Evaluating, Expressing, and Propagating Measurement Uncertainty for NIST Reference Materials

Abstract

This document is intended for users of NIST reference materials who wish to gain some understanding of how NIST evaluates and expresses measurement uncertainty reported in certificates of NIST reference materials, and also for users who aim to learn how measurement uncertainty may be propagated to derivative quantities that involve the corresponding measured values.The document thus serves as a supplement and companion of NIST Special Publication 260-136 (2020 Edition).The table of contents, the lists of examples and of reference materials, as well as the orientation and road map presented in the first few pages, include navigation aids, in the form of hyperlinks, that enable direct and easy access to examples illustrating different ways of expressing or propagating uncertainty, and to specific reference materials that are mentioned in this document.The document reviews the concepts of measurement, measurement uncertainty, and reference material, and includes a concise refresher of concepts and devices from probability and statistics that are often used in certificates of NIST reference materials.The bulk of the document comprises specific descriptions and concrete examples of how NIST evaluates measurement uncertainty for NIST reference materials, of how this uncertainty is expressed, and of how it may be propagated in applications that use NIST reference materials.Illustrative computer codes implementing calculations described in some of the examples are included in an appendix.

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