Truth and Traceability in Physics and Metrology (IOP Concise Physics)

Metrological data is known to be blurred by the imperfections of the measuring process. In retrospect, for about two centuries regular or constant errors were no focal point of experimental activities, only irregular or random error were. Today's notation of unknown systematic errors is in line with this. Confusingly enough, the worldwide practiced approach to belatedly admit those unknown systematic errors amounts to consider them as being random, too. This book discusses a new error concept dispensing with the common practice to randomize unknown systematic errors. Instead, unknown systematic errors will be treated as what they physically are- namely as constants being unknown with respect to magnitude and sign. The ideas considered in this book issue a proceeding steadily localizing the true values of the measurands and consequently traceability.

Dr. Michael Grabe Studied physics at the University of Stuttgart and earned his Dr. rer. nat. degree from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Institute for Physical Chemistry, where he was a research assistant and lecturer for physical chemistry and applied computer science.

He now works at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt Braunschweig, focusing on legal metrology, computerized interferometric lengths measurements, procedures for the assessment of measurement uncertainties, and adjustment of fundamental constants of physics.