In probability theory and statistics, the beta prime distribution (also known as inverted beta distribution or beta distribution of the second kind) is an absolutely continuous probability distribution. If has a beta distribution, then the odds has a beta prime distribution.
Beta prime distribution is defined for with two parameters ñ and ò, having the probability density function:
where B is the Beta function.
The cumulative distribution function is
where I is the regularized incomplete beta function.
While the related beta distribution is the conjugate prior distribution of the parameter of a Bernoulli distribution expressed as a probability, the beta prime distribution is the conjugate prior distribution of the parameter of a Bernoulli distribution expressed in odds. The distribution is a Pearson type VI distribution.
The mode of a variate X distributed as is . Its mean is if (if the mean is infinite, in other words it has no well defined mean) and its variance is if .
For , the k-th moment is given by
For with this simplifies to
The cdf can also be written as
where is the Gauss's hypergeometric function <sub>2</sub>F<sub>1</sub> .
The beta prime distribution may also be reparameterized in terms of its mean ü > 0 and precision ý > 0 parameters ( p. 36).
Consider the parameterization ü = ñ/(ò â 1) and ý = ò â 2, i.e., ñ = ü(1 + ý) and ò = 2 + ý. Under this parameterization E[Y] = ü and Var[Y] = ü(1 + ü)/ý.
Two more parameters can be added to form the generalized beta prime distribution :
having the probability density function:
with mean
and mode
Note that if p = q = 1 then the generalized beta prime distribution reduces to the standard beta prime distribution.
This generalization can be obtained via the following invertible transformation. If and for , then .
The compound gamma distribution is the generalization of the beta prime when the scale parameter, q is added, but where p = 1. It is so named because it is formed by compounding two gamma distributions:
where is the gamma pdf with shape and inverse scale .
The mode, mean and variance of the compound gamma can be obtained by multiplying the mode and mean in the above infobox by q and the variance by q<sup>2</sup>.
Another way to express the compounding is if and , then . This gives one way to generate random variates with compound gamma, or beta prime distributions. Another is via the ratio of independent gamma variates, as shown below.