Notes

NOTE 1 A calibration may be expressed by a statement, calibration function, calibration diagram, calibration curve, or calibration table. In some cases, it may consist of an additive or multiplicative correction of the indication with associated measurement uncertainty.

NOTE 2 Calibration should not be confused with adjustment of a measuring system, often mistakenly called “self-calibration”, nor with verification of calibration.

NOTE 3 Often, the first step alone in the above definition is perceived as being calibration.

Annotations

ANNOTATION (informative) [4 September 2015] The VIM3 definition of calibration extends the previous (VIM2) one-step definition. For practical reasons a second operational step is introduced in order to facilitate assigning a measured value and measurement uncertainty to an item being measured by the calibrated measuring instrument. In the past this second step was usually considered to occur after the calibration. Both steps together facilitate in a practical way the demonstration of metrological traceability of measurement results (measured values and associated measurement uncertainty) obtained when using the measuring instrument after it has been calibrated.

ANNOTATION (informative) [4 September 2015] Calibration should not be confused with verification or adjustment. Calibration is a prerequisite for verification, which provides confirmation that specified requirements (often maximum permissible errors) are met. Calibration is also a prerequisite for adjustment, which is the set of operations carried out on a measuring system such that the system provides prescribed indications corresponding to given values of quantities to be measured, typically obtained from measurement standards.

1 Quantities and units

• 1.1 quantity
• 1.2 kind of quantity
• 1.3 system of quantities
• 1.4 base quantity
• 1.5 derived quantity
• 1.6 International System of Quantities
• 1.7 quantity dimension
• 1.8 quantity of dimension one
• 1.9 measurement unit
• 1.10 base unit
• 1.11 derived unit
• 1.12 coherent derived unit
• 1.13 system of units
• 1.14 coherent system of units
• 1.15 off-system measurement unit
• 1.16 International System of Units
• 1.17 multiple of a unit
• 1.18 submultiple of a unit
• 1.19 quantity value
• 1.20 numerical quantity value
• 1.21 quantity calculus
• 1.22 quantity equation
• 1.23 unit equation
• 1.24 conversion factor between units
• 1.25 numerical value equation
• 1.26 ordinal quantity
• 1.27 quantity-value scale
• 1.28 ordinal quantity-value scale
• 1.29 conventional reference scale
• 1.30 nominal property

2 Measurement

• 2.1 measurement
• 2.2 metrology
• 2.3 measurand
• 2.4 measurement principle
• 2.5 measurement method
• 2.6 measurement procedure
• 2.7 reference measurement procedure
• 2.8 primary reference measurement procedure
• 2.9 measurement result
• 2.10 measured quantity value
• 2.11 true quantity value
• 2.12 conventional quantity value
• 2.13 measurement accuracy
• 2.14 measurement trueness
• 2.15 measurement precision
• 2.16 measurement error
• 2.17 systematic measurement error
• 2.18 measurement bias
• 2.19 random measurement error
• 2.20 repeatability condition of measurement
• 2.21 measurement repeatability
• 2.22 intermediate precision condition of measurement
• 2.23 intermediate measurement precision
• 2.24 reproducibility condition of measurement
• 2.25 measurement reproducibility
• 2.26 measurement uncertainty
• 2.27 definitional uncertainty
• 2.28 Type A evaluation of measurement uncertainty
• 2.29 Type B evaluation of measurement uncertainty
• 2.30 standard measurement uncertainty
• 2.31 combined standard measurement uncertainty
• 2.32 relative standard measurement uncertainty
• 2.33 uncertainty budget
• 2.34 target measurement uncertainty
• 2.35 expanded measurement uncertainty
• 2.36 coverage interval
• 2.37 coverage probability
• 2.38 coverage factor
• 2.39 calibration
• 2.40 calibration hierarchy
• 2.41 metrological traceability
• 2.42 metrological traceability chain
• 2.43 metrological traceability to a measurement unit
• 2.44 verification
• 2.45 validation
• 2.46 metrological comparability of measurement results
• 2.47 metrological compatibility of measurement results
• 2.48 measurement model
• 2.49 measurement function
• 2.50 input quantity in a measurement model
• 2.51 output quantity in a measurement model
• 2.52 influence quantity
• 2.53 correction

3 Devices for measurement

• 3.1 measuring instrument
• 3.2 measuring system
• 3.3 indicating measuring instrument
• 3.4 displaying measuring instrument
• 3.5 scale of a displaying measuring instrument
• 3.6 material measure
• 3.7 measuring transducer
• 3.8 sensor
• 3.9 detector
• 3.10 measuring chain
• 3.11 adjustment of a measuring system
• 3.12 zero adjustment of a measuring system

4 Properties of measuring devices

• 4.1 indication
• 4.2 blank indication
• 4.3 indication interval
• 4.4 nominal indication interval
• 4.5 range of a nominal indication interval
• 4.6 nominal quantity value
• 4.7 measuring interval
• 4.8 steady-state operating condition
• 4.9 rated operating condition
• 4.10 limiting operating condition
• 4.11 reference operating condition
• 4.12 sensitivity of a measuring system
• 4.13 selectivity of a measuring system
• 4.14 resolution
• 4.15 resolution of a displaying device
• 4.16 discrimination threshold
• 4.17 dead band
• 4.18 detection limit
• 4.19 stability of a measuring instrument
• 4.20 instrumental bias
• 4.21 instrumental drift
• 4.22 variation due to an influence quantity
• 4.23 step response time
• 4.24 instrumental measurement uncertainty
• 4.25 accuracy class
• 4.26 maximum permissible measurement error
• 4.27 datum measurement error
• 4.28 zero error
• 4.29 null measurement uncertainty
• 4.30 calibration diagram
• 4.31 calibration curve

5 Measurement standards (Etalons)

• 5.1 measurement standard
• 5.2 international measurement standard
• 5.3 national measurement standard
• 5.4 primary measurement standard
• 5.5 secondary measurement standard
• 5.6 reference measurement standard
• 5.7 working measurement standard
• 5.8 travelling measurement standard
• 5.9 transfer measurement device
• 5.10 intrinsic measurement standard
• 5.11 conservation of a measurement standard
• 5.12 calibrator
• 5.13 reference material
• 5.14 certified reference material
• 5.15 commutability of a reference material
• 5.16 reference data
• 5.17 standard reference data
• 5.18 reference quantity value