Measurement uncertainty is an important component of modern materials
analysis: it indicates the boundaries within which the test results can
be trusted. Such results are necessary for understanding of, for
example, material and product tolerances and lifetimes, vital for
plastic product reliability and safety.
Determination of measurement uncertainty is normally quite laborious,
but this book shows how the available interlaboratory test data for
plastics can be used to calculate measurement uncertainty much more
simply. It contains many interlaboratory test results in the fields of
thermoanalysis, molar mass determination, and quantitative analysis of
the composition of material, presented in tables and graphical charts,
discussed in the text, and elaborated by practical examples.
In addition to the evaluation by means of the presented data (top-down
approach), the relationship to the bottom-up approach specified in the
Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) is explained
based on an example. Further sections deal with sampling, and the issue
of whether or not the difference between analytical results is
significant.