70 General Concepts

Linearity. If an instrument's calibration curve for desired input is not

a straight line, the instrument may still be highly accurate. There are
many applications, however, where linear behavior is most desirable.
The conversion from a scale reading to the corresponding measured value
of input quantity is most convenient if one merely has to multiply by a
fixed constant rather than consult a nonlinear calibration curve or com¬
pute from a nonlinear calibration equation. Also, when the instrument
is part of a larger data or control system, linear behavior of the parts
often simplifies design and analysis of the whole. Thus specifications
relating to the degree of conformity to straight-line behavior are common.
Several definitions1 of linearity are possible. However, the so-called
independent linearity seems to be preferable in many cases. Here the
reference straight line is the least-squares fit, as in Fig. 3.13. The
linearity is then simply a measure of the maximum deviation of any
calibration points from this straight line. This may be expressed as a
percent of the actual reading, a percent of full-scale reading, or a combina¬
tion of the two. The last method is probably the most realistic and
leads to the following type of specification:

Independent nonlinearity = ± A percent of reading or

±B percent of full scale, whichever is greater (3.52)

The first part (±A percent of reading) of the specification recognizes the

1L. P. Entin, Instrument Uncertainties: I and II, Control Eng., December,

1959; February, 1960.