Gamma distribution

From Glossary of Meteorology



gamma distribution

A continuous random variable x is said to have a gamma distribution if the range of x consists of all positive real numbers and if x possesses a density function f(x) that satisfies the equation
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where β and p are positive numbers and where Γ is the gamma function defined by the integral
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for p > 0.

The mean of the density function is βp, and the standard deviation is β(p)½. The gamma distribution, which is a special case of the Pearson distribution, is skewed to the right. In meteorology, scalar multiples of the gamma distribution are used to represent size distributions of cloud drops.
See skewness.


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