Franco Pavese and Eduarda Filipe 2006 Metrologia 43 419 doi:10.1088/0026-1394/43/5/013
Franco Pavese1 and Eduarda Filipe2
Show affiliationsThis paper discusses the issue of repeated versus non-repeated measurements on standards. Starting from the general issue of replication of measurement operations, we consider the consequences of the differences that these two types of measurements entail in the comparison of standards. We look at MRA key comparisons (KCs) as a specific case. Recent developments seem to have somewhat obscured the fact that the replication and combination of observations is the everyday task of NMIs. Therefore, this paper first recalls the many facets of intra-laboratory measurements on standards, some not very different from the inter-laboratory exercises. The meaning of the replicated observations is analysed starting from this context. Then the issue is examined in the context of inter-laboratory comparisons, namely, in the case of KCs. Some of the consequences for the statistical treatment of repeated and non-repeated measurement data are illustrated and solutions proposed.
06.20.fb Standards and calibration
06.30.-k Measurements common to several branches of physics and astronomy
Issue 5 (October 2006)
Received 4 April 2006
Published 21 September 2006
Franco Pavese and Eduarda Filipe 2006 Metrologia 43 419
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