Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Survival function
open-in-new
<p>The survival function is a <a href="/facts/Function_(mathematics)/CdReEKCh">function</a> that gives the <a href="/facts/Probability/fgYvMhwb">probability</a> that a patient, device, or other object of interest will <a href="/facts/Survival_analysis/q8w13cjl">survive</a> past a certain time. The survival function is also known as the survivor function or reliability function. The term <i>reliability function</i> is common in <a href="/facts/Engineering/RFVg8H3I">engineering</a> while the term <i>survival function</i> is used in a broader range of applications, including human mortality. The survival function is the <a href="/facts/Complementary_cumulative_distribution_function/WaKU8tp4">complementary cumulative distribution function</a> of the lifetime. Sometimes complementary cumulative distribution functions are called survival functions in general. </p>