mathematics

Price-Jones curve

Price-Jones curve 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 Price-Jones curve rather than just read about it. In short: A Price-Jones curve is a graph showing the distribution of diameters of red blood cells. Higher diameter may be seen in pernicious anaemia, while lower diameter may be seen after haemorrhage.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

A Price-Jones curve is a graph showing the distribution of diameters of red blood cells. Higher diameter may be seen in pernicious anaemia, while lower diameter may be seen after haemorrhage.

Medical uses A Price-Jones curve can be used in the diagnosis of anaemia. Price-Jones curves usually vary both by average red blood cell size, and the distribution of sizes.

Interpretation of results Higher red blood cell diameter and wider variation in size are often seen in pernicious anaemia. Lower diameter with normal variation in size are often seen after haemorrhage. A higher variation in size is known as anisocytosis.

Procedure A blood smear can be used to view individual red blood cells. The diameter of each red blood cell can be measured, which is usually analogous to volume. This is usually performed automatically by particle counters. Data is then converted into a histogram. This can be used to assess red blood cell distribution width (RDW).

History Cecil Price-Jones first proposed using the Price-Jones curve in a 1922 paper. It has been used for assessing red blood cells since then.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Price-Jones curve

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Price-Jones curve 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 Price-Jones curve 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 Price-Jones curve 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 Price-Jones curve

In research: Price-Jones curve 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 Price-Jones curve 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: Price-Jones curve is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Blood tests, Estimation of densities, Frequency distribution, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Price-Jones curve 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 Price-Jones curve in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Price-Jones curve means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Price-Jones curve out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Price-Jones curve in simple terms?

A Price-Jones curve is a graph showing the distribution of diameters of red blood cells. Higher diameter may be seen in pernicious anaemia, while lower diameter may be seen after haemorrhage.

Why does Price-Jones curve 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 Price-Jones curve?

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 Price-Jones curve.