Metrology or The Science of Measurements

Metrology or the Science of Measurements

Measuring things today is no longer simply finding out how long, heavy or fast something is. it has to do instead with being more and more accurate and maintaining consistent standards with the rest of the world.

On the level of actual measurements, the means of making certain that the standards used are precise have gone way beyond what we normally use in daily life. For instance, the laser length standard is used to determine the exact size of a metre. Technically speaking, it refers to He-Ne (Helium-neon) lasers stabilised to saturated absorption lines in iodine 127I2, at specified wavelengths.

We cannot go into details here. However, it suffices to know that in this case, lasers are set up to measure the metre in a laboratory in a National Measurement Institute (NMI) like the National Measurement Centre (NMC) in Singapore.

One every few years, the lasers are graught around regions designated by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). For instance, Singapore would make what are called key comparisons with similar centre in Australia, China, and Japan and also with other major centres in france, germany, the UK and the US. These comparisons are necessary to ensure that national primary standards or standards maintained at the mesurement institutes are equivalent to the same systems elsewhere. These national primary standards are then used to compare with and then calibrate secondary instruments, e.g., those that are used in precision length measurements.

The quality of measurements expected in modern industries has become very high. As Singapore enters into more high technology areas, how well the research and development is supported by our National Measurement Centre will determine how far and fast they will progress.

sources by any sources