Bindu Reddy

@bindureddy

1 Tweets • 2023-10-02 •  See on

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Common Probability Distributions That Occur In

Nature And Why Mathematics Is The Language Of
The Universe

Fundamentally the patterns of the universe repeat

themselves making machine learning and AI possible.

Basically, when training ML models, including NNs we

are attempting to model the patterns in the data. A
good model can predict unseen data points that are
part of the original data distribution.

Here are the common probability distributions and

where they occur naturally

Symmetry and normal distributions - Nature loves

balance. You see it in butterfly wings, faces, and even
in physical laws. Natural phenomena that exhibit
symmetry often fit well with a normal distribution.

The Central Limit Theorem tells us that the sum of

many independent, identically distributed variables
approaches a normal distribution. These distributions
are characterized by a mean and a standard deviation
and everything from human heights, IQ scores, and
even the velocities of molecules in a gas follow a
normal distribution

Log-normal distribution - If the logarithm of the

variable follows a normal distribution, then the variable
itself has a log-normal distribution. The distribution of
financial assets, or the sizes of particles generated by
grinding, blood pressure, and metabolic rates in
various organisms often follow a log-normal
distribution.

The Log-Normal Distribution often arises from

multiplicative growth processes, where you're
repeatedly multiplying by some random factor.

Uniform Distribution. This is self-explanatory. All

outcomes are equally likely. In the continuous case,
the probability density function is flat between the
minimum and maximum values. Rolling a fair die, or
picking a card from a well-shuffled deck follows
uniform distributions

Poisson Distribution It describes the probability of a

given number of events occurring in a fixed interval of
time or space. The events must occur with a known
constant mean rate and independently of each other.
It is the go-to for predicting rare events.

Poisson distribution models the number of times a

radioactive atom decays in a given time period, or the
number of cars passing through a certain point in a
given time frame.

If a particular intersection sees an average of 10 cars

passing through it per minute, the Poisson Distribution
can estimate the probability of 15 cars passing
through in the next minute. Similarly in sports like
hockey or soccer where goals are rare, you can use
distribution to model the number of goals scored by
each team.

Bernoulli Distribution, the binary star of the probability

universe! Scientifically speaking, it's a discrete
probability distribution that models a single experiment
with exactly two outcomes, often termed "success"
and "failure," and is characterized by a single
parameter p, the probability of success.

The flip of a coin, genetic inheritance (you either have

a trait or you don't), and the polarization of a single
photon (either vertical or horizontal) model this
distribution.

Binomial Distribution It describes the number of

successes in a fixed number of independent Bernoulli
trials, each with the same probability of success.

For example, The number of heads when flipping a

coin multiple times, or the number of defective items in
a batch of manufactured goods can be modeled with
this distribution.
Exponential Distribution models the time you have to
wait for the next event in scenarios where events
happen independently and at a constant average rate.
It's often used to describe phenomena like the time
between bus arrivals or the intervals between
radioactive decay events.

In essence, it's the go-to distribution for understanding

"waiting times" in various natural and man-made
systems.

This is a summary of the most common distributions.

There are a bunch of other distributions that are
related or variations on the above distributions and the
image below captures some of them.

These naturally occurring distributions speak to why

mathematics is the language of the universe and how
you can use it to model and predict its behavior
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