Country singer Alan Jackson scored a hit with his 2001 song, “Where Were You?” This song came to mind after a recent trip. From May 12 to 15, I was in Nashville, TN, to attend the International Dimensional Workshop (IDW). More than 100 others heard 2 days of sessions that focused on measurement uncertainty and how to account for it in everyday manufacturing environments.

Yes, plenty of seminars, training aids and classes are given on measurement uncertainty to fulfill the needs of manufacturers. And, the industry has plenty of consultants who, for a much larger fee than it takes to get to IDW in Nashville, will help you calculate uncertainty.