| Abstract: | The problem of estimating M, the number of classes in a population, is formulated as an occupancy problem in which N items are drawn from M urns. Under the assumption of a uniform distribution for the number of classes in the population, the sufficient statistic for M, which is the number of distinct classes observed, does not depend upon the number of repetitions in the sample. Point and interval estimates of M are developed using maximum likelihood and the method of moments. Both techniques give rise to the same basic equation which requires a simple iterative solution. These same techniques are used in the more general situation in which the classes can be further subdivided according to type. |
