Estimation of the Probability of Zero Failures inmBinomial Trials

Abstract

The maximum likelihood estimator and minimum variance unbiased estimator of the probability of zero failures in m binomial trials were compared on the basis of expected squared estimation error. The choice of estimator proved to be a function of the region of parameter space. However, the m. l. e. was preferred throughout the regions likely to be encountered in practice (where the probability of zero failures exceeded 0.5).