That is all well and good to delve into and understand, but in practical terms for your training and performance, it is a red herring.
Through constant training and testing you will be able to determine and utilize whatever the powermeter reads to optimize your training and performance. Through attention to the metrics, you will easily determine what combinations of gearing, power output, etc. produce your best efforts at a given distance or effort.
What matters more than anything is that your particular powermeter is able to produce repeatable numbers day-in/day-out. 250 watts today should be 250 watts tomorrow. It doesn't even matter if your powermeter's 250 watts is the same as someone else's 260 watts. Its the relationship of your numbers to you that is important and that allows you, and your coach if you have one, to plan or alter training to produce increased performance.
SRM, Quarq, and PT are all robust, proven systems which are used successfully, and in the same manner, by cyclists around the world to incorporate power into their training. Each type have their practical +/- points. PT is the most obvious as it forces a choice on how you'll approach training and racing wheels to maintain access to power information. You may already have a great set of race wheels that you don't have $ to replace with a PT-hub version. If so, maybe that makes you choose one of the other two. Regardless....you will get where you're trying to go with any of the systems.
Last, I would remind you to review the scientific definitions of "accuracy" and "precision". In practical usage of a powermeter as I discussed above, precision trumps accuracy. Said another way, you might have a VERY accurate powermeter that suffers from a relative lack of precision. That powermeter will be less useful to you in day-to-day usage than one with great precision but relatively poor accuracy. Luckily for you, the three main contenders are all very similar these days.
Through constant training and testing you will be able to determine and utilize whatever the powermeter reads to optimize your training and performance. Through attention to the metrics, you will easily determine what combinations of gearing, power output, etc. produce your best efforts at a given distance or effort.
What matters more than anything is that your particular powermeter is able to produce repeatable numbers day-in/day-out. 250 watts today should be 250 watts tomorrow. It doesn't even matter if your powermeter's 250 watts is the same as someone else's 260 watts. Its the relationship of your numbers to you that is important and that allows you, and your coach if you have one, to plan or alter training to produce increased performance.
SRM, Quarq, and PT are all robust, proven systems which are used successfully, and in the same manner, by cyclists around the world to incorporate power into their training. Each type have their practical +/- points. PT is the most obvious as it forces a choice on how you'll approach training and racing wheels to maintain access to power information. You may already have a great set of race wheels that you don't have $ to replace with a PT-hub version. If so, maybe that makes you choose one of the other two. Regardless....you will get where you're trying to go with any of the systems.
Last, I would remind you to review the scientific definitions of "accuracy" and "precision". In practical usage of a powermeter as I discussed above, precision trumps accuracy. Said another way, you might have a VERY accurate powermeter that suffers from a relative lack of precision. That powermeter will be less useful to you in day-to-day usage than one with great precision but relatively poor accuracy. Luckily for you, the three main contenders are all very similar these days.