find the probability in normal distibution
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hi everyone. i have two normal distribution curves which met each other at two points A and B. how can i find these two points and then how can i calculate the probability between (-inf,A), (A,B) and (B, inf) for each curve? thank you for your time :)
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3 Comments
the cyclist
on 25 May 2015
Someone here may be able to help you, but you should be aware that what you are asking is not really a MATLAB problem, but rather a math problem. You might also want to seek help on a math forum.
Accepted Answer
dpb
on 25 May 2015
Edited: dpb
on 25 May 2015
Approximate (to nearest point of x vector) is fairly simple to do. Define
f=@(x)normpdf(x,mu1,s1)-normpdf(x,mu2,s2)
as the difference between the two. Then simply evaluate and look for the zero crossings--to illustrate I can approximate your plot pretty closely with
>> mu1=-30;s1=30; mu2=mu1; s2=s1/2;
>> x=-150:150;
>> d=f(x);
>> ix=find(diff(dd))+1
ix =
101 142
>> f(x(ix))
ans =
1.0e-03 *
-0.2857 0.4266
>> figure
>> plot(x,[y1;y2;d].')
>> grid on
You can either refine these with an interpolating function around the located values or use a finer mesh for x, noting you don't need the full range to find the intersecting points.
Or, you can solve directly using fzero or similar root solver.
Once you've got the points, the percentiles should be easy enough just standardize those x-values found to the standard normal variate using the known parameters.
More Answers (1)
John D'Errico
on 25 May 2015
What is the problem? Just use fzero on the difference between the two PDFs to find the intersection points. Then use normcdf to find the area you desire.
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