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Goodness of fit

Goodness of fit is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Goodness of fit rather than just read about it. In short: The goodness of fit of a statistical model describes how well it fits a set of observations. Measures of goodness of fit typically summarize the discrepancy between observed values and the values expected under the model in question.

Key takeaways

  • Goodness of fit belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Goodness of fit to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Goodness of fit from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The goodness of fit of a statistical model describes how well it fits a set of observations. Measures of goodness of fit typically summarize the discrepancy between observed values and the values expected under the model in question. Such measures can be used in statistical hypothesis testing, e.g. to test for normality of residuals, to test whether two samples are drawn from identical distributions (see Kolmogorov–Smirnov test), or whether outcome frequencies follow a specified distribution (see Pearson's chi-square test). In the analysis of variance, one of the components into which the variance is partitioned may be a lack-of-fit sum of squares.

Fit of distributions In assessing whether a given distribution is suited to a data-set, the following tests and their underlying measures of fit can be used:

Bayesian information criterion Kolmogorov–Smirnov test Cramér–von Mises criterion Anderson–Darling test Berk-Jones tests Shapiro–Wilk test Chi-squared test Akaike information criterion Hosmer–Lemeshow test Kuiper's test Kernelized Stein discrepancy Zhang's ZK, ZC and ZA tests Moran test Density Based Empirical Likelihood Ratio tests

Regression analysis In regression analysis, more specifically regression validation, the following topics relate to goodness of fit:

Coefficient of determination (the R-squared measure of goodness of fit); Lack-of-fit sum of squares; Mallows's Cp criterion Prediction error Reduced chi-square

Categorical data The following are examples that arise in the context of categorical data.

Pearson's chi-square test Pearson's chi-square test uses a measure of goodness of fit which is the sum of differences between observed and expected outcome frequencies (that is, counts of observations), each squared and divided by the expectation:

χ 2 = ∑ i = 1 n ( O i − E i ) E i 2 {\displaystyle \chi ^{2}=\sum _{i=1}^{n}{{\frac {(O_{i}-E_{i})}{E_{i}}}^{2}}} where:

Oi = an observed count for bin i Ei = an expected count for bin i, asserted by the null hypothesis. The expected frequency is calculated by:

E i = ( F ( Y u ) − F ( Y l ) ) N {\displaystyle E_{i}\,=\,{\bigg (}F(Y_{u})\,-\,F(Y_{l}){\bigg )}\,N}

where:

F = the cumulative distribution function for the probability distribution being tested. Yu = the upper limit for bin i, Yl = the lower limit for bin i, and N = the sample size The resulting value can be compared with a chi-square distribution to determine the goodness of fit. The chi-square distribution has (k − c) degrees of freedom, where k is the number of non-empty bins and c is the number of estimated parameters (including location and scale parameters and shape parameters) for the distribution plus one. For example, for a 3-parameter Weibull distribution, c = 4.

Binomial case

A binomial experiment is a sequence of independent trials in which the trials can result in one of two outcomes, success or failure. There are n trials each with probability of success, denoted by p. Provided that npi ≫ 1 for every i (where i = 1, 2, ..., k), then

χ 2 = ∑ i = 1 k ( N i − n p i ) 2 n p i = ∑ a l l b i n s

( O − E ) 2 E . {\displaystyle \chi ^{2}=\sum _{i=1}^{k}{\frac {(N_{i}-np_{i})^{2}}{np_{i}}}=\sum _{\mathrm {all\ bins} }^{}{\frac {(\mathrm {O} -\mathrm {E} )^{2}}{\mathrm {E} }}.}

This has approximately a chi-square distribution with k − 1 degrees of freedom. The fact that there are k − 1 degrees of freedom is a consequence of the restriction ∑ N i = n {\textstyle \sum N_{i}=n} . We know there are k observed bin counts, however, once any k − 1 are known, the remaining one is uniquely determined. Basically, one can say, there are only k − 1 freely determined bin counts, thus k − 1 degrees of freedom.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Goodness of fit

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Goodness of fit claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Goodness of fit before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Goodness of fit ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Goodness of fit

In research
Goodness of fit appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Goodness of fit in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Goodness of fit is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Statistical theory, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Goodness of fit outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Goodness of fit in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Goodness of fit means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Goodness of fit out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Goodness of fit in simple terms?

The goodness of fit of a statistical model describes how well it fits a set of observations. Measures of goodness of fit typically summarize the discrepancy between observed values and the values expected under the model in question.

Why does Goodness of fit matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Goodness of fit?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Goodness of fit.

Tags

  • Statistical theory

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