Create a gamma distribution in Excel

Crystal X
3 min readSep 22, 2024

In my last post I discussed how to create a beta distribution in Excel and that post can be viewed here:- https://medium.com/@tracyrenee61/create-the-beta-distribution-in-excel-f2f566417099

In this post I intend to discuss how the gamma distribution can be created in Excel.

The gamma function, being a generalisation of the factorial function to non integral values, was introduced by Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in the 18th century.

The gamma distribution is a continuous probability distribution that models right skewed data. This distribution has been used to model cancer rates, insurance claims, and rainfall. The gamma distribution is similar to the exponential distribution and it can be used to model failure times, wait times, service times, etcetera.

The most frequent use of the gamma distribution is to model the time between independent events that occur at a constant average rate. Using this distribution, analysts can specify the number of events, such as modelling the time until the second and third accident occurs, thereby modelling failure times.

The gamma distribution, being a generalisation of the exponential distribution, can model the elapsed time between various numbers of events. The exponential distribution, however, can only model the time until the next…

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Crystal X
Crystal X

Written by Crystal X

I have over five decades experience in the world of work, being in fast food, the military, business, non-profits, and the healthcare sector.

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