Characterization of measurements and quantities to be measured

The Measurement in Electrical Engineering chapter is divided into three sections:

• D 1,500 Characterization

• D 1 501 Devices

• D 1 502 Installation

and the subjects covered are not independent of each other. Readers will often need to refer to other issues. References are indicated in the text by the issue number followed by the paragraph or figure number.

It should be noted that some devices are not described in this chapter. They are the subject of specific chapters in this treatise. Readers may wish to refer to these chapters. For more detailed information, please refer to the chapters on Electrical quantities in the Measurement and Control chapter.

Electrical engineering is concerned with the applications of electricity. It has traditionally been concerned with "strong currents", as opposed to weak currents, which are the domain of information transmission and processing techniques dominated by electronics. While this distinction remains in terms of the object of the measurements, it is outdated in terms of the means used to carry them out, which are increasingly based on analog and digital electronics.

The measurements covered in this chapter relate first and foremost to the quantities that define the characteristics of electrical energy (voltages, currents, power) and its ancillary parameters (frequency, phase shift, power factor). They also concern the passive quantities of materials used in electrical construction (resistance, magnetic properties, etc.).

Excluded are measurements relating to the transmission of electrical signals over long distances, either by physical means (cables, optical fibers, etc.) or by radio waves (radio-relay systems, satellites, etc.), as well as measurements of physical quantities such as temperature, humidity and illumination from sensors supplying electrical signals representative of these quantities, although reference is made to means enabling the measurement of the low currents and voltages generally produced by these sensors.

High-precision measurement processes used in metrology laboratories are also excluded.