Distributions
The abstract population that we imagine to underlie a data set usually contains an infinite number of values. For example, the lifetimes of 40 tested light bulbs might be modelled as a sample from a population in which:
This kind of underlying population is called a distribution.
Location of cows in a field
In this illustration, we assumed that all possible locations in the field were equally likely. The idea of a distribution also allows for some possible values to be more likely than others. For example, the cow may be more likely to be in some parts of the field above than others.