Instrument error refers to the

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

of a

measuring instrument A measuring instrument is a device to measure a physical quantity. In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Establ ...

, or the difference between the actual value and the value indicated by the instrument. There can be errors of various types, and the overall error is the sum of the individual errors. Types of errors include * systematic errors * random errors * absolute error * other error

Systematic errors

The size of the systematic error is sometimes referred to as the

accuracy Accuracy and precision are two measures of ''observational error''. ''Accuracy'' is how close a given set of measurements (observations or readings) are to their ''true value'', while ''precision'' is how close the measurements are to each other ...

. For example the instrument may always indicate a value 5% higher than the actual value; or perhaps the relationship between the indicated and actual values may be more complicated than that. A systematic error may arise because the instrument has been incorrectly

calibrated In measurement technology and metrology, calibration is the comparison of measurement values delivered by a device under test with those of a calibration standard of known accuracy. Such a standard could be another measurement device of known a ...

, or perhaps because a defect has arisen in the instrument since it was calibrated. Instruments should be calibrated against a standard instrument that is known to be accurate, and ideally the calibration should be repeated at intervals. The most rigorous standards are those maintained by a

standards organization A standards organization, standards body, standards developing organization (SDO), or standards setting organization (SSO) is an organization whose primary function is developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpr ...

such as

NIST The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sci ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, or the

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

in Europe. If the users know the amount of the systematic error, they may decide to adjust for it manually rather than having the instrument expensively adjusted to eliminate the error: e.g. in the above example they might manually reduce all the values read by about 4.8%.

Random errors

The range in amount of possible random errors is sometimes referred to as the

precision Precision, precise or precisely may refer to: Science, and technology, and mathematics Mathematics and computing (general) * Accuracy and precision, measurement deviation from true value and its scatter * Significant figures, the number of digit ...

. Random errors may arise because of the design of the instrument. In particular they may be subdivided between * errors in the amount shown on the display, and * how accurately the display can actually be read.

Amount shown on the display

Sometimes the effect of random error can be reduced by repeating the measurement a few times and taking the average result.

How accurately the display can be read

If the instrument has a needle which points to a scale graduated in steps of 0.1 units, then depending on the design of the instrument it is usually possible to estimate tenths between the successive marks on the scale, so it should be possible to read off the result to an accuracy of about 0.01 units.

Other errors

The act of taking the measurement may alter the quantity being measured. For example, an

ammeter An ammeter (abbreviation of ''Ampere meter'') is an instrument used to measure the current in a circuit. Electric currents are measured in amperes (A), hence the name. For direct measurement, the ammeter is connected in series with the circuit ...

has its own built-in resistance, so if it is connected in series to an electrical circuit, it will slightly reduce the current flowing through the circuit.

References

Measuring instruments Metrology {{Measurement-stub