Application of the bootstrap statistical method to the tau-decay-mode problem.

The bootstrap statistical method is applied to the discrepancy in the l-charged particle decay modes of the tau lepton. This eliminates questions about the correctness of the errors ascribed to the branching fraction measurements and the use of gaussian error distributions for systematic errors. The discrepancy is still seen when the results of the bootstrap analysis are combined with other measurements and with deductions from theory. But the bootstrap method assigns less statistical significance to the discrepancy compared to a method using gaussian error distributions. Submitted to Physical Review D * This work was supported by the Department of Energy, contract DE-AC03-76SF00515, and the National Science Foundation, grant DMS 86-00235.