A probability as assessed before making reference to certain relevant observations, especially subjectively or on the assumption that all possible outcomes be given the same probability.
〔统计〕先验概率；预先几率
Example sentencesExamples
The probability is either a prior probability or a conditional probability.
Her lawyers demonstrated that the test did not take proper account of the prior probability and thus made a tacit initial assumption of guilt.
To estimate the probability that a potential father is the father of an offspring we need to make assumptions regarding the prior probability of a potential father being the father.
The resultant posterior probability then becomes a prior probability for the second drawing, the result of which is used to calculate a further posterior probability.
Definition of prior probability in US English:
prior probability
noun
Statistics
A probability as assessed before making reference to certain relevant observations, especially subjectively or on the assumption that all possible outcomes be given the same probability.
〔统计〕先验概率；预先几率
Compare with posterior probability
Example sentencesExamples
The probability is either a prior probability or a conditional probability.
To estimate the probability that a potential father is the father of an offspring we need to make assumptions regarding the prior probability of a potential father being the father.
The resultant posterior probability then becomes a prior probability for the second drawing, the result of which is used to calculate a further posterior probability.
Her lawyers demonstrated that the test did not take proper account of the prior probability and thus made a tacit initial assumption of guilt.