Random Data: Analysis and Measurement Procedures, Fourth Edition

Preface to the Third Edition

This new third edition of Random Data: Analysis and Measurement Procedures is the third major revision of a book originally published by Wiley in 1966 under the title Measurement and Analysis of Random Data. That 1966 book was based upon the results of comprehensive research studies that we performed for various agencies of the United States government, and it was written to provide a reference for working engineers and scientists concerned with random data acquisition and analysis problems. Shortly after its publication, computer programs for the computation of complex Fourier series, commonly referred to as fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms, were introduced that dramatically improved random data analysis procedures. In particular, when coupled with the increases in speed and decreases in cost of digital computers, these algorithms led to traditional analog data analysis instruments being replaced by digital computers with appropriate software. Hence, in 1971, our original book was extensively revised to reflect these advances and was published as a first edition under the present title.

In the mid-1970s, new iterative algorithms were formulated for the analysis of multiple-input/output problems that substantially enhanced the ability to interpret the results of such analyses in a physically meaningful way. This fact, along with further advances in the use of digital computers plus new techniques resulting from various projects, led to another ...