Two PDFs about PDFs

December 15, 2011 3:23 PM

An "Exciting Guide to Probability Distributions" from the University of Oxford: part 1, part 2. (Two links to PDFs)
posted by JoeXIII007 (17 comments total)

Related (and very handy): Univariate Distribution Relationships (see Figure 1)
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike at 3:41 PM on December 15, 2011 [3 favorites]

I'm not convinced that using (what must be to statisticians funny) pictures of food makes this in any way exciting.
posted by mrnutty at 3:47 PM on December 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

Philosopher Dirtbike: that is pretty much what I was looking for when I stumbled upon the guide. Would you happen to know of a list of transforms I could look at (like the Box Muller and others that take certain RVs and generate another)?
posted by JoeXIII007 at 4:03 PM on December 15, 2011

Made me think of the Stand-Up Economist, though when I clicked through I honestly couldn't figure out what distinguished these from just a textbook or a classroom slideshow, unfortunately.
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:04 PM on December 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm not convinced that using (what must be to statisticians funny) pictures of food makes this in any way exciting.

Probability distributions are inherently exciting.
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike at 4:05 PM on December 15, 2011 [12 favorites]

Would you happen to know of a list of transforms I could look at (like the Box Muller and others that take certain RVs and generate another)?

I mefi mailed you.
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike at 4:17 PM on December 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

I appreciate this because it makes the obvious joke about the Poisson distribution and fish.

But I gave an exam earlier this semester where Alice (of Alice and Bob fame) had just broken up with Bob, and she was sad, and so she went fishing, and the fish bit according to a Poisson distribution. If any of my students appreciated this joke they didn't let me know.
posted by madcaptenor at 4:21 PM on December 15, 2011 [10 favorites]

Well, I appreciate it.
posted by leahwrenn at 4:45 PM on December 15, 2011

Wheeeeeeeee!
posted by hincandenza at 5:13 PM on December 15, 2011

As someone who has a stats final due tomorrow (multiple regression), this amuses me. Although considering my current punch-drunk state, that's not too hard to do.

Thanks for posting!
posted by smirkette at 5:15 PM on December 15, 2011

What, no hypergeometric? BOO!

(I <3 the hypergeometric in an unhealthy way.)
(What? It pops up all over my research!)
posted by redbeard at 5:15 PM on December 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

I'm not convinced that using (what must be to statisticians funny) pictures of food makes this in any way exciting.

Well, I once explained distributions with an analogy to schmearing cream cheese on a cracker. And actually bringing them to class and modeling bimodal, skewed, and normal cream cheese seemed to be a little exciting.
posted by benito.strauss at 5:33 PM on December 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

This cheatsheet/cookbook is very useful. I have one page from an older version (I think) posted in my cubicle. And, redbeard, you will be happy to know that it includes the hypergeometric.
posted by grouse at 6:14 PM on December 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

maybe it's good material, i don't know. i stopped reading after the 3rd slide because it was obvious that even though it was written in LaTeX/beamer, all of the equations were imported pictures with horrible typesetting. LaTeX was MADE fore mathematical typesetting.

it's like opening a website, taking a picture of your screen with your camera, and emailing the picture to your friend instead of emailing them the link.
posted by cupcake1337 at 6:44 PM on December 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

I thought I was just being over-sensitive — I was reading it and kept thinking "icky fonts".
posted by benito.strauss at 7:27 PM on December 15, 2011

Cupcake, I work with LaTeX+beamer, I know LaTeX+beamer, LaTeX+beamer is a friend of mine. Cupcake, that's no LaTeX+beamer.

That's PowerPoint.
posted by erniepan at 2:33 AM on December 16, 2011 [4 favorites]

erniepan, i also know LaTeX+beamer, and the font and title and outline slides look a lot like LaTeX+beamer.
posted by cupcake1337 at 5:03 PM on December 17, 2011