Reduced chi square for few data points

In summary, the conversation discusses making a straight line fit to 8 points with errors using data of x and y values, as well as y_err which represents Poisson errors. The large size of the errors compared to the data spread results in a reduced chi-squared of 0.02, and the speaker is unsure of what to make of this. They also inquire about the accuracy of the y_err estimates and the potential impact of systematic errors. Finally, they ask about the status of previous discussions and whether the help provided was understood.
  • #1
Malamala
315
27
Hello! I need to make a straight line fit to 8 points, with errors on them. The data is like this ##x = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]##, ##y=[377.488 691.191 , 1030.319, 1428.801, 1753.884, 2113.065 , 2398.642, 2797.664]##, ##y_{err}=[97.145, 131.452, 160.492, 188.997, 209.397, 229.840, 244.879, 264.464]##. The problem is that the errorbars (which are basically Poisson errors) are a lot bigger than the spread of the data. Hence I end up with a reduced chi-squared of 0.02. Is there anything I can do? The values of the fits are reasonable (given theoretical arguments), but I am not sure what to make out of this small reduced chi-square.
 
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  • #2
Did you make a plot ?
Tell us how the data were obtained and what they represent. Especially the ##y_{err}##.
And how can you obtain such unbelievably accurate estimates of ##y_{err}##. Billions of observations, or just mindless copying calculation results ?
Are you aware of the role of systematic errors ?

BvU said:
How are the other threads going ? Long forgotten ?
I'd like to know if you understood the help given in earlier threads, or just lost interest and never reacted any more. I don't mind repeating things, but it should have a reasonable purpose.
 
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