Analysis of Decay-Type Data*

A comparative study has been made of a variety
of numerical techniques for fitting experimental 
data of the decay type by forms involving the sums of
exponentials.  Statistical errors of the fitted 
parameters are also calculated.  These methods have been
applied to artificially-generated sets of data 
as well as to the results of experiments with radioactive
tracers on both human and animal subjects. 
 Results show that the values of the fitted parameters
are very sensitive to variations in the fitting 
procedure.  Therefore great care very sensitive to variations
in the fitting procedure.  Therefore great 
care must be exercised in identifying such values with
physical constants.  Although the values of functions 
derived from these fitted parameters which can definitely
be associated with physical entities are generally 
more stable under variations in the fitting techniques,
error bounds can be so large that no great confidence 
can be placed even in them.  It would therefore appear
best to select a uniform technique both for running 
the experiments and for analyzing the data, and then
to consider as significant only relative results 
between one subject and the next.

CACM January, 1964

Worsley, B. H.

CA640112 JB March 10, 1978 5:11 AM

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