4,114 research outputs found
Isaac Newton as a Probabilist
In 1693, Isaac Newton answered a query from Samuel Pepys about a problem
involving dice. Newton's analysis is discussed and attention is drawn to an
error he made.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/088342306000000312 in the
Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Karl Pearson's Theoretical Errors and the Advances They Inspired
Karl Pearson played an enormous role in determining the content and
organization of statistical research in his day, through his research, his
teaching, his establishment of laboratories, and his initiation of a vast
publishing program. His technical contributions had initially and continue
today to have a profound impact upon the work of both applied and theoretical
statisticians, partly through their inadequately acknowledged influence upon
Ronald A. Fisher. Particular attention is drawn to two of Pearson's major
errors that nonetheless have left a positive and lasting impression upon the
statistical world.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/08-STS256 the Statistical
Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical
Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Scientific progress despite irreproducibility: A seeming paradox
It appears paradoxical that science is producing outstanding new results and
theories at a rapid rate at the same time that researchers are identifying
serious problems in the practice of science that cause many reports to be
irreproducible and invalid. Certainly the practice of science needs to be
improved and scientists are now pursuing this goal. However, in this
perspective we argue that this seeming paradox is not new, has always been part
of the way science works, and likely will remain so. We first introduce the
paradox. We then review a wide range of challenges that appear to make
scientific success difficult. Next, we describe the factors that make science
work-in the past, present, and presumably also in the future. We then suggest
that remedies for the present practice of science need to be applied
selectively so as not to slow progress, and illustrate with a few examples. We
conclude with arguments that communication of science needs to emphasize not
just problems but the enormous successes and benefits that science has brought
and is now bringing to all elements of modern society.Comment: 3 figure
The William Kruskal Legacy: 1919--2005
William Kruskal (Bill) was a distinguished statistician who spent virtually
his entire professional career at the University of Chicago, and who had a
lasting impact on the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and on the field of
statistics more broadly, as well as on many who came in contact with him. Bill
passed away last April following an extended illness, and on May 19, 2005, the
University of Chicago held a memorial service at which several of Bill's
colleagues and collaborators spoke along with members of his family and other
friends. This biography and the accompanying commentaries derive in part from
brief presentations on that occasion, along with recollections and input from
several others. Bill was known personally to most of an older generation of
statisticians as an editor and as an intellectual and professional leader. In
1994, Statistical Science published an interview by Sandy Zabell (Vol. 9,
285--303) in which Bill looked back on selected events in his professional
life. One of the purposes of the present biography and accompanying
commentaries is to reintroduce him to old friends and to introduce him for the
first time to new generations of statisticians who never had an opportunity to
interact with him and to fall under his influence.Comment: This paper discussed in: [arXiv:0710.5072], [arXiv:0710.5074],
[arXiv:0710.5077], [arXiv:0710.5079], [arXiv:0710.5081], [arXiv:0710.5084]
and [arXiv:0710.5085]. Published in at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/088342306000000420 the Statistical Science
(http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
(http://www.imstat.org
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