Mathematics and measurement

In this paper we describe the role that mathematics plays in measurement sc ience at NIST. We first survey the history behind NIST's current work in th is area, starting with the NBS Math Tables project of the 1930s. We then pr ovide examples of more recent efforts in the application of mathematics to measurement science, including the solution of ill-posed inverse problems, characterization of the accuracy of software for micromagnetic modeling, an d in the development and dissemination of mathematical reference data. Fina lly, we comment on emerging issues in measurement science to which mathemat icians will devote their energies in coming years.