Sensors and measurements

Exercise3
Q1: what is accuracy and what is inaccuracy?

1- Accuracy
It is a measure of how close the output reading of the instrument is to the correct
value.

2- Inaccuracy or measurement uncertainty:

It is the extent to which a reading might be wrong and is often quoted as a
percentage of the full-scale reading of an instrument.
Q2: A pressure gauge with a measurement range of 0-10 bar has a
quoted error of 1.0% of the full-scale reading.
Calculate:
1- the maximum measurement error in bars for this instrument?
1.0%*10 bar(max range)=0.1 bar
2- the percentage error when having a pressure of 2 and 1 bars?
Divide error by 2and 1 bars:

0.1/2 *100 gives an error of 5%

0.1/1 *100 gives an error of 10%

Comment: The small measurement values in a large scale will be

inaccurate.
Q3: Two pressure gauges P1 and P2 with full scale error of 5.0%.
P1 has a range of 0-2 bar and P2 has a range of 0-20 bar. Which
sensor is more suitable for a measurement of 0.9 bar?

a- For P1, we have:

max error = 5.0%*2 bar= 0.1 bar

Equipment accuracy=(0.1/0.9 )*100 gives an error of 11.11%

b- For P2, we have:

max error = 5.0%*20 bar= 1 bar

Equipment accuracy=(1/0.9) *100 gives an error of 111.11%

Q4: What is precision and how is it different from accuracy?

•It is a measure that describes how an instrument’s measurements are

free from random errors.

•If a large number of readings are taken of the same quantity by a

high-precision instrument, the spread of readings will be very small.

•A high precision does not mean a higher accuracy .

Q5 on precision: The width of a room is measured 10 times by an
ultrasonic rule and the following measurements are obtained (in
meters): 5.381, 5.379, 5.378, 5.382, 5.380, 5.383, 5.379, 5.377,
5.380, and 5.381. The width of the same room is then measured by
a calibrated steel tape that gives a reading of 5.374 m, which can
be taken as the correct value for the width of the room.
(a) What is the measurement precision of the ultrasonic rule?
(b) What is the maximum measurement inaccuracy of the
ultrasonic rule?
•Average=sum/ total number of measurements= 5.380m
•Max/min Deviation below this value is ±0.003 m . So, Precision= ±0.003 m
•The maximum error = max m. value - true value =
5.383-5.374 = 0.009 m (9 mm)
Comment: the ultrasonic rule has fairly high precision, its actual measurement
accuracy is substantially inferior.
Q6 : What is range or span?

The range or span of an instrument defines the difference between the

minimum and maximum values of a quantity that the instrument is designed to
measure.
Q7: A particular micrometer is designed to measure
dimensions between 50 and 75 mm. What is its measurement
range?
The measurement range is simply the difference between the
maximum and minimum measurements. Thus, in this case the range is
75 - 50 = 25 mm.
Q8 : What is Threshold? Give an example

If the input to an instrument is gradually increased from zero, the input will
have to reach a certain minimum level before the change in the instrument
output reading is of a large enough magnitude to be detectable. This minimum
level of input is known as the threshold of the instrument.

Example on threshold is the speedometer:

A car speedometer typically has a threshold of about 15 miles/h. This means
that if the vehicle starts from rest and accelerates, no output reading is
observed on the speedometer until the speed reaches 15 miles/h.
Q9 : What is Resolution? Give an example
It is a minimum measurable value of the input variable.
An example is a wire-wound potentiometer in which the slider moves across
windings to vary resistance. If one turn of the winding represents a change of
ΔR ohms, then the potentiometer cannot provide a resistance change less than
ΔR .
NOTE:
In digital systems, the resolution is a function of the reference voltage and
the number of bits in the word. The more bits, the smaller the change in
analog output for a 1-bit change in binary word, and hence the better the
resolution. The smallest possible change is simply given by

Thus, a 5-bit word D/A converter with a 10-V reference will provide changes
of per bit.
Q10 : A sensor has a transfer function of 5 mV°C . Find the
required voltage resolution of the signal conditioning if a
temperature resolution of 0.2°C is required.

A temperature change of will result in a voltage change of

Thus, the voltage system must be able to resolve 1.0 mV.

Q11: Determine how many bits a D/A converter must have to
provide output increments of 0.04 V or less. The reference is 10 V
Q12: What is Linearity?
The output reading of an instrument is linearly proportional to the quantity
being measured.
Q13 : what is sensitivity?

The sensitivity of measurement is the slope of the straight line drawn in the
previous graph. If, for example, a pressure of 2 bar produces a deflection of 10
degrees in a pressure transducer, the sensitivity of the instrument is 5
degrees/bar.

Q14 : Explain the following statements:

(i)A galvanometer has a sensitivity of 15 degrees/ 1 uA
(ii) A platinum resisance thermometer has a sensitivity of 0.5 ohms/˚C
(i) If the change in the current (input) equals 𝟏𝝁𝑨, the change in the output
(deflection of the instrument) will be 𝟏𝟓 ˚ at the steady state.

(ii) If the change in the temperature (input) equals 𝟏℃, the change in the
output (resistance) will be 𝟎. 𝟓 𝛀 at the steady state.
Q15 :
Q16: what is zero drift, sensitivity drift? Draw the superposition of
both disturbances. What are the possible cause of such cases?
Q17 :
Q17 : Solution