Studying for Exam LTAM, Part 1.10
.A power function is defined by a formula of the form 
for some constants 
and 
.
For certain choices of 
Transformed Power Function Survival Models
..Measures of Spread in Survival Models
Studying for Exam LTAM, Part 1.6
One of the main lessons students should get out of any statistics course is the fact that quantitative data can be described with summary measures.
Data come with a wide variety of “locations”, “spreads”, and “shapes”. These words refer to the nature of the distribution of a … Read the rest
Triangular Survival Models
Studying for Exam LTAM, Part 1.5
An important principle in mathematical modeling is to start simple. For example, if you have a situation where a linear function matches the trend in your data, go ahead and use a linear function rather than, for example, a quadratic function.
If a … Read the rest
The Complete Expectation of Life
Studying for Exam LTAM, Part 1.3
What is your life expectancy? Are you a smoker? A heavy drinker? Male or Female? And how well do you eat and exercise?
These factors can all affect how long you can “expect” to live.
However, the word “expect” can be misleading in this context. It is an … Read the rest
The Force of Mortality (Hazard Rate Function)
Studying for Exam LTAM, Part 1.2
We all face potential risks to our lives every day. Daily risks include traffic accidents, lightening strikes, and poisoning. These risks can be quantified mathematically in numerous ways.
Fortunately, succumbing to a life-endangering risk on any given day has a low probability of occurrence. However, if you have … Read the rest
Families of Continuous Survival Random Variables
Studying for Exam LTAM, Part 1.1
Where do we begin? Assuming the reader’s knowledge of the fundamentals of (calculus-based) probability theory, the best place to start is with continuous survival models. This is also a common initial chapter in the textbooks on the subject.
As I mentioned in the post “Studying for Exam … Read the rest