Know Your Surroundings

摘要

Ambient conditions during tests and calibration activities can have a big influence on measurement results, depending on the measurement scenario. Some of these influences may be obvious-some not so obvious. Some of these influences affect the device being measured; some affect the measurement system; and some affect both-though not necessarily proportionally between the two. Environmental influences include temperature, humidity, vibration, barometric pressure, ambient particulate concentration, magnetic fields, electrical fields, ambient light and sound. Depending on the measurement application, there may be only one environmental influence that an operator should be concerned with regarding unwanted measurement biases.