A qualitative characterization of the exponential distribution (Q1281702)

The paper deals with representations of a random variable derived from qualitative axioms. It is shown that a probability measure exists with respect to which the representation of a random variable is measurable based on qualitative conditions in the sense of measurement theory. The basic features of the paper, which eventually yield the exponential distribution, are formulated in terms of an extensive structure and a binary relation. These lead to a difference structure describing to which of two intervals a value of the variable which is measured by the representation of the extensive structure is more likely to belong. A condition that ``regulates'' the interplay between the binary relation and the concatenation turns out to characterize the representation of the structure as a random variable having the exponential distribution.