Probability Workbook For Dummies

Chapter 17

Staying in Line with the Continuous Uniform Distribution

IN THIS CHAPTER

Building the characteristics of the continuous uniform distribution

Finding probabilities for the continuous uniform distribution

Calculating the mean, variance, standard deviation, and percentiles for the continuous uniform distribution

A continuous random variable, X, is a random variable that has an uncountably infinite number of possible values that fall onto the real number line. For example, X could represent the length of time spent waiting for a cab (where time can be measured to as many decimal places as you want), or the time between arrivals of planes at an airport.

The probability density function (pdf), known as f(x), of a continuous random variable doesn’t give the probability of x; it tells you how dense the probability is at that point x, because the probability at any single exact point in a continuous situation is zero. So how do you find probabilities of continuous random variables? You find the area under the curve of the density function, f(x). The probability density function can have many different forms as long as the values are always nonnegative and the total area under ...