"the uncorrelated multivariate Poisson distribution" or "an uncorrelated multivaria"

[zorank]

Which one is right, and why?
Zoran

[Rover_KE]

It depends whether you're referring to a specific uncorrelated multivariate Poisson distribution, or any uncorrelated multivariate Poisson distribution.

We have not enough information to know, as you haven't even given us a full sentence.

(Does anybody know what the heck 'uncorrelated multivariate Poisson distribution' means? Thank goodness for copy and paste.)

Rover

[SoothingDave]

Does anybody know what the heck 'uncorrelated multivariate Poisson distribution' means?

It's something to do with fish...

[bhaisahab]

"Poisson" is French for fish, but what the text means and why it should mix French and English I can't imagine.

[SoothingDave]

Poisson distribution | Define Poisson distribution at Dictionary.com

In all seriousness, it's a form of statistical distribution.

"Multivariate" would mean they are looking at multiple variables and "uncorrelated" would mean there is no correlation among the variables.

[zorank]

It depends whether you're referring to a specific uncorrelated multivariate Poisson distribution, or any uncorrelated multivariate Poisson distribution.
Rover

Many thanks for trying to help me out.

It is actually simple. A distribution is a function. A function is a procedure for computing something from something else. In this particualr case you feed in intereger values to such function and get out values from zero to one (probabilities). Multivariate function is a product of such functions. The real problem is elswehere. It is about whether to treat a set of functions as countable or uncountable.

Sorry being so mathy here. I could have tried to construct non-math example that addresses the same issue but the flavor of it would be lost. Please bear with me. It is about the following:

I never understood this part, I have to be honest, whether "distribution" is countable or uncountable. A distribution, being a function, or an object if you wish, is parameterized by parameters. They can be real numbers (uncountable), or integers (countable).

My understanding is that an English speaking person would see the Poission distribution, which is parameterized by one real number, as an uncountable object (like sugar, water, etc). Real numbers cannot be counted, so I would expect that the set/class of all Poission distributions is uncountable. It should be either with the or without it. But then in academic writing one has to use "the" (the difinite article in front of a proper noun rule I think?).

Thus Saying "the Poisson distribution" is common. I wonder whether one can say "a Poisson distribution"? I wonder whether adding adjectives in front changes also what one has to use e.g. "multivariate Poisson distribution".

Please bear with me as this issue is a recurring pest in my writing.
All the help highly appreciated!

[Rover_KE]

[5jj]

It is actually simple. A distribution is a function. A function is a procedure for computing something from something else. In this particualr case you feed in intereger values to such function and get out values from zero to one (probabilities). A Multivariate function is a product of such functions. The real problem is elswehere. It is about whether to treat a set of functions as countable or uncountable.

You have answered your own question here, and below.

I never understood this part, I have to be honest, whether "distribution" is countable or uncountable. A distribution, being a function, or an object if you wish, is parameterized by parameters. They can be real numbers (uncountable), or integers (countable).

My understanding is that an English speaking person would see the Poission distribution, which is parameterized by one real number, as an uncountable object (like sugar, water, etc). Real numbers cannot be counted, so I would expect that the set/class of all Poission distributions is uncountable. It should be either with the or without it.

No. Poisson distribution, like any distribution, as a way of distributing, may be uncountable, but of you have a set of Poisson distributions, then it is coutable. Real numbers can be counted, surely?

But then in academic writing one has to use "the" (the definite article in front of a proper noun rule I think?).

No. Boyle's Law, Fermat's Last Theorem, Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

Thus Saying "the Poisson distribution" is common. I wonder whether one can say "a Poisson distribution"? I wonder whether adding adjectives in front changes also what one has to use e.g. "multivariate Poisson distribution".

Well, presumably if you can have a multivariate Poisson distribution, you can have a non-multivariate one.

Your being mathy(?) is simply confusing the issue. You are dealing with language here.

[birdeen's call]

Real numbers can be counted, surely?

I can't count them. I hear Chuck Norris is in the business of counting elements of infinite sets.

On a more serious note, real numbers form an uncountable set which means that there are "more" (in a set-theoretic sense) real numbers than natural numbers.

"Poisson" is French for fish, but what the text means and why it should mix French and English I can't imagine.

"Poisson" may mean fish in French, but Siméon-Denis Poisson wasn't a fish.

I have to be honest, whether "distribution" is countable or uncountable.

Probability distributions are countable in the grammatical sense. Real numbers' being uncountable and natural numbers' being countable in the set-theoretic sense has nothing to do with it. Real numbers are countable grammatically, which is proven by the fact that this sentence is correct.

I'm not suspicious usually but I'm starting to suspect your questions aren't honest.

[5jj]

I'm not suspicious usually but I'm starting to suspect your questions aren't honest.

BC!

I'm shocked!!