Trade-Off Between Sample Size and Accuracy: Case of Dynamic Measurements under Interval Uncertainty

Authors

Hung T. Nguyen
Olga Kosheleva, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Vladik Kreinovich, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Scott Ferson

Publication Date

10-2007

Comments

Technical Report: UTEP-CS-07-48a

In: Van-Nam Huynh, Yoshiteru Nakamori, Hiroakira Ono, Jonathan Lawry, Vladik Kreinovich, and Hung T. Nguyen (eds.), Interval/Probabilistic Uncertainty and Non-Classical Logics, Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York, 2008, pp. 45-56.

Abstract

In many practical situations, we are not satisfied with the accuracy of the existing measurements. There are two possible ways to improve the measurement accuracy:

first, instead of a single measurement, we can make repeated measurements; the additional information coming from these additional measurements can improve the accuracy of the result of this series of measurements;

second, we can replace the current measuring instrument with a more accurate one; correspondingly, we can use a more accurate (and more expensive) measurement procedure provided by a measuring lab -- e.g., a procedure that includes the use of a higher quality reagent.

In general, we can combine these two ways, and make repeated measurements with a more accurate measuring instrument. What is the appropriate trade-off between sample size and accuracy? In our previous paper, we solved this problem for the case of static measurements. In this paper, we extend the results to the case of dynamic measurements.