Zipf distribution: Difference between revisions
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In [[probability theory]] and [[statistics]], the '''Zipf distribution''' and '''zeta distribution''' refer to a class of [[discrete probability distribution]]s. They have been used to model the distribution of words in words in a text , of text strings and keys in databases, and of the sizes of businesses and towns. | In [[probability theory]] and [[statistics]], the '''Zipf distribution''' and '''zeta distribution''' refer to a class of [[discrete probability distribution]]s. They have been used to model the distribution of words in words in a text , of text strings and keys in databases, and of the sizes of businesses and towns. | ||
Revision as of 15:41, 6 February 2009
In probability theory and statistics, the Zipf distribution and zeta distribution refer to a class of discrete probability distributions. They have been used to model the distribution of words in words in a text , of text strings and keys in databases, and of the sizes of businesses and towns.
The Zipf distribution with parameter n assigns probability proportional to 1/r to an integer r ≤ n and zero otherwise, with normalization factor Hn, the n-th harmonic number.
A Zipf-like distribution with parameters n and s assigns probability proportional to 1/rs to an integer r ≤ n and zero otherwise, with normalization factor .
The zeta distribution with parameter s assigns probability proportional to 1/rs to all integers r with normalization factor given by the Riemann zeta function 1/ζ(s).
References
- Michael Woodroofe; Bruce Hill (1975). On Zipf's law, 425-434. Zbl 0343.60012.