}
sdeatihheat
CHAPTER 5
nts
deltasbe ain
DISCUSSION
5-1
DESCUSSION, OF ERRORS
_ The statistical errors in. the counting rates have been minimized
whenever possible by reading the activities at specified tires from
smooth decay curves, The omission of a self-absorption - selfascatter2r
, ing gorrectionjn the reduction of the analytical data for Sr
Rgltd , and Cel
has introduced additional errors. The maximum
possible veriation, or spread, in the data that this omission can
produce 1s $.5 per cent for Sr89, 4.6per cent for 2r95, 2.7 per cent
for Bal40, and 10 per cent for Cel4#,
These maximum percent2ges were
calculeted by taking the difference between the extreme self-cbscrption—
self~scattering correctionsfor 211 the samples and dividing by the
average of these two corrections,
The self-absorption-self-sesttering
corrections were estimated from the data presented by Ungelkereir et
al.18/ In all cases the errors among the four aliquots of any one
sample are much smaller than the maximum possible error presented here,
These two sources of errors are combined in the estimate of tha
totel error for each analysis. These estirates are reported as srreids
ain Table 5.1. ° As in the calculation of the maximum possible errcr due
to self-absorption - self~scattering effects, the
spread = highest value = lowest value
' average vzlue
x 100
In general the spreads are approximately twice the stendard ‘eviations,
In the calculations of the R~values the spreads are comround:d by the
equation
where
2/2
Sp = (sf2. + 332. + 332. + sf)
Sp = Spread of the R-value
$4. 52, S3, and Sy = the spreads of the individual analyses for the
muclides in question (Cf. definition of ?-value
section 4,1)
35
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