Clustering: Reminiscences of Some Episodes in My Research Activity,
Abstract
The ideas of a stochastic process of clustering came to the author's attention from Dr. Geoffrey Beall, an entomologist interested in the distribution of larvae over an experimental field. Larvae are born from eggs deposited by moths, not singly, but in egg-masses. After hatching, larvae begin to crawl in search of food. Later, a general census of larvae is performed. The r. v. of interest X = no. of larvae counted in a unit area plot in the field. Conceptual elements: cluster centers (= egg-masses), cluster size (= no. of larvae from a single egg-mass), dispersal of cluster members. Over the four decades since the publication of the theory relating to larvae, essentially the same mechanism of clustering was found to underlay many diverse natural phenomena: clustering of galaxies, population dynamics, epidemics and effects of irradiation of living cells. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA070024
Entities
People
- Jerzy Neyman
Organizations
- University of California, Berkeley