We explain what distribution is and what its various meanings are in areas such as marketing, mechanics and economics.
What is distribution?
The distribution is defined as the action and effect of distributingthat is, to distribute, to divide, and acquires specific connotations depending on the context in which it is used. Basically it opposes the idea of concentrating, of hoarding.
For example, in the field of marketing, distribution includes all the infrastructure and organization that enables the arrival of products and services to wholesalers, retailers and/or final consumers, so that it involves numerous aspects, which often function as links in a chain, among them is transportation, generally represented by a fleet of trucks, or railways. , ships, oil pipelines, electricity substations, pipes, etc., and the human team: promoters, sellers, delivery people. For this reason, we often talk about channels, chains and distribution networks.
For statistics, the distribution of a study variable is a data of interest, since describes in mathematical terms how a certain phenomenon occurs. Some examples of probability distributions are the normal distribution (also known as the Gaussian bell distribution), the binomial distribution, the Poisson distribution, the Student distribution, and the Chi-square distribution.
To illustrate with a concrete example, it may be important in epidemiological studies to know the distribution throughout the year of a certain disease (for example, influenza due to the Influenza virus), to design vaccination plans and prevention strategies.
In its most everyday use, distribute is simply to distribute or divide something and place the parts in different places or assign them to different people, based on various criteria, which may be arbitrary (based on will, or even convenience), or obey issues established in law. A clear example of the latter is the distribution of the assets of a deceased person in accordance with Argentine law, which states that 50% corresponds to the widow and the other 50% is distributed among the children.
In mechanics, it is known as distribution to set of parts that regulate the entry and exit of gases in the cylinder. This entire system must work synchronously with the crankshaft, so that the openings and closings of the valves occur at the appropriate times. The distribution system of an automobile includes the valves with their springs, seats, guides and fixing elements. It also includes the camshaft, the control elements and the tappets and rocker arms. The type of timing a car model has depends on the location of the camshaft in the engine.
In the field of macroeconomics, it is common to talk about the distribution of income or rent, to refer to what way the wealth produced is distributed among the members of the different social classesor the distribution of the tax burden, which accounts for which socioeconomic sector contributes the most to the collection.
It has been stated that many times administration problems at the national, provincial or district level do not occur due to lack of resources but rather due to their inadequate distribution.
See also: Layout
