Guidelines for expressing the uncertainty of measurement results containing uncorrected bias

Abstract

This paper proposes a method to extend the current ISO <i>Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement</i> to include the case of known, but uncorrected, measurement bias. It is strongly recommended that measurement results be corrected for bias, however in some situations this may not be practical, hence an extension of the <i>Guide</i> is proposed to address this special situation. The method keeps with the spirit of the <i>Guide</i> in maintaining the link between uncertainty and statistical confidence. Similarly, the method maintains the transferability of one uncertainty statement to be included as a component in another uncertainty analysis. The procedure involves modifying the calculation of the expanded uncertainty, allowing it to become asymmetric about the measurement value. The method is compared to other alternative procedures, and an illustration of how it affects tolerance zones is presented.