What is the difference between a normal distribution, binomial distribution, and a Poisson distribution?

1 Answer
Shwetank Mauria
Feb 24, 2016

While in Binomial and Poisson distributions have discreet random variables, the Normal distribution is a continuous random variable. Poisson and Normal distribution are special cases of Binomial distribution.

Explanation:

While in Binomial and Poisson distributions have discreet random variables, the Normal distribution is a continuous random variable.

Binomial distribution (with parameters #n# and #p#) is the discrete probability distribution of the number of successes in a sequence of #n# independent experiments, each of which yields success with probability #p#.

Poisson distribution can be derived from the binomial distribution. It is nothing more than the limiting case of the Binomial where #n# is large and #p# is small (say close to zero) but #np# is finite.

Normal distribution is a continuous distribution, completely described by two parameters #mu# and #sigma#, where #mu# represents the population mean or center of the distribution and #sigma# the population standard deviation. It too can be derived from Binomial Distribution, if #n# is too large but #p# is not small enough.

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