Optimal Design
In the design of experiments, optimal designs are a class of experimental designs that are optimal with respect to some statistical criterion.
In the design of experiments for estimating statistical models, optimal designs allow parameters to be estimated without bias and with minimum-variance. A non-optimal design requires a greater number of experimental runs to estimate the parameters with the same precision as an optimal design. In practical terms, optimal experiments can reduce the costs of experimentation.
The optimality of a design depends on the statistical model and is assessed with respect to a statistical criterion, which is related to the variance-matrix of the estimator. Specifying an appropriate model and specifying a suitable criterion function both require understanding of statistical theory and practical knowledge with designing experiments.
Optimal designs are also called optimum designs.
Read more about Optimal Design: Advantages, Minimizing The Variance of Estimators, Implementation, Practical Considerations, Iterative Experimentation, History
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