Wouldn't you agree that maybe the word 'normal' has something to do with the concept of 'average' as it follows from a given CLT applying to partial sums, S_n, of a given sequence having identical means, mu, and variances, sig^2, that for finite n, a we have the following weak approximation:
S_n/n is approximately, in Distribution, equal to N( mu, sig^2/ n) and by the LIL, the approximation is, for large n, with probability 1, accurate to +/- (2 sig^2 log(log(n)))^0.5/n^0.5 --- John Fox <jfox at mcmaster.ca> wrote: > Dear Doug, > > As I recall, according to Stigler, yes -- he wasn't > the first to > formulate Stigler's law of eponymy (but I don't > recall to whom he > attributed it). Possibly a disgruntles M. de Moivre? > > Regards, > John > > On Mon, 3 Mar 2008 12:17:59 -0600 > "Douglas Bates" <bates at stat.wisc.edu> wrote: > > On Mon, Mar 3, 2008 at 8:25 AM, Duncan Murdoch > <murdoch at stats.uwo.ca> > > wrote: > > > On 3/3/2008 9:10 AM, Rogers, James A [PGRD > Groton] wrote: > > > > As someone of partly French heritage, I would > also ask how this > > > > distribution came to be called "Gaussian". It > seems very unfair > > to de > > > > Moivre, who discovered the distribution at > least half a century > > earlier. > > > > :-) > > > > > > Just an example of Stigler's Law. > > > > Taking this to a whole new level of "off topic", I > wonder if > > Stigler's > > Law is self-referential? That is, should > Stigler's Law more > > correctly > > be attributed to someone else? > > > > > > On Mar 2, 2008, at 7:33 AM, (Ted Harding) > wrote: > > > > > > > >> Hi Folks, > > > >> Apologies to anyone who'd prefer not to see > this query > > > >> on this list; but I'm asking because it is > probably the > > > >> forum where I'm most likely to get a good > answer! > > > >> > > > >> I'm interested in the provenance of the name > "normal > > > >> distribution" (for what I'd really prefer to > call the > > > >> "Gaussian" distribution). > > > >> > > > >> According to Wikipedia, "The name "normal > distribution" > > > >> was coined independently by Charles S. > Peirce, Francis > > > >> Galton and Wilhelm Lexis around 1875." > > > >> > > > >> So be it, if that was the case -- but I > would like to > > > >> know why they chose the name "normal": what > did they > > > >> intend to convey? > > > >> > > > >> As background: I'm reflecting a bit on the > usage in > > > >> statistics of "everyday language" as > techincal terms, > > > >> as in "significantly different". This, for > instance, > > > >> is likely to be misunderstood by the general > publidc > > > >> when they encounter statements in the media. > > > >> > > > >> Likewise, "normally distributed" would > probably be > > > >> interpreted as "distributed in the way one > would > > > >> normally expect" or, perhaps, "there was > nothing > > > >> unusual about the distribution." > > > >> > > > >> Comments welcome! > > > >> With thanks, > > > >> Ted. > > > >> > > > > > > > > > ______________________________________________ > > > > R-help at r-project.org mailing list > > > > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > > > > PLEASE do read the posting guide > > http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > > > > and provide commented, minimal, > self-contained, reproducible > > code. > > > > > > ______________________________________________ > > > R-help at r-project.org mailing list > > > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > > > PLEASE do read the posting guide > > http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > > > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, > reproducible code. > > > > > > > ______________________________________________ > > R-help at r-project.org mailing list > > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > > PLEASE do read the posting guide > > http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, > reproducible code. > > -------------------------------- > John Fox, Professor > Department of Sociology > McMaster University > Hamilton, Ontario, Canada > http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/jfox/ > > ______________________________________________ > R-help at r-project.org mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > PLEASE do read the posting guide > http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, > reproducible code. > ______________________________________________ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
