Preprint #97-7



On Finding Trend-Free Block Designs

by

Win-Chin Lin and John Stufken


Abstract

We introduce and discuss a new algorithm to convert a given binary block design, if possible, into a linear trend-free block design. The only permissible operation in attempting this conversion is that of reallocating treatments to plots within blocks; the treatment-block incidence structure is not allowed to be changed. We discuss an extension of the algorithm to cases where the trend is thought to be of a higher degree, and establish a relation between the algorithm and the optimal assignment problem, a well known problem in operations research.


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