Scientific Method, Statistical Method and the Speed of Light
Authors:
- R. J. MacKayRMR. J. MacKay
- R. W. OldfordROR. W. Oldford
Open Access
- 1 August 2000
- journal article
- Published by Institute of Mathematical Statistics in Statistical Science
- Vol. 15 (3) , 254-278
Abstract
What is “statistical method”? Is it the same as “scientific method”? This paper answers the first question by specifying the elements and procedures common to all statistical investigations and organizing these into a single structure. This structure is illustrated by careful examination of the first scientific study on the speed of light carried out by A. A. Michelson in 1879. Our answer to the second question is negative. To understand this a history on the speed of light up to the time of Michelson’s study is presented. The larger history and the details of a single study allow us to place the method of statistics within the larger context of science.Keywords
This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit:
- Statistical Thinking in Empirical EnquiryInternational Statistical Review, 1999
- Deconstructing Statistical QuestionsJournal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A: Statistics in Society, 1994
- Assumptions for Statistical InferenceThe American Statistician, 1993
- Three Simple Inductive Proofs in Probability and StatisticsThe American Statistician, 1980
- Do Robust Estimators Work with Real Data?The Annals of Statistics, 1977
- Science and StatisticsJournal of the American Statistical Association, 1976
- BOOK AND FILM REVIEWS: Valuable Insights: The Ethereal Aether: A History of the Michelson-Morley-Miller Experiments 1880–1930The Physics Teacher, 1972
- On the Distinction between Enumerative and Analytic SurveysJournal of the American Statistical Association, 1953
- Roemer and the First Determination of the Velocity of Light (1676)Isis, 1940
- Measurement of the Velocity of Light in a Partial VacuumThe Astrophysical Journal, 1935