"Anon."  wrote in message
news:cbf25d$41b$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> John Edser wrote:
> >>JE:-
> >>"Wierd"? Dr O'Hara is not correct.
> >>The HW distribution is just a binomial
> >>distribution derived from Pascale's
> >>Triangle.
> >
> >
> > BOH:-
> > Sorry, John, but there's simply no such thing as the "HW
distribution"
> > in the Hardy-Weinberg law.  If I'm wrong, then please correct me by
> > pointing to the literature which places the "HW
distribution" in the H-W
> > law.
> >
> > JE:-
> > Pedantic nonsense.
> > Do you deny or confirm that HW “law”
> > only represents a binomial _distribution_
> > of the alleles concerned so the HW “law”
> > is actually just a binomial distribution
> > of  alleles, i.e. HW “law” only represents
> > a defined _zero_ state re: any _significant_
> > bias of a binomial distribution of the
> > alleles concerned?
> >
> Clearly not: (1) H-W is deterministic, there is no distribution, (2)
> the binomial distribution only has two classes of events:
"success" and
> "failure".  H-W has three: two homozygotes and a heterozygote.

John,

The "binomial distribution" is actually a two parameter family of
distributions.  The parameters are "p" and "n".  For n=2, the
distribution is, as you claim, very closely related to Hardy-
Weinberg.

I have no idea why BOH claims that the binomial distribution
has only two classes of events.  My texts indicate that it has
n+1 classes.  Nor do I understand what he means by the law
being "deterministic".

I would recommend that you disengage from discussing these
subjects with BOH.  He is apparently peeved with amateurs
who have not yet learned the jargon.  Darwin is quoted as
having complained to the effect that when someone is slain
by mathematics, they don't even get the satisfaction of
knowing how they were killed.  BOH seems to be determined
not to provide satisfaction.  That, apparently, provides
him with satisfaction.

  Jim
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