Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 218 1 b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For the Poisson variance function , the code computes the Pearson chi-squared statisticand the Pearson dispersion estimatorThe first quantity measures goodness of fit; the second estimates the dispersion parameter, which equals one in a correctly specified Poisson regression. A standard rough calculation substitutes the residual deviance for the Pearson statistic and givesIf the reported upper-tail probability is inverted numerically, the actual Pearson statistic used by the code is about , giving . Either calculation reveals severe overdispersion.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 218 1 c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The Pearson goodness-of-fit test has null hypothesis that the independent counts follow the fitted Poisson regression, in particular , against the alternative that the model does not fit; in this setting the scientifically relevant direction is overdispersion, . Under the null, is approximately chi-squared distribution with degrees of freedom. Its tiny -value decisively rejects the Poisson variance assumption.
The negative binomial regression keeps the logarithmic mean model but allows . It improves the residual deviance from to , close to its residual degrees of freedom, and lowers the Akaike information criterion from to . Both comparisons strongly favour the negative-binomial fit, although its dose coefficient remains statistically insignificant.
Poisson-lognormal random-effect model 2026-10-14
Let , with . The lognormal distribution of the random mean gives marginal mean . The law of total variance gives , strictly larger than when . Thus independent observation-level random effects produce overdispersion even though the conditional Poisson distributions have variance equal to their means.
Poisson mean saturation at three distinct times Created 2026-10-07 Updated 2026-10-14
For three distinct times, the columns are linearly independent by the Vandermonde determinant. Thus a quadratic Poisson regression for the log mean can reproduce any three positive time-group means. A grouped goodness-of-fit test of that mean form has zero residual degrees of freedom. Replicated observations still allow checks of the Poisson distribution and overdispersion within each time group; saturation of the mean does not establish the response distribution.
Poisson mixture Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-07
A model with for a nonnegative random intensity. Conditional expectation and total variance give and , explaining overdispersion. A Poisson-gamma mixture gives the negative binomial distribution.