Content by Donald J. Wheeler
Mon, 12/04/2023 - 12:03
Fourteen years ago, I published “Do You Have Leptokurtophobia?” Based on the reaction to that column, the message was needed. In this column, I would like to explain the symptoms of leptokurtophobia and the cure for this pandemic affliction.…
Mon, 10/30/2023 - 12:03
In last month’s column, we looked at how process-hyphen-control algorithms work with a process that is subject to occasional upsets. This column will consider how they work with a well-behaved process.
Last month we saw that process adjustments can…
Mon, 10/02/2023 - 12:03
Many articles and some textbooks describe process behavior charts as a manual technique for keeping a process on target. For example, in Norway the words used for SPC (statistical process control) translate as “statistical process steering.” Here,…
Tue, 09/05/2023 - 12:03
As we learned last month, the precision to tolerance ratio is a trigonometric function multiplied by a scalar constant. This means that it should never be interpreted as a proportion or percentage. Yet the simple P/T ratio is being used, and…
Mon, 08/07/2023 - 12:04
A simple approach for quantifying measurement error that has been around for over 200 years has recently been packaged as a “Type 1 repeatability study.” This column considers various questions surrounding this technique.
A Type 1 repeatability…
Mon, 07/10/2023 - 12:03
Chunky data can distort your computations and result in an erroneous interpretation of your data. This column explains the signs of chunky data, outlines the nature of the problem that causes it, and suggests what to do when it occurs.
When the…
Mon, 06/05/2023 - 12:03
The keys to effective process behavior charts are rational sampling and rational subgrouping. As implied by the word rational, we must use our knowledge of the context to collect and organize data in a way that answers the interesting questions.…
Mon, 05/01/2023 - 12:03
Ever since 1935 people have been trying to fine-tune Walter Shewhart’s simple but sophisticated process behavior chart. One of these embellishments is the use of two-sigma “warning” limits. This column will consider the theoretical and practical…
Mon, 04/03/2023 - 12:03
As the foundations of modern science were being laid, the need for a model for the uncertainty in a measurement became apparent. Here we look at the development of the theory of measurement error and discover its consequences.
The problem may be…
Mon, 03/06/2023 - 12:03
In memory of Al Phadt, Ph.D.
This article is a reprint of a paper Al and I presented several years ago. It illustrates how the interpretation and visual display of data in their context can facilitate discovery. Al’s integrated approach is a classic…
