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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · Measurement and Test Equipment

Calibration

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

/ˌkæləˈbreɪʃən/nounCommon term

In electrical & electronics engineering, calibration means: The process of comparing an instrument or sensor with a known reference and adjusting it or recording the results, so that its readings can be trusted.

In Turkish: kalibrasyon, ayar

How it is used

Used in labs, production and quality systems. Instruments are 'due for calibration', 'in calibration' or 'out of calibration', and come with a calibration certificate. A calibration is 'traceable' when its references link back to national standards.

Example sentences

  1. This multimeter is out of calibration, so don't use it for the acceptance test.

  2. The current sensors need a calibration at zero and at full scale.

Common collocations

  • calibration certificate
  • due for calibration
  • out of calibration
  • calibration date
  • multimeterA handheld or bench instrument that measures voltage, current and resistance, and often continuity, capacitance and frequency as well. It is the most basic tool for electrical testing.
  • sensorA device that detects a physical quantity, such as temperature, pressure, light or current, and converts it into an electrical signal that a circuit can measure.
  • toleranceThe allowed difference between a component's real value and its nominal value, usually given as a percentage. A 1 kΩ resistor with 5% tolerance can measure anywhere from 950 Ω to 1050 Ω.
  • oscilloscopeAn instrument that draws a voltage as a graph over time, so you can see the shape, size and timing of a signal. Engineers often just call it a scope.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Measurement and Test Equipment

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