Re: Chi Square Test

[Michael Kay <makay@teleport.com>]

I have used that test for over 30 years for scaler equipped counting systems.
Twice I have discovered electronic failures that caused an oscillator to be
set up that fed pulses to the scaler. Even if the electronics are smaller,
they still contain the same circuit elements (at least resistors and
capacitors), so this is still a valid test. You can test the circuit with a
pulse generator as input (done where high reliability is needed, such as
nuclear research reactor instrumentation circuits). I see this as one of those
situations where the "old" math is satisfactory, and have not seen a need to
change. But I can be enlightened if there is a reason to change that is as
mathematically valid as the Chi Square Test.

Michael A. Kay, ScD, CHMM
makay@teleport.com

RON LAVERA wrote:

> We've used the CHI Square test for many years as a method of checking
> the performance of gas proportional detector, scaler equipped
> instruments.  We've always assumed that when the tested indicated that
> there was not enough variation in the data, that the cause was most
> likely due to constant frequency electronic noise reducing the variability
> in the count rate.
>
> Would any body out there be willing to share their knowledge /
> experience on this one ?
>
> Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
>
> Ron LaVera
> LAVERA.R@NYPA.GOV