Math Problem Statement

Compute mean and variance of the following well-known distributions: (i) Binomial (n, p), (ii) Poisson (µ), (iii) Normal (m, σ), (iv)Gamma (l) and (v) Cauchy (λ, µ).

Solution

Let's compute the mean and variance for the given well-known distributions:

(i) Binomial Distribution (n, p):

  • Mean: μ=np\mu = n \cdot p where nn is the number of trials and pp is the probability of success in each trial.

  • Variance: σ2=np(1p)\sigma^2 = n \cdot p \cdot (1 - p)

(ii) Poisson Distribution (µ):

  • Mean: μ=μ\mu = \mu where μ\mu is the average rate of occurrence of an event.

  • Variance: σ2=μ\sigma^2 = \mu

(iii) Normal Distribution (m, σ):

  • Mean: μ=m\mu = m where mm is the location parameter (mean) of the distribution.

  • Variance: σ2=σ2\sigma^2 = \sigma^2 where σ\sigma is the standard deviation.

(iv) Gamma Distribution (l, k) with shape kk and rate ll:

  • Mean: μ=kλ\mu = \frac{k}{\lambda} where kk is the shape parameter and λ\lambda is the rate parameter.

  • Variance: σ2=kλ2\sigma^2 = \frac{k}{\lambda^2}

(v) Cauchy Distribution (λ, µ):

  • Mean: The mean for the Cauchy distribution is undefined. This is because the distribution does not have a well-defined expected value.

  • Variance: The variance is also undefined, since the distribution's tails are heavy, making the variance infinite.

Summary:

  • Binomial (n, p):

    • Mean: npn \cdot p
    • Variance: np(1p)n \cdot p \cdot (1 - p)
  • Poisson (µ):

    • Mean: μ\mu
    • Variance: μ\mu
  • Normal (m, σ):

    • Mean: mm
    • Variance: σ2\sigma^2
  • Gamma (l, k):

    • Mean: kλ\frac{k}{\lambda}
    • Variance: kλ2\frac{k}{\lambda^2}
  • Cauchy (λ, µ):

    • Mean: Undefined
    • Variance: Undefined

Would you like a deeper explanation on any of these? Let me know if you have any questions!

Here are 5 related questions:

  1. How do you compute the mean and variance for a Geometric distribution?
  2. What are the conditions for the Central Limit Theorem to hold?
  3. How do you prove the mean of the Binomial distribution?
  4. Can you explain the concept of moment-generating functions for distributions?
  5. Why is the mean and variance undefined for the Cauchy distribution?

Tip: Variance gives you an idea of the spread of data in a distribution, and distributions with heavy tails, like the Cauchy distribution, often have undefined variance.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Probability Distributions
Mean
Variance

Formulas

Mean of Binomial: μ = n * p
Variance of Binomial: σ^2 = n * p * (1 - p)
Mean of Poisson: μ = μ
Variance of Poisson: σ^2 = μ
Mean of Normal: μ = m
Variance of Normal: σ^2 = σ^2
Mean of Gamma: μ = k / λ
Variance of Gamma: σ^2 = k / λ^2
Mean of Cauchy: Undefined
Variance of Cauchy: Undefined

Theorems

Law of Large Numbers
Central Limit Theorem

Suitable Grade Level

Undergraduate