Abstract
In this paper we study the underlying Gompertz distribution and develop formulae for the moments and other characteristics of this useful but apparently unknown distribution. We find that the skewness and kurtosis of the distribution are fixed constants independent of the two distribution parameters, and this would appear to be the reason for the mixed success writers have experienced fitting the curve to fertility data. We also show the distribution of the minimum of n independent Gompertz variables, all having the same c-parameter, is itself a Gompertz variable with the same c-parameter.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 15-28 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Genus |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 1992 |