Tool to Debitage Ratio
Compare pooled tool/debitage counts corrected with distinct caller recovery probabilities by context; no functional site classification or uncorrected ratio alias.
Description
A tool-to-debitage ratio compares finished tools with production waste.
A tool-to-debitage ratio compares finished tools with production waste. Different recovery probabilities for the two categories can alter the pooled ratio and should be handled explicitly.1
Compare pooled tool/debitage counts corrected with distinct caller recovery probabilities by context; no functional site classification or uncorrected ratio alias.
When to use Tool to Debitage Ratio
Use this tool to compare pooled tool/debitage counts corrected with distinct caller recovery probabilities by context; no functional site classification or uncorrected ratio alias.
Prepare the artifact, site or survey measurements and any independently established calibration or model choices. Keep paired observations aligned and confirm units and coordinate conventions.
How to use Tool to Debitage Ratio and understand its results
- Prepare the artifact, site or survey measurements and any independently established calibration or model choices. Keep paired observations aligned and confirm units and coordinate conventions.
- Enter toolCountsByContext, debitageCountsByContext, toolDetectionProbabilities, debitageDetectionProbabilities using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
- Read adjustedToolCount, adjustedDebitageCount, adjustedToolDebitageRatio. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
- If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.
| Input field | Meaning | Value type; see rules below | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| toolCountsByContext | Tool counts by context | list of number | Required |
| debitageCountsByContext | Debitage counts by context | list of number | Required |
| toolDetectionProbabilities | Tool detection probabilities | list of number | Required |
| debitageDetectionProbabilities | Debitage detection probabilities | list of number | Required |
Pair nonnegative integer category counts by context with aligned detection probabilities greater than zero and at most one. Correct each count by its category probability, sum across contexts and require positive adjusted debitage. Return both adjusted totals and their ratio.
Paired lists must be nonempty and have equal lengths.
adjustedTools = Σtools_i/pTool_i; adjustedDebitage = Σdebitage_i/pDebitage_i; ratio = adjustedTools/adjustedDebitage Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.
| Output field | Meaning | Value type |
|---|---|---|
| adjustedToolCount | Adjusted tool count | number |
| adjustedDebitageCount | Adjusted debitage count | number |
| adjustedToolDebitageRatio | Adjusted tool debitage ratio | number |
{
"input": {
"toolCountsByContext": [
5,
10
],
"debitageCountsByContext": [
10,
10
],
"toolDetectionProbabilities": [
0.5,
1
],
"debitageDetectionProbabilities": [
1,
0.5
]
},
"output": {
"adjustedToolCount": 20,
"adjustedDebitageCount": 30,
"adjustedToolDebitageRatio": 0.6666666666666666
}
}Limitations and assumptions
Recovery probabilities and category definitions are caller inputs. The ratio is not a functional site classification, and uncertainty or context-specific variation is not propagated.
Numeric inputs must be finite. Follow the calculation-specific rules for overflow, underflow and exceptional cases. Numeric lists are limited to 100,000 entries; the rules above may require smaller limits. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use Lithic Debitage Size Class Count Tool: Bin measured flake maximum dimension into explicit half-open lower-edge classes with an open-ended last bin; exact boundaries enter the higher class and manufacture stages are not inferred. For a complementary task, use Cortex Percentage Flake Estimator: Summarize measured dorsal cortex coverage per flake and pooled physical area, distinguishing unequal-sized flakes from a mean percentage.
References
-
Tool to Debitage Ratio — tool.io
Similar or alternative tools
- Lithic Debitage Size Class Count Tool
Bin measured flake maximum dimension into explicit half-open lower-edge classes with an open-ended last bin; exact boundaries enter the higher class and manufacture stages are not inferred.
- Cortex Percentage Flake Estimator
Summarize measured dorsal cortex coverage per flake and pooled physical area, distinguishing unequal-sized flakes from a mean percentage.