– What does the term “probability density function” mean?

Question

I’ve heard electrons referred to as probability density functions, and I’ve also heard the term as a standalone entity. What does it mean?

In: 4

Answer 1

Simply put, it’s the likelihood of something being in a certain range of samples within a group.

For example, adult humans range in height from 4′ to 8′. You would use a probably density function to determine the likelihood of someone being over 7′ tall, for example. Or between 6′ and 6’3″.

In more mathematical terms, it’s the area under two points of the curve of a probability distribution.