} 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 SECRET — RESTRICTED DATA