Outline

Uncertainty is a measure of the 'goodness' of a result. Without such a measure, it is impossible to judge the fitness of the value as a basis for making decisions relating to health, safety, commerce or scientific excellence.
  1. Scope
  2. Normative references
  3. Definitions
  4. General Principles
    1. Approach
    2. Check standards
    3. Basic steps
    4. Examples in this document
  5. Type A evaluations
    1. Random error and bias
    2. Time-dependent components
      1. Simple design
      2. Check standards
      3. Two-level nested design
      4. Three-level nested design
    3. Measurement configurations
    4. Material inhomogeneity
    5. Bias
      1. Treatment of inconsistent bias
      2. Treatment of consistent bias
      3. Treatment of bias with sparse data

  6. Type B evaluations
  7. Propagation of error
    1. Comparison with top-down approach
    2. Strengths and weaknesses of each approach
    3. Functions of a single variable
    4. Functions of two variables
    5. Functions of several variables
  8. Sensitivity coefficients
    1. Sensitivity coefficients from measurements on the test item
    2. Sensitivity coefficients from measurements on a check standard
    3. Sensitivity coefficients from measurements with a 2-level design
    4. Sensitivity coefficients from measurements with a 3-level design

  9. Error budgets and standard uncertainty
  10. Expanded uncertainty and degrees of freedom
  11. Case studies
    1. Type A uncertainties from a gauge study on silicon wafers
      1. Analysis of repeatability
      2. Analysis of day-to-day and long-term error
      3. Probe bias
      4. Wiring configuration bias
      5. Uncertainty calculations
    2. Type A uncertainty for quadratic calibration of a loadcell
    3. Linewidths corrected by a linear calibration line
  12. Appendices
    1. Notation
    2. Bibliography