Binomial Distribution Calculator

For very large sample sample sizes (around 10000 or more)

Some may ask, "why not just use the normal approximation?"

Table of Contents

• Purpose

• Installation

• Features and Tips

Purpose

Calculates values of the binomial probability and cumulative distribution functions accurately for very large sample sizes.

Installation

Type make in the directory you cloned.

Features

Get started just by typing ./bin to start using the program interactively. Enter any non numerical character or ^D to exit.

Use the program without entering interactive mode by typing in

./bin -a <sample size> <probability> -k <value within the domain>

Tips

• Strip off unnecessary output with the -b flag
• Skip calculating the CDF or PDF with the -p and -c flags respectively
• Enter distribution parameters on the command line but still use interactive mode by using the -i flag

Example Usage

Shawn@SadMachine binomial_dist % ./bin -iak 0.5 30 15
p(15) = 0.1444644480943680
P(X<=15) = 0.5722322240471840
k = 20
p(20) = 0.0279816007241607
P(X<=20) = 0.9786130273714662
k = ^D
Shawn@SadMachine binomial_dist % ./bin -cak 10000 0.15 1400
P(X<=1400) = 0.0024817556128307