ABSTRACT
Statistical methods are useful in many types of scientific investigation. They constitute the science of collecting, analysing and interpreting data in the best possible way. Statistics is particularly useful in situations where there is experimental uncertainty and may be defined as 'the science of making decisions in the face of uncertainty'. This chapter illustrates how statistics can help at different stages of an experiment and assume that have been given the task of improving the performance of a space pump. The first step is to study the current technology. Statistical methods are never a substitute for understanding the physical laws governing the problem under consideration; rather statistics is a tool for the scientist in the same sense as differential equations and digital computers. The second step is to define the objective of the test program as precisely as possible. In the space-pump experiment, the variables include power, inlet temperature, inlet pressure and speed.
