What is Measuring: Definition and 1000 Discussions

Measurement is the quantification of attributes of an object or event, which can be used to compare with other objects or events. The scope and application of measurement are dependent on the context and discipline. In natural sciences and engineering, measurements do not apply to nominal properties of objects or events, which is consistent with the guidelines of the International vocabulary of metrology published by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. However, in other fields such as statistics as well as the social and behavioural sciences, measurements can have multiple levels, which would include nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales.Measurement is a cornerstone of trade, science, technology and quantitative research in many disciplines. Historically, many measurement systems existed for the varied fields of human existence to facilitate comparisons in these fields. Often these were achieved by local agreements between trading partners or collaborators. Since the 18th century, developments progressed towards unifying, widely accepted standards that resulted in the modern International System of Units (SI). This system reduces all physical measurements to a mathematical combination of seven base units. The science of measurement is pursued in the field of metrology.

View More On Wikipedia.org
  1. Ygggdrasil

    Measuring off target mutations during CRISPR gene editing

    https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/dont-fear-https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/dont-fear-crispr-new-gene-editing-technologies-wont-lead-designer-babies/-new-gene-editing-technologies-wont-lead-designer-babies/ is a newly developed tool that allows researchers to easily make changes to...
  2. Sandeep T S

    I Measuring the Speed of Light: Time of Flight Experiments

    Is anyone expermently measured two way speed of light from moving source using time of flight?
  3. Kenny555

    Ohmmeter question -- Measuring a 2-resistor circuit

    Homework Statement [/B] Find reading of ohmmeter. Homework Equations V=IRThe Attempt at a Solution I am a beginner of this topic and I think it is simple as ohmmeter directly measure the resistance of the resistor which is 2k ohm while the correct answer is 1.67k ohm. I have no idea how to get...
  4. Sandeep T S

    I Speed of Light Measured by Jupiter's Moons: Error 26%?

    Romer measured speed of light using moon's of Jupiter but he got value with a error of 26%. Is anyone did same experiment in modern era? And what value they got?
  5. S

    Measuring the resistance of a resistor

    Homework Statement Its a general question asking which method of measuring resistance (a 5 ohm resistor in a simple circuit) has greatest precision. The first method I varied voltage from about 5V to 10V, then measured the current each time, then averaged that current and calculated resistance...
  6. Eucliwood

    B Measuring Angles: Negatives & Quadrants

    <Moderator's note: Moved from the welcome forum. General question on the measurement of angles and thus no homework.> So we have a physics lab and here's the diagram. I do know how to calculate all but i got negative angle. Does that mean that that angle is reference to the negative x quadrant...
  7. I

    Measuring Pressure For Compressible Fluid Systems?

    Is measuring pressure for a compressible fluid system angle dependent?For a compressible fluid, Bernoulli's Law gives us a relation between two points along a closed system. More specifically it gives us the relation between two cross sections belonging to two distinct points in the closed...
  8. R

    I Difference between preparing and measuring

    I’m understanding that if you prepare a QM system, say 2 electrons in a singlet state and do nothing to the system then when the measurement is made the 2 electrons will still be in the singlet state. If that is true, then I don’t see anything surprising that if Bob measures his electron as up...
  9. N

    I Measuring Star Radii with General Relativity

    Hi, I'm wondering if it is possible to measure radii of stars using general relativity, given its explanation of gravity as curvature of space. Thank you
  10. Dr. Courtney

    How Can Doppler Radar Improve Drag Coefficient Measurements in Physics Labs?

    https://aapt.scitation.org/doi/10.1119/1.5064562 The availability of inexpensive Doppler radar has made it practical to accurately measure drag coefficients in undergrad physics labs.ABSTRACT Undergraduate lab design balances several factors: 1) simple experiments connected with learning...
  11. F

    Measuring the current from a micro generator affects its output?

    I am performing an experiment where I have built a scale model of a wind turbine, and am measuring the current it can produce with a micro generator. I am using a standard multi meter and the micro generator is DC. I do not know much about the topic, but whenever I start measuring the current...
  12. prashantakerkar

    Measuring the weight of gas in an inflated balloon

    What could be the method for measuring weight of gas in inflated balloon? Thanks & Regards, Prashant S Akerkar
  13. runningman19

    Measuring Torque on the Impeller Shaft of a Stirred Tank

    Hi Everyone, I am working on a project which requires me to determine the torque on the impeller shaft of stirred tank. Currently as I see it, there are 2 viable options: To measure the torque in the shaft using a torque transducer such as this one. This is by far the most accurate means of...
  14. A

    A Measuring the spin of a moving Dirac spinor particle

    Hello, I would like to ask about the process of measuring the Spin of a Dirac 4-spinor Ψ that is not in the rest frame. Note that even though there is plenty of information about what a Dirac spinor is, what reasoning lead to its discovery and how it can be expressed in terms of particle and...
  15. P J Strydom

    B Measuring Michelson–Morley light beams

    I was away for a few months and thought I might pose this thought I am working on, on this forum when I return. There was a very help full person who assisted me in the finer explanation of the Lorenz transformation a few months ago, and I really learned a lot about SR and GR. A few weeks ago, I...
  16. T

