An Introduction to Uncertainty in Measurement: Using the GUM (Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement)

by L. Kirkup, R. B. Frenkel

Overview

Measurement shapes scientific theories, characterises improvements in manufacturing processes and promotes efficient commerce. In concert with measurement is uncertainty, and students in science and engineering need to identify and quantify uncertainties in the measurements they make. This book introduces measurement and uncertainty to second and third year students of science and engineering. Its approach relies on the internationally recognised and recommended guidelines for calculating and expressing uncertainty (known by the acronym GUM). The statistics underpinning the methods are considered and worked examples and exercises are spread throughout the text. Detailed case studies based on typical undergraduate experiments are included to reinforce the principles described in the book. This guide is also useful to professionals in industry who are expected to know the contemporary methods in this increasingly important area. Additional online resources are available to support the book at www.cambridge.org/9780521605793.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521605793
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/01/2006
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.69(w) x 9.61(h) x 0.51(d)

About the Author

Les Kirkup is Associate Professor in the School of Physics and Advanced Materials, University of Technology, Sydney. A dedicated lecturer, many of his educational developments have focused on enhancing the laboratory experience of undergraduate students. In May 2011, he was awarded an Australian Learning and Teaching Council National Teaching Fellowship.

Bob Frenkel is a senior experimental scientist at the Australian National Measurement Institute.

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. The importance of uncertainty in science and technology; 2. Measurement fundamentals; 3. Terms used in measurement; 4. Introduction to uncertainty in measurement; 5. Some statistical concepts; 6. Systematic errors; 7. Calculation of uncertainties; 8. Probability density, the Gaussian distribution and the Central Limit Theorem; 9. Sampling a Gaussian distribution; 10. The t-distribution, and the Welch–Satterthwaite formula; 11. Case studies in measurement uncertainty; Appendices; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...it is a remarkably readable text. I wish that the textbooks that I was required to buy at university were half as understandable. If you start at the beginning with a Granny Smith apple and a cup of tea, you will probably find that the cup is empty and apple core brown before you put this book down...topics are presented in a gentle conversational style with plenty of everyday examples to help you grasp the concepts...you do not have to use the book for passive input, but can actually apply the principles and test your knowledge along the way...I find that I can truthfully recommend this book to anyone with a serious interest in measurement and uncertainties, whether they are beginner or an old hand."
The Australian Metrologist, Jeffrey Tapping


"Good reading as an introduction to uncertainty of measurement."
David Brynn Hibbert, Accred Qual Assur


"This book will enlighten all readers, students as well as professionals."
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