pdistance

pdistance is a function commonly found in statistical software packages, particularly R, used for calculating probabilities related to probability distributions. It typically refers to a "probability distance" or a function that computes the cumulative distribution function (CDF) or the probability density function (PDF) of a specific statistical distribution. The specific distribution that pdistance operates on is usually indicated by a prefix. For example, in R, 'pnorm' calculates the CDF for the normal distribution, 'ppois' for the Poisson distribution, and 'pbinom' for the binomial distribution.

These functions are essential tools for hypothesis testing, confidence interval estimation, and simulation studies. By providing a value (or vector of values) for the variable, along with the distribution's parameters, pdistance functions return the probability of observing a value less than or equal to the given value (for CDF) or the probability of observing a specific value (for PDF). The precise output and required parameters vary depending on the underlying statistical distribution. Understanding and utilizing pdistance functions is a fundamental skill for anyone working with statistical modeling and data analysis.