"Anon."  wrote in message
news:cb2fdq$21bh$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> Tim Tyler wrote:
> > Anon.  wrote or quoted:
> The theorem was derived for an infinite population.
>
> > E.g. see:
> >
> >   http://library.thinkquest.org/19926/java/tour/06.htm?tqskip1=1
> >
> > Alas, this page expresses the law in terms of an infinite population :-(
> >
> > A disasterous error - IMO - since talking about gene frequencies in an
> > infinite population is a sign of mathematical ignorance.
> >
> No, it's a simplifying assumption.  I think to accuse Hardy in
> particular of mathematical ignorance deserves, well, a
> non-mathematician's apology.

Huzzah!

> > Popularisers should make explicit the behaviour is what happens as
> > the population size tends towards infinity - and not attempt to pass
> > it off as an effect in an infinite population.
>
> But it is - in finite populations, you get an excess of homozygotes, as
> any student of population genetics should know.

I am a student of population genetics who is foolishly
attempting to proceed without purchasing a good textbook.
Your claim surprised me, so I tried to check it.  I used
a population of 4 consisting of two heterozygotes and
both kinds of homozygotes.  Hermaphrodites.  I performed
all crosses except the selfings with four offspring per
cross.  (I am assuming that the finite population effect
arises from the prohibited selfings.)  The problem is that
I ended up with an excess of heterozygotes.  What am I
doing wrong?
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