38.0k views
2 votes
What happens to the kurtosis of the poisson distribution as lambda grows increasingly larger

User Rupali
by
8.4k points

1 Answer

4 votes

As the parameter λ increases in a Poisson distribution, its kurtosis decreases. The distribution becomes more symmetric and bell-shaped, resembling a normal distribution, in line with the Central Limit Theorem.

As the parameter λ (lambda) of a Poisson distribution increases, the kurtosis of the distribution decreases. Kurtosis measures the tailedness of a probability distribution.

In the case of the Poisson distribution, as λ becomes larger, the distribution approaches a normal distribution. A Poisson distribution with a higher λ becomes more symmetric and bell-shaped, resembling a normal distribution with a kurtosis of 3.

As λ grows, the tails of the distribution become less pronounced, leading to a reduction in kurtosis. This convergence towards normality is consistent with the Central Limit Theorem, which states that the sum or average of a large number of independent and identically distributed random variables, even if not normally distributed, tends to follow a normal distribution.

Therefore, for large λ, the kurtosis of the Poisson distribution approaches the kurtosis of a normal distribution, which is 3.

User Max Coplan
by
8.2k points
Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.

9.4m questions

12.2m answers

Categories