Introduction to Error Analysis: The Study of Uncertainties in Physical Measurements Paperback – July 14, 1997

The contents of this book provide beyond doubt the most important topics an applied mathematician, physicist, engineer, or anyone working in any quantitative discipline can be exposed to. It is also fair to bet that anyone working in these disciplines has encountered these topics early on in their professional careers, as they are usually the first ones presented to incoming freshman in beginning engineering and physics laboratories. When performing elementary laboratory experiments, beginning students find out right away that their results do not match the perfections of textbook equations. Experimental apparatus is never infinitely precise and frequently mistakes are made in experimental work repeatedly and unknowingly by the experimentalist, engineer, or scientist. Errors and uncertainties accompany any experiment that is conducted in the real world, and how to deal with them is the subject of error analysis, which is now called "uncertainty quantification" in more modern parlance. This subject is vast and in many ways very controversial, and modern technological developments have instigated a lot of research in this area.This excellent book gives an elementary overview of the techniques of error analysis that touches on topics such as uncertainty, propagation of errors, and systematic error. Readers will only require a rudimentary background in mathematics and statistics in order to read and study it. Numerous "quick" practice exercises are embedded in the main text, giving readers immediate challenges to their understanding as they read the text. Problem sets accompany each chapter, and they reflect the kinds of problems that one would encounter in real practice.Error analysis (uncertainty quantification) is certainly the most important activity behind any kind of scientific research and mathematical and simulation modeling. The comparison of results of models to empirical data cannot be done meaningfully without the tools outlined in this book and others. It is therefore very disheartening to find, as the reviewer has on numerous occasions, that any cognizance of errors or uncertainties in modeling and experimental efforts is completely absent. In some contexts, such as research on medical devices and national defense, this omission can be extremely dangerous and actually cause loss of life. The origins of why the practice of error analysis has been forgotten or omitted is unknown, but those individuals who do would gain considerably by a careful study of this book. It would be the most important refresher course that they could take in their professional careers.

John R. Taylor's ERROR ANALYSIS, 2nd Ed. is another masterpiece of clarity! I was similarly impressed with this author when I worked thru 2 of his other books previously: CLASSICAL MECHANICS (University Science Books) and MODERN PHYSICS FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS (Pearson/Prentice Hall) in which Taylor was a co-author. (See my reviews of both these books on Amazon.)John Taylor is not only a great author but also a great teacher! I'm not exaggerating when I say that he is probably one of the top 3 physics teachers/book authors I've come across.This book is perfect for self-study. The author gives answers to all the odd number chapter ending problems. In addition, all the answers are given to the "Quick Check" problems provided as you work thru a chapter.Topics include: Estimating Uncertainty, Significant Figures, Comparison of Measured and Accepted Values, Propagating Uncertainties in Calculations, Statistical Analysis of Random Uncertainties, Normal Distributions, Gauss' Function, Standard Deviations, Confidence Levels, Chauvenet's Criterion for Rejecting Data, Weighted Averages, Graphical Analysis and the Least Squares Method for Determining the Best Straight Line thru a Set of Data along with how to Determine Uncertainty in Slope and Y-Intercept. Also covered are topics in Covariance and Correlation, Binomial and Poisson Distributions, and the Chi-Squared Test.Once again, a great book describing how to handle uncertainties in data. Especially valuable for people interested in physics, chemistry, and engineering lab courses.

The concepts of error and analysis and how they relate to data analysis are essential for understanding the foundation of physics and related topics. Despite this, all too many departments omit the topic or teach it way too late in the curriculum. The earlier you can get your hands on this book the better you will understand every other science course you take. A book like this will give you a true appreciation for your lab courses that is harder to otherwise grasp.

I am a graduate student in physics, and have found although error analysis is possibly the most fundamental pillar of science (to what degree are we to believe a scientific finding/discovery/result?), it is not a main focus of many classes I have encountered (both in my undergraduate and graduate classes). This book addresses error analysis, and does so in an excellent and simple way. There are a lot of good example problems throughout. I would highly recommend this text to any science student. Having a clear understanding of error analysis is essential to assigning a degree of believability to the findings they will one day be making.

This is no doubt a great book on error analysis for scientists and engineers, especially for those who are very interested in working in a lab. The content is very detailed and specific. This book contains a lot of fine examples and exercising problems. The back of the book provides solutions to some of the problems (odd-numbered ones).

Pretty ballsy move to dedicate his text on error analysis to his wife.Clear concise explanations to develop the intuition one needs to think about measurements critically. Error analysis isn’t a tool it’s a way of thinking. It’s a way to understand if an experiment really did what it was designed to do. It’s as foundational as our understanding of science. Taylor introduces the reader to this journey using accessible language.But man I still laugh every time I read who he dedicated this foundational text to.