AN INTERACTIVE STATISTICAL COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR DETERMINING SAMPLE SIZE AND PRECISION IN COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS

摘要

This paper describes an interactive statistical computer program that facilitates efficient measurement of communication system performance parameters. The program can be used for three purposes: (1) to determine the minimum sample size required to achieve a desired precision in estimating delay, rate, or failure probability parameters; (2) to analyze measurement results to determine the precision achieved; and (3) to test independent sets of measured data for statistical homogeneity.The program was written specifically to facilitate measurement of the performance parameters defined in a newly approved Data Communication Standard, American National Standard X3.102.However, the statistical techniques implemented in it are applicable to any delay, rate, or failure probability measurement.The program is written in ANSI (1977) standard FORTRAN to enhance its portability. It is available from the author at duplication cost.