Mechanical micropipets are commonly used to dispense small (μL) volumes of reagents. A recent “Application Note” [Am. Lab. June 1999] contains the following data for 50 replicate deliveries of a reagent using a 5.0-μL micropipet.
Average volume delivered = 4.967 μL
Standard deviation = 0.0467 μL
(a) Evaluate the pipet’s accuracy at α = 0.01.
(b) The pipet’s manufacturer certifies that it will deliver a volume of 5.0 μL with an accuracy of ±1.0% and a relative standard deviation of ±1.0%. Based on your answer to the previous question and this additional information, would you keep this pipet or return it to the manufacturer? Explain.
