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Reliability as a Probability of Failure-Free Operation

Reliability is not a synonym for quality or uptime: it is the probability that an item performs its required function, without failure, for a stated period under stated conditions. Every term in that sentence — the function, the period, the conditions — has to be named before the number means anything. After this Concept a student can state a reliability figure as a probability attached to a mission time and operating conditions, and can say why a bare percentage with no time and no conditions is not a reliability claim.