| Title | An application of uncertain numbers in radio frequency power measurement |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2009 |
| Authors | Hall, B.D. |
| Journal | Metrologia |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pagination | 351 - 358 |
| Date Published | 2009 |
| ISSN | 00261394 (ISSN) |
| Keywords | Computational procedures, Correction factors, Data processing, Electric power measurement, Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurements, Instrument errors, mathematical analysis, Measurement system, Measuring systems, Modular in design, Radio, Radio frequency power, Radio waves, Systematic errors, Uncertainty analysis |
| Abstract | The uncertain-numbers method (Hall B D 2006 Metrologia 43 L56-61) is an alternative computational procedure to the Law of Propagation of Uncertainty (LPU) described in the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement. One advantage of the method is that data processing can be carried out in an arbitrary series of steps and much of the mathematical analysis normally associated with the LPU can be automated by software. This has applications for measuring systems, which are modular in design and use internal data processing to apply corrections to raw data. Several scenarios involving radio frequency power measurements are used to illustrate the new method in this context. The scenarios show something of the difficulty inherent in calculating uncertainty for modern measurement systems and in particular highlight the occurrence of systematic errors arising from internal instrument correction factors. Such errors introduce correlation to a series of measurements and must be handled with care when functions of results, such as means, differences and ratios, are required. © 2009 BIPM and IOP Publishing Ltd. |
| URL | http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-67650898611&partnerID=40&md5=a1e589e8fb39693466b24c8d76bd54b8 |
| DOI | 10.1088/0026-1394/46/3/025 |
