between randomly distributed particles in dimensions. Applications The study of CSR is essential for the comparison of measured point data from experimental sources. As a statistical testing method, the test for CSR has many applications in the social sciences and in astronomical examinations. CSR is often the standard against which data sets are tested. Roughly described one approach to test the CSR hypothesis is the following: Use statistics that are a function of the distance from every event to the next nearest event. Firstly focus on a specific event and formulate a method for testing whether the event and the next nearest event are significantly close (or distant). Next consider all events and formulate a method for testing whether the average distance from every event to the next nearest event is significantly short (or long). In cases where computing test statistics analytically is difficult, numerical methods, such as the Monte Carlo method simulation are employed, by simulating a stochastic process a large number of times. References Further reading External links Improvement of Inter-event Distance Tests of Randomness in Spatial Point Processes Spatial analysis Point processes Statistical randomness Spatial processes