The Multivariate Normal Distribution

The Multivariate Normal Distribution

The multivariate normal distribution has played a predominant role in the historical development of statistical theory, and has made its appearance in various areas of applications. Although many of the results concerning the multivariate normal distribution are classical, there are important new results which have been reported recently in the literature but cannot be found in most books on multivariate analysis. These results are often obtained by showing that the multivariate normal density function belongs to certain large families of density functions. Thus, useful properties of such families immedi ately hold for the multivariate normal distribution. This book attempts to provide a comprehensive and coherent treatment of the classical and new results related to the multivariate normal distribution. The material is organized in a unified modern approach, and the main themes are dependence, probability inequalities, and their roles in theory and applica tions. Some general properties of a multivariate normal density function are discussed, and results that follow from these properties are reviewed exten sively. The coverage is, to some extent, a matter of taste and is not intended to be exhaustive, thus more attention is focused on a systematic presentation of results rather than on a complete listing of them.

The Multivariate Normal Distribution

Multivariate Normal Distribution, The: Theory And Applications

This book provides the reader with user-friendly applications of normal distribution. In several variables it is called the multinormal distribution which is often handled using matrices for convenience. The author seeks to make the arguments less abstract and hence, starts with the univariate case and moves progressively toward the vector and matrix cases. The approach used in the book is a gradual one, going from one scalar variable to a vector variable and to a matrix variable. The author presents the unified aspect of normal distribution, as well as addresses several other issues, including random matrix theory in physics. Other well-known applications, such as Herrnstein and Murray's argument that human intelligence is substantially influenced by both inherited and environmental factors, will be discussed in this book. It is a better predictor of many personal dynamics — including financial income, job performance, birth out of wedlock, and involvement in crime — than are an individual's parental socioeconomic status, or education level, and deserve to be mentioned and discussed.