STEREOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SHAPE

Abstract

This paper concerns the problem of making stereological inference about the shape variability in a population of spatial particles. Under rotational invariance the shape variability can be estimated from central planar sections through the particles. A simple, but flexible, parametric model for rotation invariant spatial particles is suggested. It is shown how the parameters of the model can be estimated from observations on central sections. The corresponding model for planar particles is also discussed in some detail.