A basic mathematical relation used in population genetics. It gives the proportion of the various genotypes in a randomly mating population in terms of the frequencies of the genes. The formula is useful for genetic analysis of populations, such as human populations or plants and animals in nature where experimental matings are not possible. It was discovered independently in 1908 by G. H. Hardy, a British mathematician, and W. Weinberg, a German physician who made a number of important contributions to the methodology of human genetics.