Patent ID: 6847976

Claim:
An apparatus for analyzing statistical data, said apparatus comprising a computing device having an input device; a data storage device in communication with said computing device; and programming code means readable by said computing device which a. receives a set of original statistical data in a data set DB; b. receives a test statistic formula by which said data set DB will be analyzed; c. receives a hypothesis in terms of said test statistic formula defining one of a property and a potential relationship among data contained in said data set DB; d. calculates the numerical value NTS of said test statistic formula using said data set DB; e. receives a probability distribution D relating to said statistical data set DB; f. initiates an index i; g. generates a random data set RDB(i) that is the same size and dimension as said data set DB and distributed according to said probability distribution D; h. calculates the numerical value TS(i) of said test statistic formula using said randomly generated data set RDB(i); i. stores, in said storage device, said numerical value TS(i) of said test statistic formula in a numerical test statistic array; j. increments the index i and repeats steps g through i N times to create randomly generated data sets RDB(1) through RDB(N), calculates, for each random data set, a corresponding numerical value of its test statistic TS(1) through TS(N), and stores each numerical test statistic in said numerical test statistic array in said data storage device; k. compares said numerical value NTS with said numerical test statistic array to determine a set of percentile values P corresponding to said numerical value NTS and an associated set of percentile indices p; and l. output, by a computer output device, of a probability estimated from said set of percentile indices p to be used to accept or reject said hypothesis.