Practical Statistics for Astronomers

Cambridge Observing Handbooks for Research Astronomers

by J.V. Wall, C.R. Jenkins

Astronomy needs statistical methods to interpret data, but statistics is a many-faceted subject that is difficult for non-specialists to access. This handbook helps astronomers analyze the complex data and models of modern astronomy. This Second Edition has been revised to feature many more examples using Monte Carlo simulations, and now also includes Bayesian inference, Bayes factors and Markov chain Monte Carlo integration. Chapters cover basic probability, correlation analysis, hypothesis testing, Bayesian modelling, time series analysis, luminosity functions and clustering. Exercises at the end of each chapter guide readers through the techniques and tests necessary for most observational investigations. The data tables, solutions to problems, and other resources are available online at www.cambridge.org/9780521732499. Bringing together the most relevant statistical and probabilistic techniques for use in observational astronomy, this handbook is a practical manual for advanced undergraduate and graduate students and professional astronomers.

Genres: Mathematics, Reference, Astronomy, Science

374 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2003

Reviews

[Folkert Wierda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow this book seems to make things harder than they need to be. Statistics for astronomy is a tool for answering questions. But the authors fail to clarify - in a clear and concise way - what questions are to be answered when presenting the different approaches, methods and techniques. Then they present examples, but these are insufficiently detailed presented to serve as a clarification of the method discussed. So: next attempt: Feigelson & Babu: Modern Statistical Methods for Astronomy.