Importance of Measurement in

Research, Science and Technology

Workshop on Fundamental Aspects of Measuring Instruments

Jayant B. Kirpekar
Scientific Officer Grade A
Department of Instrumentation Science,
Savitribai Phule Pune University
Pune 411 007
20 February 2016
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Agenda

Measurement and Instruments

History of Measurements
Why Measurements are important
Selection of Instrument for Measurement
Errors in Instruments
Importance of Calibration of Instruments
Some High end Instruments
Instruments in Industry
Where to Learn more about Instruments?
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Measurement and Instruments

Measurement is a set of operations having the
objective of determining the value of a quantity.
The evaluation of a quantity made after
comparing it to a quantity of the same type
which we use as a unit.
Instrumentation refers to a group of systems
which help us measure objects and maintain
retroactive control of a process.
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Measurement systems:
These are instruments used to establish
the size of objects being scientifically
tested - Kind of situation occurs in
scientific experiments
Control systems:
In addition to measuring objects, these
instruments are also used to exert
control over the feedback process.
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History of Measurements
Measurements has been necessary since human beings
first began trading with their neighbors.
Length and mass were the earliest measurements Weights
were probably seeds, beans or grains
For volume measurement, containers made out of clay were
filled with seeds of plants. These seeds were then counted
to measure the volume.
The mille was the distance a roman soldier covered by
walking 1,000 steps.
The inch was originally defined as 3 grains of barleycorn
laid end to end.
One pound is the force that produces an acceleration of
32.1740 ft per second squared when applied against a
known standard mass - Approximately the value of the
earths gravitational acceleration at a latitude of 45 degrees
north.
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Measurement in day to day life

How could you do the following everyday activities without
measurement?
Measurement is everywhere, playing a vital role in our lives.

Why is measurement important?

Measurement supports the welfare of a human
being in modern society and touches every
part of our daily life:

Ensures safety and success of heath diagnostics

and treatments
Measures composition and quantity of fuel in our
vehicles
Ensures safe operation of aircraft in flight
Ensures consistency of time standards so we can
communicate reliably and navigate accurately
throughout the world
Quantifies emissions of green-house gases to
understand and reduce climate change

Structural health: -

The cost of Bandra-Worli sea link is Rs1,634

crore . Thousands of people use the bridge every day by Car, Bus etc.
Structural health monitoring will detect structural changes and will lead to
cheaper maintenance and running costs and provide advanced warnings of
failure, improving safety and providing the opportunity to take necessary
action in time.

Confidence in trade
System of weights and measures is
fair, accurate and legal so that
consumers and businesses have
confidence whenever they buy and
sell by quantity.
Government Institutions controls
the accuracy and fairness of these
transactions and for approving
weighing and measuring
instruments, such as fuel pumps,
weighing scales in supermarkets
etc.
Every time you fill up your car with
fuel, you are sure that the quantity
you receive is accurate and within
legally controlled tolerances.

Air quality monitoring: - The quality of the air we

breathe in is constantly monitored to maintain public health,
especially in densely populated cities or areas close to large
industrial facilities where pollution levels may be high.

Toxic pollutants such as arsenic and mercury,

and the number, size and type of particles in
the atmosphere are measured and monitored.
Odd and Even formula in Delhi

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Measuring essential elements in ready to eat foods

Minerals are essential components of what we eat, providing important
nutritional value.
We need selenium our daily diet, which plays an important role in
processes for thyroid function, treatment and prevention of cancer etc.
However, there is a fine line between beneficial levels of selenium and
those that are toxic.
Recent report by Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) Laboratory,
Lucknow found traces of Mono-Sodium Glutamate (MSG) and Lead content
in Maggi to be beyond permissible limits.

The acceptable
limit of Lead
ranges between
0.01 ppm and 2.5
ppm and what
found was 17.2
ppm
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Measurement helps innovations

Measurement plays a fundamental part in the
innovation process.
To develop new and improved products and
processes, companies are looking for:
improvements in quality or performance
reductions in waste
use of new materials or techniques
All of these require appropriate measurement
support.
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Rs. 500/12

SELECTION OF MEASURING INSTRUMENTS

Depends on the measurement to be performed - Three
characteristics are important
1. The range and magnitude of the parameter to be
measured and the accuracy of the Measurement.
2. The resolution of the measuring instrument should
be smaller than the minimum unit of measurement
of the parameter.
3. The accuracy or uncertainty of the measuring
instrument should comply with the accuracy
requirement of the parameter to be measured.
If temperature of 100C is to be measured, the range of
thermometer should be such that it can measure not
only 100C, but also temperatures above and below
100C also.
Which one is the best choice?
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The thermometers at (a) and (b) have a resolution of

