Describing the uncertainties in experimental results
Open accessAbstract
It is no longer acceptable, in most circles, to present experimental results without describing the uncertainties involved. Besides its obvious role in publishing, uncertainty analysis provides the experimenter a rational way of evaluating the significance of the scatter on repeated trials. This can be a powerful tool in locating the source of trouble in a misbehaving experiment. To the user of the data, a statement (by the experimenter) of the range within which the results of the present experiment might have fallen by chance alone is of great help in deciding whether the present data agree with past results or differ from them. These benefits can be realized only if both the experimenter and the reader understand what an uncertainty analysis is, what it can do (and cannot do), and how to interpret its results. This paper begins with a general description of the sources of errors in engineering measurements and the relationship between error and uncertainty. Then the path of an uncertainty analysis is traced from its first step, identifying the intended true value of a measurement, through the quantitative estimation of the individual errors, to the end objective—the interpretation and reporting of the results. The basic mathematics of both single-sample and multiple-sample analysis are presented, as well as a technique for numerically executing uncertainty analyses when computerized data interpretation is involved. The material presented in this paper covers the method of…
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Uncertainties reported in the present study were estimated following the single-sample method proposed by Moffat [25].
“Uncertainties reported in the present study are estimated following the single-sample method proposed by Moffat [25].”
From Effect of fin types of outdoor fan-supplied finned-tube heat exchanger on periodic frosting and defrosting performance of a residential air-source heat pump (2014) · cites this paper as Moffat [25]
Accounting for all instrument errors, property uncertainties, and geometric tolerances, the uncertainties for the heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops were 12 and 10%, respectively.
“uncertainties for the heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops were 12 and 10%, respectively [24].”
From Air-side thermal hydraulic performance of multi-louvered fin aluminum heat exchangers (2002) · cites this paper as [24]
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Air-side thermal hydraulic performance of multi-louvered fin aluminum heat exchangers
Kim, M.-H., & Bullard, C. W. (2002) · International Journal of Refrigeration · doi:10.1016/s0140-7007(01)00025-1 · Cited by 280 · see citing works
Algarni, S., Mellouli, S., Alqahtani, T., Almutairi, K., khan, A., & Anqi, A. (2020) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2020.115831 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
Dong, J., Su, L., Chen, Q., & Xu, W. (2013) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2012.09.018 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Huang, D., Ri-Jing, Z., Liu, Y., & Yi, D.-B. (2014) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2013.11.052 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Hong, S. H., Jang, D. S., Yun, S., Baek, J. H., & Kim, Y. (2020) · Energy Conversion and Management · doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2020.113306 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Ma, X., Ding, G., Zhang, Y., & Wang, K. (2007) · International Journal of Refrigeration · doi:10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2007.03.001 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Experimental study of frost formation on cold surfaces with various fin layouts
Wu, X., Hu, S., & Chu, F. (2016) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.11.045 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Xu, B., Han, Q., Chen, J., Li, F., Wang, N., Li, D., & Pan, X. (2013) · Applied Energy · doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.09.026 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Xu, B., Zhang, C., Wang, Y., Chen, J., Xu, K., Li, F., & Wang, N. (2015) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.06.037 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Karimzadehkhouei, M., Shojaeian, M., Şendur, K., Mengüç, M. P., & Koşar, A. (2017) · International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer · doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2017.01.116 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Observations of early-stage frost formation on a cold plate in atmospheric air flow
Cheng, C.-H., & Wu, K.-H. (2003) · Journal of Heat Transfer · doi:10.1115/1.1513576 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Thermal energy storage behaviour of nanoparticle enhanced PCM during freezing and melting
P, M., P, G. K., V, K., M, M., K, M. M., & R, V. (2018) · Phase Transitions · doi:10.1080/01411594.2017.1372760 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Pu, L., Liu, R., Huang, H., Zhang, S., Qi, Z., Xu, W., & Zhou, J. (2020) · Energy and Buildings · doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.110382 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Prabakaran, R., Sidney, S., Lal, D. M., Selvam, C., & Harish, S. (2019) · Energies · doi:10.3390/en12183473 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Liu, X., Yu, J., & Yan, G. (2020) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2019.114634 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Kim, M.-H., Song, S., & Bullard, C. W. (2002) · International Journal of Refrigeration · doi:10.1016/s0140-7007(01)00061-5 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Xiong, T., Ying, Y., Han, B., Yan, G., & Yu, J. (2021) · International Journal of Refrigeration · doi:10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2021.09.003 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Ayad, F., Benelmir, R., & Idris, M. (2021) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2020.116218 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Raj, C. R., Suresh, S., Singh, V. K., Bhavsar, R. R., Chandrasekar, M., & Archita, V. (2021) · Journal of Energy Storage · doi:10.1016/j.est.2020.102220 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Experimental analysis of an air–water heat pump with micro-channel heat exchanger
Brignoli, R., Cecchinato, L., & Zilio, C. (2013) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2012.08.027 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Enhancing heat-exchanger performance in frost conditions via superhydrophobic surface modification
He, H., Zhou, X., Lyu, N., Wang, F., Liang, C., & Zhang, X. (2024) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.122914 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Yang, K.-S., Zheng, J.-W., Wu, K.-L., & Wu, Y.-L. (2023) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.121338 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Lin, J., Yang, X., Niu, S., Yu, H., Zhong, J., & Jian, L. (2024) · Energy Conversion and Management · doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2024.118480 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Koukou, M. K., Dogkas, G., Vrachopoulos, M. G., Konstantaras, J., Pagkalos, C., Lymperis, K., Stathopoulos, V., Evangelakis, G., Prouskas, C., Coelho, L., et al. (2019) · ChemEngineering · doi:10.3390/chemengineering3040088 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Zhang, W., Li, W., & Hrnjak, P. (2024) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.121892 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Xiong, T., Zhao, T., Liu, G., Zhao, L., Jin, J., Gao, Q., & Yan, G. (2024) · Journal of Building Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jobe.2024.109521 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Xiong, T., Liu, G., & Yan, G. (2023) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app13116378 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Xiong, T., Hu, L., Liu, G., & Yan, G. (2024) · Case Studies in Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.csite.2024.105069 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
- Authors
- Moffat, R. J.
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Moffat, Robert J.
- Venue
- Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1988-01
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 3-17
- ISSN
- 0894-1777 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2056754315
- Cited by
- 9,860
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 880 · 2025: 1053 · 2024: 911 · 2023: 775 · 2022: 766 · 2021: 720 · 2020: 674 · 2019: 565 · 2018: 457 · 2017: 372 · 2016: 315 · 2015: 230 · 2014: 229 · 2013: 202 · 2012: 214
- FWCI
- 18.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Scientific Measurement and Uncertainty Evaluation
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Probabilistic and Robust Engineering Design
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Optimal Experimental Design Methods
- Keywords
- uncertainty analysis, measurement error, engineering measurement, error propagation, measurement uncertainty, single-sample analysis, multiple sample analysis, repeatability of measurements
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
