ASTM E2161-08

This document is not an ASTM standard and is intended only to provide the user of an ASTM standard an indication of what changes have been made to the previous version. Because
it may not be technically possible to adequately depict all changes accurately, ASTM recommends that users consult prior editions as appropriate. In all cases only the current version
of the standard as published by ASTM is to be considered the official document.
Designation:E2161–07a Designation:E2161–08
Standard Terminology Relating to
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Performance Validation in Thermal Analysis
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 2161; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope
1.1 Validation of methods and apparatus is requested or required for quality initiatives or where results may be used for legal
purposes.
1.2 This standard provides terminology relating to validating performance of thermal analysis methods and instrumentation.
Terms that are generally understood or defined adequately in other readily available sources are not included.
1.3 The terminology described in this document is that of the validation process and may differ from that traditionally
encountered in ASTM standards.
1.4 A definition is a single sentence with additional information included in a Discussion.
2. Terminology
accuracy—the agreement between an experimentally determined value and the accepted reference value.
DISCUSSION—Accuracy is also known as bias in ASTM practice.
analyte—the specific component measured in an analysis.
baseline—the resultant analytical trace when no test specimen is present.
blank—the measured value obtained when a specific component is not present during the measurement.
bow—the maximum deviation between an actual instrument reading and the reading predicted by a straight line drawn between
upper and lower calibration points, expressed as a percent of full scale.
calibration—to check, adjust, or systematically standardize the gradations of a quantitative measuring signal.
certificate—a formal document testifying to the truth of a matter (see also certification).
certification—process of issuing a formal document testifying to the truth of a matter.
NOTE 1—– Includes conditions (such as accreditation), materials (such as reference materials), processes (such as calibration), and the like.
certified reference material—a reference material lot, the property(ies) of which, determined by measurement is/are certified by
an identified organization and found on an accompanying certificate.
NOTE 2—Each certified value should be is accompanied by an uncertainty at a stated level of confidence.
coefficient or variation—the standard deviation divided by the value of the parameter measured.
conformance—agreement of a product, process or service with specification requirements.
detection limit—the minimum quantity of analyte that can be reliably detected but not necessarily quantified.
drift—the relatively slow change in baseline output due to instrument performance taken to be the maximum deviation between
any two points within a specified time period.
figure-of-merit—a performance characteristic of a method believed to be useful when deciding its applicability for a specific
measurement situation.
DISCUSSION—Typical figures-of-merit include accuracy, repeatability, sensitivity, etc.
full-width at half- maximum (FWHM), n—the difference between the two extreme values of a peak of the independent variable
at which the dependent variable is equal to half of its maximum value.
linearity—the maximum deviation of output points from the “best fit” linear curve to the data excluding proven outliers expressed
as a percentage of the full-scale computed output.
noise—the maximum amplitude, peak-to-peak, for all random variations.
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This terminology is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee E37 onThermal Measurements and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E37.03 on Nomenclature
and Definitions.
Current edition approved Aug.May 1, 2007.2008. Published September 2007.May 2008. Originally approved in 2001. Last previous edition approved in 2007 as
E 2161–07a.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
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E2161–08
noise, short term—is that with a frequency greater than six cycles per min (equivalent to a period of 10 seconds or less).
DISCUSSION—Short Term Noise determines the smallest signal detectable and limits the precision attainable in quantitation of low level
measurements.
noise, long term—is that with a frequency between 0.6 and 6 cycles per min (equivalent to periods of 100 and 10 s).
DISCUSSION—Long Term Noise may be mistaken for the response of a test speci
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