The Inverse Gaussian Distribution and its Statistical Application—A Review

Abstract

Summary This paper reviews the development of the inverse Gaussian distribution and of statistical methods based upon it from the paper of Schrödinger (1915) to the present (1978). After summarizing the properties of the distribution, the paper presents tests of hypotheses, estimation, confidence intervals, regression and “analysis of variance” based upon the inverse Gaussian. its potential role in reliability work is discussed and work on Bayesian statistics is reviewed briefly. An extensive set of references to the distribution is given.