variables and Stochastic Processes. Section 4-2 of the fourth edition is especially illustrative. -- 150.135.23.29 22:30, 13 August 2007 (UTC)
The discrepancy is commented on in the article PDF (disambiguation). -- Egriffin 10:30, 6 November 2007 (UTC)
The relevant pages are: PDF (disambiguation); probability distribution function; probability density function; cumulative distribution function; various versions of "pdf" (e.g. pdf, PDF, p.d.f., P.D.F., etc.); their "talk" pages (i.e. discussion pages); etc.
The problem is, the "experts" are divided on what a "probability distribution function" is, and WP is not designed to handle such a situation. Pdfpdf 12:32, 7 November 2007 (UTC)
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Differentiating between Probability distribution and Probability distribution function is artificial. For some authors the latter is a specification of the former, while other authors use the terms interchangeably. In my view the simplest and clearest solution is to make Probability distribution function redirect to Probability distribution where the new section Probability distribution#Terminology now explains that some terms are ambiguous. -- Marie Poise ( talk) 14:20, 6 May 2011 (UTC)
I see this has been the subject of some debate, but the text in the version I'm looking at today: "a probability distribution function is any of: [bullet] a probability distribution function, [bullet]..." is... unhelpful. I will reword. If you object, please make sure that the next revision will still make sense to someone who doesn't already know the answer... Educres ( talk) 13:40, 19 June 2015 (UTC)
![]() | This disambiguation page does not require a rating on Wikipedia's
content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | ||||||||||||||
|
(Note: This discussion has progressed, and many of the statement in this section no longer apply.)
This page currently redirects to probability density function, but isn't probability distribution function an alternative name for cumulative distribution function (CDF)? Also I believe that there is some convention that says pdf (lower case) stands for probability density function while PDF (upper case) stands for probability distribution function. Should this be mentioned in the relevant articles? Egriffin 12:21, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
Indeed, there is a difference between the distribution and density functions. The distribution function is typically notated in upper case (PDF) and the density function in lower case (pdf). The page on cumulative distribution function seems to describe the PDF, and this page should redirect there rather than to probability density function. Any good text on random variables should point out the difference, in particular a well known text by A. Papoulis, Probability, Random Variables and Stochastic Processes. Section 4-2 of the fourth edition is especially illustrative. -- 150.135.23.29 22:30, 13 August 2007 (UTC)
The discrepancy is commented on in the article PDF (disambiguation). -- Egriffin 10:30, 6 November 2007 (UTC)
The relevant pages are: PDF (disambiguation); probability distribution function; probability density function; cumulative distribution function; various versions of "pdf" (e.g. pdf, PDF, p.d.f., P.D.F., etc.); their "talk" pages (i.e. discussion pages); etc.
The problem is, the "experts" are divided on what a "probability distribution function" is, and WP is not designed to handle such a situation. Pdfpdf 12:32, 7 November 2007 (UTC)
B | C | D | |
---|---|---|---|
A | c | c | x |
B | c | x | |
C | x |
Differentiating between Probability distribution and Probability distribution function is artificial. For some authors the latter is a specification of the former, while other authors use the terms interchangeably. In my view the simplest and clearest solution is to make Probability distribution function redirect to Probability distribution where the new section Probability distribution#Terminology now explains that some terms are ambiguous. -- Marie Poise ( talk) 14:20, 6 May 2011 (UTC)
I see this has been the subject of some debate, but the text in the version I'm looking at today: "a probability distribution function is any of: [bullet] a probability distribution function, [bullet]..." is... unhelpful. I will reword. If you object, please make sure that the next revision will still make sense to someone who doesn't already know the answer... Educres ( talk) 13:40, 19 June 2015 (UTC)