cavendish                package:wle                R Documentation

_C_a_v_e_n_d_i_s_h'_s _d_e_t_e_r_m_i_n_a_t_i_o_n_s _o_f _t_h_e _m_e_a_n _d_e_n_s_i_t_y _o_f _t_h_e _e_a_r_t_h _D_a_t_a

_D_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n:

     The Cavendish's determinations of the mean density of the earth
     data (relative to that of water) are 29 measures performed in the
     1798 using a torsion balance devised earlier by Michell. After the
     sixth of these determinations, Cavendish changed his experimental
     apparatus by replacing a suspension wire by one that was stiffer.
     To further complicate matters, Cavendish erred in taking the mean
     of al 29 determinations by treating the value 4.88 as if it were
     in fact 5.88.

_U_s_a_g_e:

     data(cavendish)

_F_o_r_m_a_t:

     'cavendish' is a vector of 29 observations, the first sixth are
     made before the apparatus replacement.

_S_o_u_r_c_e:

     Cavendish, H. (1900) Experiments to determine the density of the
     earth, _Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London
     for the year 1798_ (Part II) *88*, 469-526, Reprinted in _The law
     of gravitation_ (A.S. Mackenzie, ed.) American, New York.

_S_e_e _A_l_s_o:

     Stigler, S.M. (1977) Do robust estimators work with _real_ data?
     _Annals of Statistics,_ *5*, 1055-1098, (with discussion).

