Discrete \(q\)-distributions on Bernoulli trials with a geometrically varying success probability (Q974477)

This review paper deals with three discrete probabilistic models: 1) The model of independent Bernoulli trials with varying probability of success at each trial; 2) The model of independent geometric trials with varying probability of success at each trial. This model can be equivalently described as the sequence of independent Bernoulli trials in which the probability of success varies with the number of successes (and not the number of trials as in 1)); 3) The model of independent Bernoulli trials with the success probability varying both with the number of trials and with the number of successes. In each of the models the variations of success probabilities are in some way expressed in terms of a geometric progression with ratio \(q\). Several ways of constructing \(q\)-models are considered. Let \(X_n\) be the number of successes after n trials and \(T_k\) be the number of trials until the occurrence of the \(k\)-th success. In each of the models, explicit formulas for the distributions of \(X_n\) and \(T_k\) are given. In 1) and 2), these distributions are \(q\)-analogues of the binomial and negative binomial distributions, respectively, and they are expressed in terms of the (noncentral) \(q\)-Stirling numbers of the first and second kind. As \(n\) or \(k\) tend to infinity, the \(q\)-binomial and negative \(q\)-binomial distributions are approximated by \(q\)-Poisson distributions (the Euler and Heine distributions). The zero truncated negative \(q\)-binomial distribution is approximated by a \(q\)-logarithmic distribution. Numerous applications of the described models are discussed.