Table 2.

Root mean square error (RMSE) for the summed length of branches in a genealogy with 3, 5, or 7 descendants. The RMSE was calculated from the average value in 50,000 genealogies, independently realized 50 times, generated using either sampling from our equations with multiple random waiting times, labeled Topology Free, with expected waiting times, labeled Expected Times, or full coalescent simulations, labeled Coalescent. The expected theoretical values of the summed length of branches with sizes 3, 5, and 7 are $\frac{2}{3}$, $\frac{2}{5}$, and $\frac{2}{7}$ respectively.

		Branch Size
		3	5	7
Sample Size	Method	RMSE (×10−3)
250	Topology Free	1.40	1.57	1.25
	Coalescent	1.48	1.10	1.24
	Expected Times	1.42	1.26	1.13
500	Topology Free	1.27	0.98	1.13
	Coalescent	1.03	1.30	1.04
	Expected Times	1.04	0.99	0.94
1000	Topology Free	0.73	0.98	0.83
	Coalescent	0.99	0.87	0.70
	Expected Times	0.79	0.83	0.74