    B Measuring Objects using Dissimilar Units

    Quantumly speaking: Can speed be measured? If so, why? If not why? This is a serious question. Speed involves a distance unit and a time unit. For example .. "ft/sec" .. and it is illogical to divide seconds into feet. Having made this point can speed be quantumly measured and how do you...
  17. M

    Measuring TDS of Filtered Tap Water: An Amateur Scientist's Guide

    I am an amateur scientist interested in all fields of science. What voltage potential is used to measure the EC of water to approximate TDS of filtered tap water?
  18. P

    Measuring small differences in the phase of light

    Recently I read something in NASA Tech Briefs about an instrument that could measure phase differences as small as .001 degree in light. I would like to create an instrument that could do this for every pixel in a picture, even if it was only a few hundred pixels (such as a 20x30 pixel array)...
  19. 4

    I Measuring Time with Mirrors: Exploring Special Relativity

    Special relativity is replete with examples of turning mirrors into clocks. Place two mirrors across from one another, bounce light between them, and measure the time. But as I thought about this, when a photon hits the mirror, it is absorbed by an electron which moves to a higher energy...
  20. C

    I Measuring 1-Way Speed of Light: 15m Fibers & 1GHz Pulse Generator

    Drive two 15m long optical fibers extended in opposite directions with a 1GHz pulse generator. The recievers at the end of each fiber are now syncronised sources of 1GHz pulses. Connect them to pulse counters, one of which provides a signal whenever a pulse train is present. Connect this...
  21. K

    Measuring very small voltages and currents

    Hello. How would this be done? Using a step up transformer?
  22. R

    B Measuring the speed of light from moving source of light

    The speed of light from a moving source of light is usually recognized indirectly, based on various explanations of phenomena. The speed of light is fairly simple directly measurable on the basis of autonomous and separate measurements of the frequency and wavelength of the light. Is a similar...
  23. C

    I Measuring characteristic time of strong and weak interaction

    Consider a scattering between two particles a and b that produces two particles c and d: d is stable, while c decays in two other different particles e and f. The first interaction is by strong force (time of interaction ##t_1\sim 10^{-23}s##, which is also the time of generation of c and d)...
  24. Elbraido

    Measuring Wave Length of Light Through Different Substances

    Hi this is my first question and love these Forums. I have a Independent research task due next term. My idea was: Seeing the change of wave length of light as it passes through different substances. My question is: How do i measure the wave length? Because I could use a spectrometer but my...
  25. J

    Measuring momentum using position wavefunction

    I was solving an exercise from Cohen's textbook, but then I got stuck in this question. "Let ψ(x,y,z) = ψ(r) the normalized wave function of a particle. Express in terms of ψ(r) the probability for: b) a measurement of the component Px of the momentum, to yield a result included between p1...
  26. P

    A Measuring Viscosity via the Speed of Sound

    Hello, I am on the search for papers, books, etc. on how one can measure the viscosity of viscous materials via the speed of sound. I've searched for a while now and haven't been able to find much on this topic. Any help is greatly appreciated.
  27. S

    Can the Speed of Sound Be Measured Using Frequency and Time Delay Data?

    Suppose we have an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver, separated by some fixed distance ##d##. Both devices are attached to an oscilloscope. The transmitter generates ultrasonic waves at some frequency ##f## that we can change. The receiver is some piezoelectric that translates...
  28. J

    I What happens if B measures the x-axis spin in an entangled pair?

    Watching an old (2012) youtube video (), the narrator says (time 10:38) that if A measures the y-axis spin of an entangled pair and communicates his finding to B, then B "cannot" measure his x-axis spin, because doing so would give him knowledge of the spins along both axes, which uncertainty...
  29. Lukeblackhill

    Measuring Velocity of a Sphere - Impulse & Energy Conservation

    Morning! I was performing some experiments about impulse and conservation of mechanical energy, and for that I was looking to good ways of measuring the velocity of a sphere under the action of a force. In free fall, having the height H it was falling along, I have used the formula v =...
  30. Passionate Eng

    I Measuring Speed of Light: Reference Guide

    I don't know what's the appropriate title for my question but here it is: What's the reference we consider to measure the speed with respect to when we say that as the speed of a moving object approaches the speed of light the time becomes slower in the frame of this moving object.
  31. F

    I Does measuring an atom collapse the wavefunction of its parts?

    Suppose you have an experiment that measures the property of an atom as a whole, maybe you can put it through a double-slit or measure its spin, whatever. Presumably that will collapse the wavefunction that you used to describe the atom in that experiment. Would this entail that in the process...
  32. C

    Laser safety / measuring errors question

    Homework Statement a) If you were using a hands –on activity to verify your predictions and use measurements to determine the wavelength of the laser being used, describe any safety precautions you would have to take and sources of error that you might encounter. Be sure to explain how you...
  33. B

    Measuring the speed of sound in an iron tube

    For physical experiment I have a project in which I have to measure the speed of sound in the air. 1. If I take an iron tube (inside is air) and a speaker, 2. put the speaker at the beginning of a tube, 3. speaker is connected to frequency generator (with which I can change frequencies)...
  34. yubson

