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Updated: Mar 22, 2026
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Split Point Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification of Thermal-Optical Organic/Elemental Carbon Measurements
Published on: September 7, 2019
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Uncertainty Due to Finite Resolution Measurements
S D Phillips1, B Toman1, W T Estler1
1National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.
Summary
Finite resolution significantly impacts measurement uncertainty, especially with Gaussian noise. A direct relationship between standard deviation and confidence-level uncertainty is absent, though mean and standard deviation are analytically linked.
Area of Science:
- Metrology
- Measurement Science
- Data Analysis
Background:
- The Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) provides a framework for quantifying measurement uncertainty.
- Finite resolution is a common factor in measurements that can introduce systematic effects.
- Discrepancies exist between GUM and other standards like ISO 14253-2 regarding finite resolution uncertainty.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the impact of finite resolution on measurement uncertainty.
- To evaluate the GUM's approach to finite resolution uncertainty.
- To compare GUM with ISO 14253-2 for finite resolution uncertainty evaluation.
Main Methods:
- Investigated measurement results distribution under Gaussian noise with finite resolution.
- Analyzed the relationship between the true value and resolution increment.
- Derived analytic relations between mean and standard deviation of measurement results.
- Compared GUM and ISO 14253-2 methods for standard uncertainty evaluation.
Main Results:
- Measurement result distribution strongly depends on the true value's position relative to the resolution increment.
- No simple expression directly links standard deviation to uncertainty at a specific confidence level.
- An analytic relation exists between the mean and standard deviation of measurement results.
- The GUM method is generally superior to ISO 14253-2 on average but remains an approximation.
Conclusions:
- Finite resolution introduces complexity in uncertainty evaluation not fully captured by simple GUM expressions.
- The GUM's approach to finite resolution uncertainty is an approximation, necessitating careful application.
- Further research may be needed to refine uncertainty evaluation methods for finite resolution effects.
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