Gamma distributionIn probability theory and statistics, the gamma distribution is a two-parameter family of continuous probability distributions. The exponential distribution, Erlang distribution, and chi-squared distribution are special cases of the gamma distribution. There are two equivalent parameterizations in common use: With a shape parameter and a scale parameter . With a shape parameter and an inverse scale parameter , called a rate parameter. In each of these forms, both parameters are positive real numbers.
Estimation of covariance matricesIn statistics, sometimes the covariance matrix of a multivariate random variable is not known but has to be estimated. Estimation of covariance matrices then deals with the question of how to approximate the actual covariance matrix on the basis of a sample from the multivariate distribution. Simple cases, where observations are complete, can be dealt with by using the sample covariance matrix.
Inverse-chi-squared distributionIn probability and statistics, the inverse-chi-squared distribution (or inverted-chi-square distribution) is a continuous probability distribution of a positive-valued random variable. It is closely related to the chi-squared distribution. It arises in Bayesian inference, where it can be used as the prior and posterior distribution for an unknown variance of the normal distribution. The inverse-chi-squared distribution (or inverted-chi-square distribution ) is the probability distribution of a random variable whose multiplicative inverse (reciprocal) has a chi-squared distribution.
Dirichlet processIn probability theory, Dirichlet processes (after the distribution associated with Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet) are a family of stochastic processes whose realizations are probability distributions. In other words, a Dirichlet process is a probability distribution whose range is itself a set of probability distributions. It is often used in Bayesian inference to describe the prior knowledge about the distribution of random variables—how likely it is that the random variables are distributed according to one or another particular distribution.
