Organizational part

Lesson 1. COURSE OBJECTIVES AND ITEMS

Goals for the lesson:

• To get to know the main objectives of the course and their application
• To learn basic definitions of the course
• To know more about such procedures as , measuring, testing and inspection

The course of the lesson:

1. Organizational part
2. Introduction part
3. Main ideas of the course

     Before the very beginning students are getting to know the organizational structure of our lessons. They are explained how lessons will be leaded and which tests are going to be when each topic will be over.

     Then they will have an opportunity to introduce themselves.

     So then the introduction is ‘At this course the information about kinds and methods for measuring, testing and inspection is introduced as well as the measuring devices classification. The testing process during the stage of certification of products is considered. Measuring, testing and inspection can be considered as main methods used within the products and services confirmation of conformity process. Application of these methods is always established by the goals that the testing laboratory during the stage of certification has. 

      The main objective of this course is to form knowledge and skills that are necessary for the right choice, creation, development and exploitation of the innovative testing machines, measuring installations and systems, used on the conformance evaluation stage of products and services’.

     And now let us move on to the first topic named ‘Basic definitions’. You should be familiar with some of them. And the first one is physical quantity. Does anyone know what this concept refers to?

     Physical quantity (PQ) is a physical property of an object (system, phenomenon or process), which is qualitatively common for different physical objects but is quantitively individual for each of them (for instance, length, mass, time, current etc.).

     It is obviously that the property of any product can be expressed as a physical quantity that has to be measured for the conformance evaluation. The term ‘quantity’ refers to as properties and characteristics that can be evaluated quantitively i.e. can be measured. But there are some properties and characteristics, such as smell, color or taste, which could not be yet evaluated quantitively. So they are called properties but not quantities.

     The second term you should know is magnitude of PQ. I remind that PQ stands for physical quantity. May be now you can answer the question what this term means? It should not be clear at all, just in your words.

      Magnitude of PQ is a quantitative definiteness of a physical quantity which is inherent to the concrete object, system, phenomenon or process of the real world. In other words magnitude of PQ is a quantitative sense in accordance to the term ‘physical quantity’ (for example, magnitude of length, current etc.).

      The concept connected with the latter one is a value of PQ.

      Value of PQ is an evaluation of a PQ expressed as any number of units of this PQ and the dimensionless or ‘pure’ number that constitutes the value of PQ is called numeric value.

      There are two main properties of a value of PQ. They are true and actual values.

      May be somebody could tell me what value the speed of light in vacuum is equal to?

      True value of PQ is the value that would be obtained by a perfect measurement, i.e. in an ideal world. For instance, the speed of light in vacuum, the density of distilled water at 4°С have a certain ideal value that we don`t know.

      Actual Value of PQ is a value that would be obtained by an experiment and could be used in favor of the true value because of its closely connecting with the latter. For example, the speed of light in vacuum is 2,997925×10⁸ m/s, the density of distilled water at 4°С is 1 g/sm³.

     The next term is measurement. Measurement is the process or the result of determining with the measuring device the ratio of a physical quantity, such as a length or a mass, to a unit of measurement, such as the meter or the kilogram.

      Examples

1. In its simplest, the applying of a ruler with the divisions to some part is the comparing its dimension with the unit that this ruler stores. So the value of a physical quantity (length, high, thickness and other parameters) can be obtained by the simple counting of divisions.
2. The magnitude of a physical quantity, represented as a displacement of an indicator, can be obtained by comparing the value received with the measuring device and the value counted in the scale of this device.   

  In real world such process as measurement is encountered more and more often than any others. For example, when cooking we should measure how much flour or sugar or another component we have to use. We are always trying to ‘measure’ such properties as color, flavor or smell. So in science, during observations measurement is the most important process.

     Measuring instrument is a measuring device for getting values of measured physical quantity within the determined range.

     How do you think is there any difference between terms process and procedure? Procedure is something that regulates our activity or in other words tells us how to do this or that. At the same time the process stands for the sequence of actions that we are doing at this very moment. So process is something we are doing but without knowledge whether it correct or not.

     Test is the process of determining of one or more properties of a product according to the specified procedure.

     Test is also necessary for defining if our process is good or bad. For example, to identify student`s knowledge a teacher makes a test. To identify how thin an ice at the end of the winter we can utilize some methods for this or somebody has already did it and has written a table ‘Be careful!’

     Testing objective is the obtaining of quantitative and qualitative evaluations of products characteristics, i.e. the evaluating of the ability to undertake required functions in certain conditions. This objective can be completed in testing laboratories and the test report with determined parameters of a product may be regarded as the realization of the testing objective.

     Inspection is the procedure of conformance evaluation by investigating and estimating with measuring, testing and calibration.

     And in conclusion I shouldsay that Measuring, testing and inspection can be considered as main methods used within the products and services confirmation of conformity procedure and the latter plays a key role for fabrication process. And now I want you to write down these questions. You should be ready to answer them next time:

• What is a physical quantity?
• Which properties of physical quantities do you know?
• What is a measurement? How most measurement are made?
• What is the main purpose of tests?
• What for the inspection is carried out?