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| Preface | |
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| Experimental errors | |
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| Why do we do experiments? | |
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| Why estimate errors? | |
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| Random and systematic errors | |
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| The meaning of [sigma] | |
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| Distributions | |
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| Mean and variance | |
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| Gaussian distribution | |
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| Combining errors | |
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| Linear situations | |
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| Non-linear situations | |
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| Combining results of different experiments | |
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| Probability and statistics | |
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| Probability | |
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| Rules of probability | |
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| Statistics | |
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| Distributions | |
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| Binomial | |
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| Poisson | |
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| Gaussian distribution | |
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| Gaussian distribution in two variables | |
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| Using the error matrix | |
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| Specific examples of error matrix manipulations | |
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| Parameter fitting and hypothesis testing | |
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| Normalisation | |
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| Interpretation of estimates | |
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| Meaning of error estimates | |
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| Upper limits | |
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| Estimates outside the physical range | |
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| The method of moments | |
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| Maximum likelihood method | |
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| What is it? Some simple examples | |
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| The logarithm of the likelihood function, and error estimates | |
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| Comments on the maximum likelihood method | |
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| Several parameters | |
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| Extended maximum likelihood method | |
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| Least squares | |
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| What is it? | |
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| Notes on the least squares method | |
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| Correlated errors for y[subscript i] | |
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| Hypothesis testing | |
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| Use of weighted sum of squared deviations | |
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| Types of hypothesis testing | |
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| Minimisation | |
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| Detailed examples of fitting procedures | |
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| Least squares fitting | |
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| Function linear in parameters - the straight line | |
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| General least squares case | |
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| Straight line fit to points with errors on x and y | |
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| Kinematic fitting | |
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| General comments | |
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| Actual fit in a simplified case | |
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| Fit involving unmeasured variables | |
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| Maximum likelihood determination of Breit-Wigner parameters | |
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| Monte Carlo calculations | |
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| Introduction | |
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| What is it? | |
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| Random numbers | |
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| Why do Monte Carlo calculations? | |
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| Accuracy of Monte Carlo calculations | |
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| More than one dimension | |
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| An integral by Monte Carlo methods | |
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| Very simple applications of Monte Carlo calculations | |
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| Evaluation of [pi] | |
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| Mean transverse momentum | |
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| Non-uniform distributions and correlated variables | |
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| Typical uses of the Monte Carlo technique | |
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| Designing experiments | |
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| Testing programs | |
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| Contamination estimates | |
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| Geometrical correction factors | |
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| Do theory and experiment agree? | |
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| Resonance or statistical fluctuation? | |
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| Phase space distributions | |
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| Matrix elements | |
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| Parameter determination | |
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| Detailed examples | |
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| Geometrical correction factors | |
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| Physics | |
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| Non-physics applications | |
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| How to save yourself a fortune | |
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| The Garden of Eden problem | |
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| Background subtraction procedures | |
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| The number of constraints in kinematic fitting | |
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| Bibliography | |
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| Index | |