Final answer:
Measurements are crucial for quality control to ensure product standards; a plant manager's concern about calibration is justified if standard deviation exceeds set limits, indicating potential recalibration needs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of whether you should regard measurements in your quest to fix quality control is central to understanding the importance of accuracy and precision in manufacturing and other industrial processes. Measurements are essential in quality control to ensure products meet the required standards and specifications. When considering a plant manager's concern about equipment needing recalibration due to fluctuating weights of cereal boxes, it's important to examine the standard deviation of the product's weight. If the standard deviation exceeds the acceptable range, in this case, more than 0.5 ounces, it indicates that the machine may indeed require recalibration. An actual case provided shows a standard deviation of 0.54 ounces in an 84-box sample, suggesting that recalibration might be necessary for maintaining quality. Uncertainty in measurements also affects the degree of accuracy and precision. Good quality measuring tools reduce this uncertainty and lead to better quality control. In addition to weight, quality control measurements can also include lengths, volumes, and other relevant physical properties. For instance, a quality control chemist checking the accuracy and precision of cough syrup dispensing machines would assess whether the machines dispense the correct volume.