exponential distribution

British

noun

statistics a continuous single-parameter distribution used esp when making statements about the length of life of certain materials or waiting times between randomly occurring events. Its density function is p ( x ) = λe ^–λx for positive λ and nonnegative x , and it is a special case of the gamma distribution

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They found that regardless of turbulence or snowflake type, acceleration follows a universal statistical pattern that can be described as an exponential distribution.

From Science Daily • Dec. 19, 2023

The analyst finds that for those people who exceed the time included in their basic contract, the excess time used follows an exponential distribution with a mean of 22 minutes.

From Textbooks • Mar. 27, 2020

An alternative form of the exponential distribution formula recognizes what is often called the decay factor.

From Textbooks • Nov. 29, 2017

Refer back to the postal clerk again where the time a postal clerk spends with his or her customer has an exponential distribution with a mean of four minutes.

From Textbooks • Nov. 29, 2017

In Example 5.5, the lifetime of a certain computer part has the exponential distribution with a mean of ten years.

From Textbooks • Nov. 29, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023