Electronic Measure and Test Unit 53 Task 4 (P4)

 A plan that clearly details the tests that will be performed  What to test  How to test (step by step)  How often to test

 Strict outline of what to do  Specifies the correct method  States what measurement value to expect  Efficiency  Eliminate discrepancies  Ensures consistency and validity

The flight system software on the Mars Climate Orbiter was written to take thrust instructions using the metric unit Newtons(N), while the software on the ground that generated those instructions used the Imperial measure pound force(lbf). This mistake could have been avoided by carrying out additional tests, and comparing the results. "The problem here was not the error, it was the failure of NASA's systems engineering, and the checks and balances in our processes to detect the error. That's why we lost the spacecraft."

 Imagine you are an Electronics company manager  You have product specification to meet. For example a function generator, the peak voltage must be within validity eg 5%  You need some way of ensuring that the test carried out gets the results to meet the specification  You have a group of test engineers. How can you ensure they get valid and consistent measurements every time?

 Keywords - Specification, calibration, validity, consistency  Define Validity and consistency  Explain why both are important parameters when taking measurements  Explain what a test specification is  Why is a test specification important in measurement taking?  Use one of the Tasks in P3 as an example to showcase this