[mathcad] Re: rgeom mistake?

Author: Chris Whitford Posted: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:25:32 +0000

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_distribution there are
2 alternative definitions: the number of trials until the first success, or
the number of trials before the first success.

Chris

At 16:25 11/01/2006 +0100, you wrote:
>When using rgeom to simulate the geometric random variable G I have
>values of 0 - which isn't possible for the "trial number
>on which the first success occurs". The Help file (and my 2001i manual)
>have p(1-p)^k for the probability
>of G=k. An exponent k explains why G can indeed by 0 - however every
>probability textbook I check
>tells me the exponent is k-1, not k, with a smallest possible value of G
>equal to 1 and not 0.

+ Chris Whitford
+ Research Fellow, University of Leicester, Space Research Centre,
+ Physics and Astronomy Department, University Road, LEICESTER LE1 7RH, UK
+ Tel: +44 (0)116 252 3496, Fax: +44 (0)116 252 2464
+ email: "chw" http://www.star.le.ac.uk/

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