Analysis of Variation

Abstract

One of the most powerful and useful techniques in modern statistical analysis is the analysis of variation. This technique may be used to assess the variation in a set of data associated with possible sources of variability. From this test it is possible to assess the relative importance of this variability. The form which the analysis will take is intimately connected with the structure of the investigation from which the sample data has been obtained. A simple structure leads to a simple analysis, whilst a complex structure inevitably means a complex analysis. Some of the more common types of analysis are considered in this chapter so that the reader may become familiar with this useful technique, originally introduced by R. A. Fisher.