Measurement & Detection Limits

How diagnostic and measurement systems choose where to stop looking, what counts as 'present' versus 'absent,' and the consequences for those below the threshold.

1 piece in this category

April 2026

30 Apr 6 min

When 'None Detected' Doesn't Mean Zero

A new fertility technique finds sperm that previous tests called 'zero.' The sperm didn't appear—the test's detection floor changed. This is the threshold problem in every diagnostic system: where we stop looking becomes what we call reality.
Diagnostic threshold design and detection limits