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Quiz about So You Want to Be a Calibration Technician

So You Want to Be a Calibration Technician? Quiz

Calibration is necessary for accurate measurement, and measurement is involved in everything people do. So although you may never have heard of them, calibration technicians help just about everything work better!

A multiple-choice quiz by tamrof. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
tamrof

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
325,239

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
417

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Calibration is a word you've probably seen or heard, but it is often used incorrectly. What does "calibration" mean? Hint

Using a measuring device to make a measurement.

Altering a measuring device so it will read correctly.

Comparing a measuring device to a standard of known accuracy.

Rebuilding a measurement device to correct a malfunction.

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Question 2 of 10

2. Most measurement devices have manufacturer specifications that will tell you how accurate the measurements will be. What does "accuracy" mean? Hint

The smallest amount that the device can measure.

How close the measurement is to the true value.

The largest amount that the device can measure.

How close together repeated measurements are.

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Question 3 of 10

3. There are many different ways of describing the accuracy of a measuring instrument. One of the most common is abbreviated FS. What does FS stand for? Hint

Formellement Selon

Full Spread

Full Scale

Full Screw

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Question 4 of 10

4. As a calibration technician, you open a meter and turn a potentiometer in order to make the meter read correctly. What is this called? Hint

Tuning

Calibration

Adjustment

Feeding

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Question 5 of 10

5. One step in a calibration procedure requires you to "tare" a balance (scale). What does this mean? Hint

Put the largest weight you have on the balance

Remove the draft shield from the balance

Remove the pan from the balance

Make the balance read zero, even if something is on it

6. Gage blocks are used to calibrate calipers and micometers (among other things). They are made of metal or ceramic, and must have very accurate lengths and very flat measurement surfaces.

How do you check the flatness of a gage block? Hint

By measuring each corner with a caliper

By looking at it through an optical flat under polarized light

By measuring each corner with a micrometer

By holding it up to the light and sighting down the long edge

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Question 7 of 10

7. What does a manometer measure? Hint

Vacuum

Both of these

Pressure

Neither of these

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Question 8 of 10

8. A torque wrench measures the rotational force required to tighten a threaded fastener. Torque settings are often given in ft-lbs or in Nm. What parameters are involved in measuring torque? Hint

Vacuum and current

Length and force

Pressure and voltage

Luminance and pH

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Question 9 of 10

9. Many devices measure something (the input parameter) and provide an output of some other sort, which is then measured to determine the value of the input parameter. A thermocouple is used to measure temperature, providing an output to a meter. What is the output? Hint

Voltage

Current

Resistance

None of these

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Question 10 of 10

10. Calibration techs have to know a little about all sorts of subjects. Which of the following are involved in calibration? Hint

All of these

Math

Physics

Chemistry

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Calibration is a word you've probably seen or heard, but it is often used incorrectly. What does "calibration" mean?

Answer: Comparing a measuring device to a standard of known accuracy.

Calibration compares the measurement device to a standard, which in turn has been compared to another standard and so on, creating an unbroken chain of comparisons from the calibrated device to a national metrology institute (such as NIST in the US, or the NPL in the UK). This is known as "traceability".

2. Most measurement devices have manufacturer specifications that will tell you how accurate the measurements will be. What does "accuracy" mean?

Answer: How close the measurement is to the true value.

No measurement can be perfectly accurate (see Heisenberg's uncertainty principle), but it's important to know how far from the true value a measurement might be.

One of the things that most calibration technicians do is to compare the calibration results with the specifications, and adjust the instrument if it doesn't meet the specifications.

3. There are many different ways of describing the accuracy of a measuring instrument. One of the most common is abbreviated FS. What does FS stand for?

Answer: Full Scale

Full scale is the highest reading a particular instrument range or scale can show. Another way to express accuracy is as a percentage of the measurement reading.

The way these accuracy specifications are formulated depends on the measurement device. Analog meters, because of the way they're constructed are usually "spec'd" as a percentage of full scale. Digital devices are usually spec'd as a percentage of the reading, plus a small amount of the range or full scale.

4. As a calibration technician, you open a meter and turn a potentiometer in order to make the meter read correctly. What is this called?

Answer: Adjustment

Remember, calibration is the comparison with a known standard. Adjustments are often performed to make the device measure more accurately, but are not specifically a part of calibration.

5. One step in a calibration procedure requires you to "tare" a balance (scale). What does this mean?

Answer: Make the balance read zero, even if something is on it

Taring the balance with an empty container on it allows you to then weigh the contents of the container with the weight of the container automatically subtracted.

Answer: By looking at it through an optical flat under polarized light

This process produces interference fringes that can actually measure the flatness of the gage block with a resolution of about 10 microinches (ten one-millionths of an inch)!

7. What does a manometer measure?

Answer: Both of these

Manometers are used to measure low and very low levels of pressure and vacuum. The sphygmomanometer in your doctor's office measures your blood pressure. If you're very old (like me!) you may remember when these devices actually had a tube full of mercury that the doctor would watch while listening to your pulse.

8. A torque wrench measures the rotational force required to tighten a threaded fastener. Torque settings are often given in ft-lbs or in Nm. What parameters are involved in measuring torque?

Answer: Length and force

Many measurement devices measure a combination of two or more parameters. For instance, power (Watts) is voltage times current. And pressure is a function of weight and area (as in pounds per square inch, or PSI).

Answer: Voltage

A thermocouple is made of two wires of different materials welded together at one end. The Seebeck effect causes a voltage to develop which is in proportion to the temperature difference between the two ends of the thermocouple. The voltage is usually between 0 and 50 mVDC.

10. Calibration techs have to know a little about all sorts of subjects. Which of the following are involved in calibration?

Answer: All of these

All of these and more are required to be a calibration technician. But don't despair! Because calibration techs are hard to find, you can often start with a modicum of knowledge and then get lots of on-the-job-training.

Source: Author tamrof

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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