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[Phys-l] question on averaging.



I'm analyzing the free decay of a pendulum à la Siegel [AJP 76 (10) 956.]

However, the pendulum has such a large Q (few hundred => ~2k) that I must average over several data points. Since the necessary values are the speed squared there are two orders. One to average the squared speeds and tother to square the averaged. The difference is not large as over most of the decay the loss is rather small. [Which is why I must average!] Also the factor of interest is the difference between the squared points (speeds). So the question, which is the correct order, if there is one?

bc thinks this is more a meta-physics question