Acta Crystallographica Section A

Crystal Physics, Diffraction, Theoretical and General Crystallography

Volume 37, Part 2 (March 1981)

research papers

Acta Cryst. (1981). A37, 227-228 [ doi:10.1107/S0567739481000521 ]

Significance testing of a decrease in the R factor. The jacknife and Hamilton's R-factor ratio test applied to a case of a false minimum in crystallography

D. M. Thompson, M. F. Richardson and S. M. Rothstein

Abstract: The jackknife statistic and Hamilton's R-factor ratio test can both be applied to test the significance of a decrease in the R factor, and give similar results. In Hamilton's test, the form in which the hypothesis is cast may obscure the correct dimension of the hypothesis. This problem does not arise for the jackknife test.