Talk:Calibration
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Just if someone likes simple definitions, I added this to URBAN DICTIONARY:
1. The proccess of data acquisition (obtained by comparison against standards) able to anticipate the behavior of someting. 2. The data so obtained. 3. The final report or documentation showing such data. 4. The stage in which someting is, regarding the level of its calibration knoledge.
Adjustment is not calibration. When we adjust something we change its behavior (usually to move it closer to standards aiming a better performance); when we calibrate we just understand and certify its behavior so that we can compensate or even adjust it.
--Arturo Cortijo 19:01, 21 May 2008 (UTC)Artcort.fis
These comments were at the end of the text:
Please add references to standards organizations in other countries. Other definitions and/or views on traceability also welcome.
Please add mention of instruments that are commonly calibrated. A discussion of statistical error would also be appreciated.
[edit] Definition
Hi. I've learned that NIST defines calibration as strictly the determination of the instrument's precision, comparing it to a higher standard, and not it's adjustment to enhance it's precision. Does someone know about this? I'm going to check this out, and if it's the case I will change the article to this more formal definition...
- I would agree that calibration does not need to include any adjustment. An obvious example of this would be the calibration of an artifact standard that can't be adjusted because it has a fixed length or mass or whatever. I suspect that you really need to look at the VIM (and maybe the GUM) to get the official metrology definition of calibration (see refs 4 and 5 in here) Metrology in Short. This document is a fairly good in itself though. If I'm feeling inspired over Xmas I may do this myself and some similar edits on traceability, metrology etc. etc. JMiall 18:23, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
When I was calibrating instruments over the summer calibration was the process of taking the readings (e.g. putting in 5.00 volts and SEEING what the instrument said it was) and if it was too far out (as defined by the manual and the standard of calibration used e.g. in-house, UKAS). The process of changing the output of the instrument so it was not out was called adjusting. --Elfwood 19:21, 13 August 2006 (UTC)
The International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology is an ISO copyrighted document that defines calibration. The current definition is pretty close to what I wrote. Establishing the relationship between the meaureing devise and a system of units. A new draft dated April 2004 is also pretty close to what I wrote but added that an evaluation of the measurement uncertainty is also necessary. So only the new draft addresses precision in the definition. Neither definition requires an adjustment with the calibration. *I think the draft ISO uncertianty requirement needs to be address separately from a general definition of calibration as calibration are not alway done to satify the ISO community. I think what is needed is a general definition of calibration without the precision part, a simple example of a calibration say a measureing stick to a ruler, the current VIM's definition,and finially the draft definition. Bestshot (talk) 14:21, 29 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Cleanup 1
I changed the definition given. Calibration does not consist of adjustmemt, however, I acknowledge that many people believe so, especially in the U.S. Some other incorrect and sloppy statements were corrected or removed.Dalle 19:50, 5 September 2006 (UTC)
As you said, calibration does not consist of adjustment - the two are separate processes. However in the main page it says "In non-specialized use, calibration is often regarded as including the process of adjusting....". This should be reworded to say that the word is often misused to include adjustment. Otherwise there are two confusing meanings of the same word - the wrong one which includes adjustment should be discouraged. I think your wording is still confusing - what does non-specialized use mean - this indicates that it's ok to use the wrong meaning.
Stockdam 14:33, 22 August 2007 (UTC) guys thats a good defination —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.44.253.94 (talk) 21:49, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Snipers and Calibration
I came here from Sniper, which links here, looking to see what zeroing (Calibration) does for them. However, this page is completly missing this information. Someone really does need to work on this, or remove the link that connects this page to Sniper, since this page is irrelivant as is.
