Definition
Assuming a continuous and strictly monotonic distribution function, the quantile function returns the value below which random draws from the given distribution would fall, p×100 percent of the time. That is, it returns the value of x such that
If the probability distribution is discrete rather than continuous then there may be gaps between values in the domain of its cdf, while if the cdf is only weakly monotonic there may be "flat spots" in its range. In either case, the quantile function is
for a probability 0 < p < 1, and the quantile function returns the minimum value of x for which the previous probability statement holds.
Read more about this topic: Quantile Function
Famous quotes containing the word definition:
“... we all know the wags definition of a philanthropist: a man whose charity increases directly as the square of the distance.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)
“The definition of good prose is proper words in their proper places; of good verse, the most proper words in their proper places. The propriety is in either case relative. The words in prose ought to express the intended meaning, and no more; if they attract attention to themselves, it is, in general, a fault.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (17721834)
“It is very hard to give a just definition of love. The most we can say of it is this: that in the soul, it is a desire to rule; in the spirit, it is a sympathy; and in the body, it is but a hidden and subtle desire to possessafter many mysterieswhat one loves.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (16131680)