Original Question: A temperature instrument has a range of -20°F to 500°F. What is the error at 220°F? Assume the accuracy.
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The error at 220°F for a temperature instrument with a range of -20°F to 500°F is ±36.4°F according to both ±7 percent of FSD and ±7 percent of span calculations, as the FSD equals the span in this context.
When considering the error at 220°F for a temperature instrument with a range of -20°F to 500°F, two different methods of calculating the accuracy come into play:
Full Scale Deflection (FSD) is the difference between the maximum and minimum values a measurement instrument can measure, while span is simply the range of the instrument without accounting for its starting point.
To calculate the error using FSD, the equation is based on the FSD value, which would be 500°F - (-20°F) = 520°F. Thus, the error at 220°F would be ±7% of 520°F, which amounts to ±36.4°F.
On the other hand, to calculate the error using the span, the full range from -20°F to 500°F (as mentioned before, 520°F) is used. The error at 220°F would then be ±7% of 520°F, equating to the same ±36.4°F since the span is equivalent to FSD in this case.
Therefore, in both (a) and (b), the error at 220°F is ±36.4°F.
The error at 220°F for the temperature instrument is ±36.4°F using both ±7% of Full Scale Deflection and ±7% of span calculations. This is because the Full Scale Deflection (FSD) and span are equivalent in this context, both being 520°F. Thus, the calculations yield the same error value.
For example, if another temperature reading is taken at 300°F using the same instrument, the error would still be ±36.4°F, indicating that the temperature could realistically be anywhere from 263.6°F to 336.4°F.
The calculations are based on the formula for percentage error, which is a standard method in engineering to assess the accuracy of a measuring instrument.
This content was sourced from a community Q&A platform. The original metadata indicated it was published on Wed, 08 Jan 2025 15:08:21 GMT and was expert-verified.