    Question about measuring the internal resistance of power supplies

    In measuring the internal resistance of a power supply, why is a resistor with low resistance used?
  35. X

    B Measuring entangled particles along several angles

    Heya, I was wondering what happens when you measure the spin of particles along several different angles on an entangled pair. As far as I understand Bell's theorem, it basically says that if you first measure particle A in some angle, and then measure a particle B at some some angle, you'll...
  36. C

    B Measuring the Universe's expansion rate

    From our perspective the Universe is expanding faster the further away things get, correct? Given that we are measuring further and further back in time my question is this. If you were at the furthest known point in the Universe looking back at our galaxy and attempting to measure the expansion...
  37. J

    Measuring 800V AC signal with 16-bit DAQ card within 1% accuracy

    I'm trying to measure high voltages with a DAQ card. Obviously I'm going to have to attenuate the voltage, but I need to make sure that I can measure accurately (within 1%) The code width of the DAQ is Vcw = 20Vpp/2^16 = 305.176uV For this code width to be within 1%, the minimum voltage I...
  38. Lukeblackhill

    Mechanical Collision: Measuring Sound & Heat

    Morning! My question is this: If we consider a situation of mechanical collision, in the real world we shall observe certain loss of energy into heat or sound. Can we find mathematical equations to measure the amount of sound or heat produced using only mechanical variables, such as mass...
  39. T

    Measuring one second with a bouncing ball

    Hello Theoretically any ball that bounces 1.225 metres high is in the air for one second. This is fairly precise, +/-4% time variance is +/- 10 cm height variance, so bouncing to a height of 1.13 metres is 0.96 seconds and to a height of 1.32 is 1.04 seconds. The theory is at least dependent...
  40. J

    PMMC measuring Instrument reading

    Homework Statement Homework Equations For question 14 PMMC measures average value MI measures RMS value The Attempt at a Solution I think PMMC should give 0 V But book answer is B i.e 1 V (where am I wrong?) and MI should give 1.414 V. For this book answer matches my answer.
  41. P

    I Measuring particles through experiments

    How is it reliably ascertained that the "particles" 'measured' can be "proven" to have "traversed the experiment" and are not just conveniently (or inconveniently depending on perspective) incident / external? Is this obtained through statistical analysis from a large number of repetitions...
  42. erik giles

    I Measuring Speed in Relativity - Einstein's Work Explained

    Good morning. I've just completed working through Einstein's work on special and general relativity. Do I understand that, in relativity, a moving object cannot measure its own speed without an external reference to compare to? IE, there is no experiment it can conduct to determine its own...
  43. W

    QM: Probability of measuring momentum

    Hi all, My question is in reference to the following paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1202.1783.pdf In equation 3.8, the author computes an order-of-magnitude approximation of probability of measuring negative momentum from the following wavefunction: $$ \Psi_k =\sum_{k=1,2}...
  44. A

    Measuring Range Extension "homework"

    a) dimension the moving-coil movement so that it indicates full deflection at 25 V given Values: Voltage Source: U2Max = 25V; moving-coil movement: IM = 100µA; UM = 270mV Rv = ( U2Max - UM ) / IM = (25V - 270mV) / 100 µA = 247,3kΩ b) the internal resistance is increased by 20 %...
  45. C

    Measuring the Speed of Sound: Examining the Frequency of Clicks

    Homework Statement This is a problem from the Cambridge Natural Science Admissions Assesment. A student carries out an experiment to measure the speed of sound. A loudspeaker that emits sound in all directions is placed between two buildings that are 128 m apart as shown. The student and...
  46. Const@ntine

    Chemistry Measuring the Mass & Electric Charge of Molecules

    Homework Statement Hi! So I stumbled upon this simple "plug n' play" exercise in my Physics textbook. Basically it gives you certain molecules/atoms, and tells you to measure the Electric Charge, and its Mass. Pretty simple, but I hit upon some hickups. Anyway, let's get to it: Find the...
  47. Hawksteinman

    Throwing a pen and measuring gravity

    Homework Statement We were given this question on a worksheet last lecture. The question is this: ‘Throw a tennis ball/your pen/some non-dangerous object into the air, straight up (and catch it again), observe its motion. Use your observation to measure the gravitational acceleration due to...
  48. S

    Measuring uncertainty spec for an oscilloscope?

    I just started learning about oscilloscopes and I am confused on how to calculate the uncertainty. The uncertainty measurement on the device says '1/2 the smallest division'. I am unsure which 'division' this refers to since there are horizontal scales and vertical scales. In my experiment I...
  49. T

    Measuring the Power Output of a Generator

    Hey folks, I built a generator for fun and I would like to find out how much power it is producing when I use it. I have a way of measuring mechanical power in but I am not quite sure on how to measure electrical power out. I'm thinking I could use some LEDs to create a load (or maybe...
  50. Pushoam

    Measuring the output from a Transistor Amplifier

    Homework Statement I understand that the DC current will not flow through the capacitor once the capacitor gets fully charged. So, after a long time , only AC component of the net current flow through the capacitor. How to show that all of the carying voltage appear across the capacitor...
Back
Top