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Static characteristics:

Static calibration, Linearity, Static

Sensitivity, Accuracy, Static error, Precision,
Reproducibility, Threshold, Resolution,
Hysteresis, Drift, Span & Range etc.

Types of Input to a Measuring

Instrument
• Desired Inputs
• Interfering Inputs
• Modifying Inputs (cause
change in input output
relationship)

Acceleration : Interfering input Tilt Angle : Interfering input

Modifying inputs : Temperature , Acceleration due to gravity

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Static calibration
• Static calibration: Calibration process in which all
inputs (desired, interfering, modifying) are kept
at constant value and then the input under study
is varied over certain range of constant values to
give an input output relationship is called as
static calibration.
• This process may be repeated for each input of
interest to develop a family of input output
relations that can be superimposed to get the
overall static behavior of the instrument.

Example of Static Calibration

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Static Sensitivity
• After performing static calibration, the slope of the
calibration curve is defined as the static sensitivity of
the instrument.
• For finding static sensitivity the output quantity
should be taken as the actual physical output (same
units as the input ) and not the scale numbers
(angular rotation/voltage).

Drift
• Sensitivity to interfering and modifying inputs causes
the instrument to give wrong readings
• Zero drift : The entire calibration curve is shifted
• Sensitivity Drift /scale factor drift : The input to output
relation is changed
• Change in temperature can cause expansion or
contraction of a pressure gauge spring leading to
reading when there is no pressure change called as
zero drift. Whereas change in temperature can also
change the modulus of elasticity causing the change in
input output relation or slope of the calibration curve.

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Linearity
• It is a measure of the
maximum deviation of the
calibration points from the
straight line.
• Independent nonlinearity :
Maximum deviation of the
calibration points from the
straight line expressed as
– ± % of reading or
– ± % of full scale
• The two specifications (% of
reading and % of full scale )
give different tolerance
bands as shown

Static error
• For a single measurement error is the difference between measurement
and the corresponding true value.
• Error of the measurement process can be decomposed into 2 parts bias
and imprecision
• Inaccuracy has two components
– Bias (Systematic Error)
– Imprecision(Random Error)

• The bias or systematic error is same for each reading and hence can be
removed by calibration
• The imprecision or random error is different for every reading
• Instrument error may be represented by a random variable that has a
mean value μe and a standard deviation σe.

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Accuracy
• Accuracy refers to the closeness of a measured
value to a standard or known value.
• According to ISO 5725_1 (1994) When the term
is applied to sets of measurements of the
same measurand, it involves a component of
random error and a component of systematic
error. In this case trueness is the closeness of
the mean of a set of measurement results to the
actual (true) value and precision is the closeness
of agreement among a set of results.

Precision
• Precision refers to the closeness of two or
more measurements to each other.
• Precision represents repeatability in the
measurements.

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Accuracy VS Precision

Threshold
• If instrument input is increased gradually from
zero, there will be some minimum value
below which no output change can be
detected. This minimum value define the
threshold of the instrument.
Output

Input

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Resolution
• If the output is increased from an arbitrary
non zero value , the output does not change
at all until a certain input increment is
exceeded. This increment is called resolution.

Hysteresis
• Summation of all effects, under constant
environmental conditions, that cause an
instrument’s output to assume different values
at a given stimulus point when that point is
approached with increasing or decreasing
stimulus.
• Hysteresis includes backlash.
• It is usually measured as a percent of full scale
when input varies over the full increasing and
decreasing range.

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Hysterisis
No Sliding Friction
Only hysteretic damping

No Internal Friction
Sliding friction only

Hysterisis

Combined effect internal and sliding friction

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Span and Range

• Span – It can be defined as the range of an
instrument from the minimum to maximum scale
value. In the case of a thermometer, its scale goes
from −40°C to 100°C. Thus its span is 140°C.
• Range – It can be defined as the measure of the
instrument between the lowest and highest
readings it can measure. A thermometer has a
scale from −40°C to 100°C. Thus the range varies
from −40°C to 100°C.