1C,
While those at (c) and (d) have a resolution of 0.1C.
For measurement 100C, the thermometers at (a)
and (c) above are not suitable since these do not
have the required range.
The choice is therefore between (b) and (d).
This would again depend on the tolerance specified
for the task.
If the tolerance is 1C, then the thermometer at (d)
above should be selected.
If, on the other hand, the parameter to be measured 14

The third important criterion for the selection of a measuring

instrument is the accuracy of measurement.
Temperature to be
Accuracy of
measured and tolerance measurement
100 10C
3C
100 1C
0.3C
The selected thermometer, when calibrated, should exhibit an
accuracy that complies with the desired accuracy of
measurement as demonstrated above.
Alternatively, if the supplier of the thermometer provides a valid
calibration certificate, the selection is easier.
Unless the parameter to be measured is adequately defined, it is
not possible to make a proper selection of the measuring
instrument.
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Let us work more on this

If the accuracy of a measuring instrument is 1,
The value displayed on the instrument would be considered to be
correct if the actual value of the measurement is within 1.
If 10 is the reading displayed on an instrument and if 1 is the accuracy,
Then the actual value could be between 9 and 11, either 9 or 11.
Thus, the expanded value of the measurement can be considered as 11.
Instead of direct algebraic addition, however, a better projection is
Sqrt(102 + 12) = Sqrt (101) = 10.05.
Thus, the original value of 10 has now been expanded to 10.05.
Thus, the expansion of 10 to 10.05 works out to percentage as
(10.05-10)/10 = 0.5 per cent.
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Measurement Errors
Gross & Systematic Errors

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Measurement Errors
Absolute & Relative Errors

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Accuracy & Precision

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Resolution

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International Standards
The international standards state that the effect of accuracy on the
measurement results should be as small as possible.
It should preferably be one tenth, but should not be more than
one third.
This is mainly because a risk of up to about 6 or 7 per cent is
considered small.
However, when this ratio becomes small, the effect or the risk
becomes quite large. For example, when this ratio is 2:1, the
expanded tolerance and hence the risk becomes11.8 per cent.
If the ratio is 1:1, the risk becomes 41.4 per cent.
Thus, it is advisable to maintain a ratio of 3:1 when selecting a
measuring instrument.
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More on instrument
selection
Selection criteria should
generally be followed when procuring
new instruments.
(a)First, the parameter being measured should be examined to
check whether the tolerance and the accuracy have been
stated.
(b)Next, the measuring instrument should be checked to see
whether the range and the resolution are appropriate for the
measurement.
(c)Lastly, the accuracy of the instrument should be checked to
see whether it satisfies the specified requirement.
(d)When the accuracy of the measurement is not specified, the
instruments accuracy should be examined to see if it is
better than one third of the tolerance.
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If, however, the measuring instruments accuracy is

more than one third of the tolerance of the parameter,
then either of the following actions should be taken:
(a)Replace the instrument with an appropriate one, if
the present system of measurement is affecting the
quality of the product resulting in rejection or
rework at the subsequent stage of production;
(b)Review the specified tolerance if the existing
measurement system does not affect the product
quality. This means that perhaps the close tolerance
specified is not needed and hence the tolerance
could be increased to accommodate the accuracy of
the instrument.
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24

Calibration of Measuring
Instruments
Accuracy and reliability of all measurements would be
doubtful if the instruments used are not calibrated.
Calibration ensures that a measuring instrument
displays an accurate and reliable value of the quantity
being measured.
What is calibration? - Calibration is an essential
activity in any measurement process. Calibration is the
set of operations that are established, under specified
conditions .
The relationship between values indicated by a
measuring instrument, a measuring system or values
represented by a material measure, and the
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Understanding of calibration is not complete

without understanding traceability.
Traceability: The known values of the measurand refer to a
standard. This standard must have a relationship
vise-a-versa the calibration.
The concept of establishing valid calibration of a
measuring standard or instrument by step-bystep comparison with better standards up to an
accepted national or international standard.
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DC Voltmeter Calibration

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DC Ammeter Calibration

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Digital Multimeters as Standard Instruments

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Some High end Instruments

Differential Thermal Analyzer

UV Visible Spectrometer
X Ray Difractometer
Atomic Absorption Spectrometer
Transmission / Scanning Electron Microsco
pe
Raman Spectroscopy
Computer Tomography
Blood Analyzer
Ultra Sound Imaging
Robotics
KUKA Robotics KUKA is a German manufacturer of industrial 31
robots and solutions for factory automation.

Any
Question ?
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Last But Not the Least

Instrumentation Scienc
e
Department

Thank You !
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