Fundamental Principles of Measurement Uncertainty in Metrology and Engineering
A 21-page chapter introducing the principles of metrology and measurement uncertainty has been submitted to arXiv as a contribution to the CERN Accelerator School's 2024 course on Mechanical and Materials Engineering for Particle Accelerators and Detectors. The chapter covers the distinction between error and uncertainty, the GUM (Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement) framework, uncertainty budgets, and Monte Carlo simulation methods. It provides a foundational reference for engineers and scientists working in precision measurement contexts, particularly in particle accelerator environments.
Authored by Samanta Piano and submitted to arXiv in June 2026, the chapter offers a structured introduction to metrology—the science of measurement—with a focus on measurement uncertainty as it applies to engineering and manufacturing. It draws a clear conceptual distinction between measurement error and measurement uncertainty, a distinction that is fundamental to modern metrology practice. The work presents standard evaluation methods including the internationally recognized GUM framework, the construction of uncertainty budgets, and Monte Carlo simulation as a computational alternative for uncertainty propagation. Practical industrial examples are included to ground the theoretical content in real-world applications. The chapter was prepared as a contribution to the CERN Accelerator School held in Sint-Michielsgestel, Netherlands, from June 2 to 15, 2024, a course specifically targeting mechanical and materials engineering for particle accelerator and detector systems. As a pedagogical contribution, it is aimed at students and practitioners entering high-precision engineering fields where rigorous uncertainty quantification is essential.
What's missing
The full text is not available in the abstract, so the extent of coverage of topics such as advanced or emerging uncertainty quantification methods beyond GUM and Monte Carlo, or domain-specific challenges unique to particle accelerator metrology, cannot be fully assessed from the available information.
What different sources said
- arXiv physicsCenter
An Introduction to Measurement Uncertainty
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