Comparison of vertex analysis and branching ratio in the study of trees.

Many kinds of naturally occurring trees have been the subject of study by investigators from a wide variety of disciplines, employing different techniques each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In this paper two such techniques for studying trees are compared: one is the classification of branches by order and the calculation of the branching ratio; the other is vertex analysis. The two methods, which at first sight appear different, are found to be mathematically similar. In complete trees, much the same information can be obtained from counting branches in each order as can be obtained from vertex analysis. In the case of pruned trees, overall branching ratio may give the more consistent results.