Factors of Accuracy

Technique Temperature Response 0.003 pH/ C/pH unit from standard I 

There are a number of techniques or precautions which should be employed if a high degree of accuracy is required. Some of the more important parameters are  

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Though the literature is replete with methods of measuring the moisture content, truly accurate as well as practical methods are virtually nonexistent in the food field. The situation is well illustrated in what is probably the best compendium on this subject, the Official and Tentative Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (2). It becomes apparent from an examination of this volume that the stress is laid not so much on accuracy as on reproducibility and practicability of a method. Though these last two factors are for the most part the only ones of importance in the control of processing procedures and in standardization of products of commerce, the factor of accuracy is, nevertheless, of extreme importance to the research worker who endeavors to establish broad quantitative generalizations for the conditions that govern the stability of foods. 

There are many different parameters which can affect the pH measurement, but only two are, normally, sources of significant error. These two parameters are the electrodes and the technique employed. This chapter discusses the components of proper technique and summarizes the various factors of accuracy. The discussion is directed at such questions as what response time can be expected, should the sample be stirred or static, and how does temperature effect the pH reading ... 

There have been several equations of state proposed to express the compressibility factor. Remarkable accuracy has been obtained when specific equations for certain components are used however, the multitude of their coefficients makes their extension to mixtures complicated. 

It is possible to use computational techniques to gain insight into the vibrational motion of molecules. There are a number of computational methods available that have varying degrees of accuracy. These methods can be powerful tools if the user is aware of their strengths and weaknesses. The user is advised to use ah initio or DFT calculations with an appropriate scale factor if at all possible. Anharmonic corrections should be considered only if very-high-accuracy results are necessary. Semiempirical and molecular mechanics methods should be tried cautiously when the molecular system prevents using the other methods mentioned. 

Internal standards at a known concentration are added to the sample after its preparation but prior to analysis to check for GC retention-time accuracy and response stability. If the internal standard responses are in error by more than a factor of two, the analysis must be stopped and the initial calibration repeated. Only if all the criteria have been met can sample analysis begin. 

The equations given predict vapor behavior to high degrees of accuracy but tend to give poor results near and within the Hquid region. The compressibihty factor can be used to accurately determine gas volumes when used in conjunction with a virial expansion or an equation such as equation 53 (77). However, the prediction of saturated Hquid volume and density requires another technique. A correlation was found in 1958 between the critical compressibihty factor and reduced density, based on inert gases. From this correlation an equation for normal and polar substances was developed (78) ... 

RMC can be selectively extracted into butyl acetate. Concentration coefficient 50 was achieved. Factors affecting accuracy and reproducibility of the proposed method were investigated. Method is simple and fast. Detection limit is 0,3 p.g/1 for P(V). 

As in lEC 60051, the measuring instruments are required to have an overcurrent factor of not more than 120% for two hours for instruments of all accuracy classes, 200% for 0.5 second for class 0.5 or less, and 1000% for 0.5 second for class I accuracy and above. Overcurrents or durations longer than this may damage the instruments. 

These are protection CTs lor special applications such as biased differential protection, restricted ground fault protection and distance protection schemes, where it is not possible to easily identify the elass of accuracy, the accuracy limit factor and the rated burden of the CTs and where a full primary fault current is required to be transformed to the secondary without saturation, to accurately monitor the level of fault and/or unbalance. The type of application tind the relay being used determine the knee point voltage. The knee point voltage and the excitation current of the CTs now form the basic design parameters for such CTs. They are classified as class PS CTs and can be identified by the following characteristics ... 

In most applications, a bar primary CT is generally used and a normal CT may be suitable. But for too small ratings, where the use of a wound primary CT is imperative, short-circuit effects must be considered, except the CTs for an LT system, where the fault level for such small ratings may be very low and may not matter (Section 13.4.1(5)). For applications on an HT system, where a wound primary CT is imperative, choice of a CT from standard wound primary CTs may still be possible, meeting the minimum requirements of class of accuracy, VA burden and short-time rating. lEC 60044-1 indicates for measuring and protection CTs the maximum short-time factors (STF) that can be obtained economically for a normal wound primary CT where... 

We can usually predict risk to an accuracy of a factor of 2 or better. We don t have enough data to do QRA. 

To put the errors in comparative models into perspective, we list the differences among strucmres of the same protein that have been detennined experimentally (Fig. 9). The 1 A accuracy of main chain atom positions corresponds to X-ray structures defined at a low resolution of about 2.5 A and with an / -factor of about 25% [192], as well as to medium resolution NMR structures determined from 10 interproton distance restraints per residue [193]. Similarly, differences between the highly refined X-ray and NMR structures of the same protein also tend to be about 1 A [193]. Changes in the environment... 

Complete trace elemental survey of solid materials with accuracy to within a factor of 3 without standards... 

GDMS is slowly replacing SSMS because of its increased quantitative accuracy and improved detection limits. Like SNMS and SALI, GDMS is semiquantitative without standards ( a factor of 3) and quantitative with standards ( 20%) because sputtering and ionizadon are decoupled. GDMS is often used to measure impuri-des in metals and other materials which are eventually used to form thin films in other materials applications. 

Due to the relative uniformity of ion formation by the RF spark (although its timing is erratic), the most widely used method of quantitation in SSMS is to assume equal sensitivity for all elements and to compare the signal for an individual element with that of the total number of ions recorded on the beam monitor. By empirically calibratii the number of ions necessary to produce a certain blackness on the plate detector, one can estimate the concentration. The signal detected must be corrected for isotopic abundance and the known mass response of the ion-sensitive plate. By this procedure to accuracies within a factor of 3 of the true value can be obtained without standards. 

Now you can reconsider the material balance equations by adding those additional factors identified in the previous step. If necessary, estimates of unaccountable losses will have to be calculated. Note that, in the case of a relatively simple manufacturing plant, preparation of a preliminary material-balance system and its refinement (Steps 14 and 15) can usefully be combined. For more-complex P2 assessments, however, two separate steps are likely to be more appropriate. An important rule to remember is that the inputs should ideally equal the outputs - but in practice this will rarely be the case. Some judgment will be required to determine what level of accuracy is acceptable, and we should have an idea as to what the unlikely sources of errors are (e.g., evaporative losses from outside holding ponds may be a materials loss we cannot accurately account for). In the case of high concentrations of hazardous wastes, accurate measurements are needed to develop cost-effective waste-reduction options. It is possible that the material balance for a number of unit operations will need to be repeated. Again, continue to review, refine, and, where necessary, expand your database. The compilation of accurate and comprehensive data is essential for a successful P2 audit and subsequent waste-reduction action plan. Remember - you can t reduce what you don t know is therel... 

The important factor in the design of these transformers is that the ratio between the actual quantity and that at the output of the transformer must be maintained accurately over the complete range of values, which the unit is required to measure. In general terms, the degree of accuracy required when the instmment is used for metering purposes is higher than when a straightforward indication of the quantity is needed. In both cases, the accuracy must conform to the relevant British Standard. 

For crossflow designs the additional factor of the horizontal depth of packing has to be included in the basic calculations. The accuracy of the design is directly related to the number of calculations in the selection program. Whereas counterflow can be dealt with as a single entity, crossflow has to cope with the changes that occur at every level of pack, both vertically and horizontally. 

For systems containing three or more electrons very little is so far known about the foundation for the method of correlated wave functions, and research on this problem would be highly desirable. It seems as if one could expect good energy results by means of a wave function being a product of a properly scaled Hartree-Fock function and a correlation factor" containing the interelectronic distances ru (Krisement 1957), but too little is known about the limits of accuracy of such an approach. 

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