Reprinted from TECHNOMETRICS, February 1994, Vol 36, No 1, Pages 61-70. Updated with Additional Graphs and new address.
Barry T. Neyer
EG&G Mound Applied Technologies
Miamisburg, OH 45343-3000
Contact Address
Barry T. Neyer
PerkinElmer Optoelectronics
1100 Vanguard Blvd
Miamisburg, OH 45342
(937) 865-5586
(937) 865-5170 (Fax)
Barry.Neyer@PerkinElmer.com
Sensitivity tests are often used to estimate the parameters associated with latent
continuous variables which cannot be measured. For example, each explosive specimen has a
threshold. The specimen will detonate if and only if an applied shock exceeds this value.
Since there is no way to determine the threshold of an individual, specimens are tested at
various levels to determine parameters of the population. A new test described here
produces efficient estimates of the parameters of the distribution, even with limited
prior knowledge. This test efficiently characterizes the entire distribution and desired
percentiles of any population.
Key Words: Bruceton method, Langlie method, Neyer method, Neyer D-Optimal method, Optimal design, Probit method