Re: (statistics)how to make date more like Laplacian distribution?

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
 "walala" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> If I already know a prior that my data distribution should follow the shape
> of Laplacian distribution... the data obtained from measurement is of course
> a little off(not very symmtrical), how can I make the measured data more
> Laplacian distribution like(make it at least a little more symmtrical)?
> 
> Can anybody give me an example or detailed explanation? I am kind of afraid
> of statistics... :=)


Lets see if I understand. Your data does not follow
your prior beliefs. Therefore the data is wrong, and
you want to know how to modify said data so that it
does exactly what you want. This makes sense - in a
very distorted way.

Why did you bother with measuring that blasted data
in the first place? You have already decided the
result. Measurements just get in the way.

Please start by reading the book "How to lie with
Statistics". Then return to your data, and learn from
it. Is it just random noise that has given your data
this property you did not expect? Or is this an
indication of a problem in your measurement? Perhaps
it indicates something wrong with the theory? Perhaps
another factor distorts the data? Maybe your sample
is just too small!

I can summarize the strong suggestions I give to my
students who deal with data in three words:

Plot - think - learn.

Only after that do I tell them to do any actual
modeling, or use their data in any way.

HTH,
John D'Errico


-- 
There are no questions "?" about my real address.

The best material model of a cat is another, or
preferably the same, cat.
A. Rosenblueth, Philosophy of Science, 1945