Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF)
Definition
The cumulative distribution function (CDF) is a function that gives the probability that a random variable takes on a value less than or equal to a given value.
Analogy
Think of the CDF as a staircase. Each step represents the probability of getting a value less than or equal to that step. As you climb up the stairs, you accumulate probabilities.
Related terms
Probability Density Function (PDF): A PDF is another way to describe the distribution of a random variable, but it gives the probability density at each possible value rather than cumulative probabilities.
Mean: The mean is the average value of a set of numbers. In terms of probability distributions, it represents the center or expected value.
Standard Deviation: The standard deviation measures how spread out the values in a distribution are from their mean. It tells us about the variability or dispersion in the data.
"Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF)" appears in:
Study guides (1)
Are you a college student?
Study guides for the entire semester
200k practice questions
Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab
Resources
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.