Jan 12 2024
Gaussian (Normal) Distributions In Science
The Gaussian – also known as “Normal” – distribution is used and abused in many domains. In Manufacturing, this includes quality assurance, supply-chain management, and human resources. This is the first in a series of posts aimed at understanding the range of applicability of this tool.
Googling uses of the normal distribution produces nearly 1 million results. Yet the top ones all ignore science, even when you narrow the query to physics, and this post attempts to remedy this. For example, the Gaussian distribution plays a central role in modeling Brownian motion, diffusion processes, heat transfer by conduction, the measurement of star positions, and the theory of gases.
These matter not just because the models are useful but also because they anchor this abstraction in physical phenomena that we can experience with no more equipment than is used in a Middle School science project. This post will not help you solve a shop floor problem by the end of the day, but I hope you will find it nonetheless enlightening.
Jan 29 2024
Measurement Errors
Like spouses in murders, errors are always the prime suspect when measurements go awry. As soon Apollo 13 had a problem, a Mission Control engineer exclaimed, “It’s got to be the instrumentation!”
It wasn’t the instrumentation. In general, however, before searching for a root cause in your process, you want to rule out the instrumentation. For that, you need to make sure it always gives you accurate and precise data.
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By Michel Baudin • Data science • 2 • Tags: ANOVA, Gare R&R, Measured Variables, measurement, measurement error