Basic Concepts Before we discuss the Measurement System Analysis in detail, it is important to understand basic concepts and key

definitions which will be used throughout. Basic concepts are described below one by one:

1. Stability or Precision - It is the capacity of a measurement system to reproduce the same results over time when measuring the same sample set. A measurement system is Stable or precise if it has only common causes of variation and special causes of variation are absent. 2. Bias or accuracy- Bias or accuracy is the difference between Actual/True value of any sample and average value of measurements of the same sample.

Concept of stability/precision and bias/accuracy can be illustrated with the diagram below.

3. Linearity - It is the measure of consistency of accuracy over the range of measurement instrument. If a weighing machine shows 2 kgs less while

measuring 100 kgs and 4 kgs less while measuring 150 kgs, we say the measuring instrument is nonlinear as the degree of accuracy changes over the range of measuring instrument.

4. Repeatability - It is the consistency of same person/appraiser to measure the same sample with same measuring instruments multiple times and getting the same results. It is related to standard deviation of measured values by an appraiser.

5. Reproducibility- Checks whether different people can measure the same part/sample with the same measurement device and get the same value.

6.

Discrimination or resolution is the smallest detectable increment between two measurable values. The measurement system should have resolution of at
least 1/10th the smaller of either the specification tolerance or the process spread. If the resolution is not fine enough, process variability will not be recognized by the measurement system, thus blunting its effectiveness.

7. Calibration is a comparison between measurements, one of known magnitude or correctness made or set with one device and another measurement made in as similar a way as possible with a second device. The device with the known or assigned correctness is called the standard. The second device is the unit under test, test instrument, or any of several other names for the device being calibrated.

1. https://www.moresteam.com/toolbox/measurement-system-analysis.cfm 2. http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CDwQFjA D&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raytheon.com%2Fconnections%2Frtnwcm%2Fgroups%2Fpub lic%2Fdocuments%2Fcontent%2Frtn_connect_msa_pdf.pdf&ei=oX4SUvrWGsbQrQfAi4HQ Aw&usg=AFQjCNEPOGWmIorkZ2KwMPU88omAtXqcDQ&bvm=bv.50952593,d.bmk