statistics2014, fall2001- universityof north florida（statistics2014 fall2001——北佛罗里达大学）（5页）.docVIP

Chapter 6 – Building Empirical Models Robert Boyle (1627 – 1691) established the law that, for a given quantity of a gas (ideal) at a fixed temperature, the pressure is inversely proportional to the volume: P = A/V, where A is a parameter whose value is to be estimated from experimental measurements of pairs of values of P and V. By pouring mercury into the open top of the long side of a J-shaped tube, Boyle increased the pressure of the air trapped in the short leg. The volume of the trapped air would be V = h*(cross section of short leg), where h is the height of the air in the short leg, in centimeters. If y = height of mercury in long leg, in centimeters, adjusted for atmospheric pressure, then we have y = (0 + (1 x, where x = 1/h. Due to the fact of experimental error, we may write this model as y = (0 + (1 x + (. In his experiment, Boyle took 25 measurements of y at 25 specific different values of x. The data are shown in the table below, followed by a scatterplot. h 48 46 44 42 40 y 29.4375 30.5625 31.9375 33.5000 35.3125 h 38 36 34 32 30 y 37.0000 39.3125 41.6250 44.1875 47.0625 h 28 26 24 23 22 y 50.3125 54.3125 58.8125 61.3125 64.0625 h 21 20 19 18 17 y 67.0625 70.6875 74.1250 77.8750 82.7500 h 16 15 14 13 12 y 87.8750 93.0625 100.4375 107.8125 117.5625 The data points look collinear, since the random error term in this experiment is relatively small. However, a plot of the errors (called residuals) against the predicted value of y, which is a linear function of the reciprocal of h, shows a pattern. There seems to be a parabolic relationship between the errors and the predicted value of y. Also, there seems to be increasing disperson. The model developed by Boyle is an example of an empirical model, a model that relates variables based on observed data. Later, in the 19th century, the model was extended and given a theoretical basis with the development of the kinetic theory of gases. For an ideal gas,