John Edser wrote:
>>>>>JE:-
>>>>>Previously you wrote:
>>>>>"Basically, a frequency should be a count.
>>>>>However, one can talk about a relative frequency, which
is a proportion
>>>>>of a total count belonging to one species.  In
population genetics,
>>>>>frequency has been (mis-)used is this sense for a long
time."
>>>>>Do you mean by "basically, a frequency should be a
count"
>>>>>that gene frequencies within one population should be a
>>>>>TOTAL count?
> 
> 
>>>>BOH:-
>>>>Err, for gene frequencies I bow down the to conventional usage within
>>>>population genetics by not using the term to mean a count, but a
>>>>proportion.
> 
> 
>>>JE:-
>>>You have mentioned that this constitutes
>>>a "misuse". I am attempting to establish why you
>>>suggest this is the case beyond just an argument
>>>from convention.
> 
> 
>>BOH:_
>>It _is_ only an argument from convention - from the conventional use of
>>the word "frequency".  As Guy has also pointed out to
you, in population
>>genetics "frequency" is used to mean
"proportion", and is calculated in
>>the same way as any other proportion.
> 
> 
> JE:-
> These conventions are NEVER just conventions, they effect
> logical outcomes, i.e. they can effect what something
> critical actually means within the science of biology.
> What you seem to fail to understand is that restricting
> gene freq. counts to only mean a "proportion" within
> population genetics models alters the logic of fitness
> counts within evolutionary theory. How? The TOTALS
> that allow the proportion become deleted. It is these
> totals that provide all the selective logic!
> 
But if we used the word "proportion" instead, then the logic would still 
be the same.  Ergo, it is only a matter of word usage.

You aren't willing to accept this simple argument, so I feel we should 
end this thread here.

Bob

-- 
Bob O'Hara
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
P.O. Box 68 (Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2b)
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki
Finland

Telephone: +358-9-191 51479
Mobile: +358 50 599 0540
Fax:  +358-9-191 51400
WWW:  http://www.RNI.Helsinki.FI/~boh/
Journal of Negative Results - EEB: www.jnr-eeb.org
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