Referee's report by William Napier Shaw, on a paper 'The mathematical theory of errors of judgement with especial reference to the personal equation' by Karl Pearson

Description

Sectional Committee: Mathematics

Recommended for publication in Philosophical Transactions, in full but with reference to his remarks. The paper would be improved from the readers point of view if the form were less extended and the arrangement more concise. Figure one need be reproduced. The other figures should be reproduced but though they are carefully drawn to scale they are pictorial and are not required for the purposes of subsequent accurate measurement. They need not therefore be reproduced as elaborate plates.

He is quite unfamiliar with the mathematical literature of the subject treated in the paper and is amongst the class whose criticism the author 'wards off' on account of their not clearly understanding random sampling. If he is desired to check the mathematical analysis he would need a good extension of time beyond 5 June. If however he may accept the author's mathematics and review the paper from the point of view of a reader, he would make the following remarks. The paper is inflated in formr but it is not complete; the last part of the papers refers for proofs of formulae to unpublished papers by the author. The author's purpose would be better answered by a paper of half the length in the Proceedings but the present paper cannot be made of the appropriate length by a process of simple excision.

[Published in Philosophical Transactions A, 1902].

Endorsed on verso as received 4 June 1901.

Reference number

RR/15/225

Earliest possible date

03 June 1901

Physical description

Standardised form (type A)

Page extent

4 pages

Format

Manuscript