probability distribution

American  

noun

Statistics.

1. a distribution of all possible values of a random variable together with an indication of their probabilities.

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probability distribution Scientific  

1. A function of a discrete random variable (that is, a variable whose values are obtained from a finite or countable set) yielding the probability that the variable will have a given value.

2. Also called probability density

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Etymology

Origin of probability distribution

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

“Instead, it gives something that sounds like an answer to the question. That is very different from saying something that is accurate. What they have learned is not facts about the world but instead a probability distribution of what word is most likely to come next given the question and the words so far produced in response. Thus the results of using them, uncaged, is lots and lots of confabulations that sound like real things, whether they are or not.”

From Los Angeles Times

Their analysis showed that the resulting probability distribution did not align with the intended target and revealed extra noise in the experiment that had not been evaluated before.

From Science Daily

The team derived their quantum Bayes' rule by maximizing the fidelity between two objects that represent the forward and the reverse process, in analogy with a classical joint probability distribution.

From Science Daily

However, when simulations of a physical system using tried-and-true scientific techniques are available, researchers get a model of its probability distribution for free.

From Science Daily

The MIT team's insight is that this probability distribution also defines a generative model upon which a classifier can be constructed.

From Science Daily