Memory as a Property of Probability Distributions
- 1 June 1980
- journal article
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Transactions on Reliability
- Vol. R-29 (2) , 160-165
- https://doi.org/10.1109/tr.1980.5220764
Abstract
The probability law of a positive random variable with finite mean is uniquely determined by the mean residual life (MRL) function. This function is useful as an indicator of aging and similar mechanisms. Memory is defined and several measures of memory are derived from the MRL function. Properties of the MRL function and the hazard function are compared. A class of distributions with convex decreasing MRL function, which forms a proper subset of the class of distributions with increasing hazard function, is defined. It is indicated how representative distributional models can be constructed from data.Keywords
This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit:
- Tests for the mean residual lifeBiometrika, 1975
- The Mean Residual Lifetime FunctionIEEE Transactions on Reliability, 1973
- Some Economic Problems Related to Burn-In ProgramsIEEE Transactions on Reliability, 1971
- Some Criteria for AgingJournal of the American Statistical Association, 1969
- On the Possibility of Improving the Mean Useful Life of Items by Eliminating Those with Short LivesTechnometrics, 1961