What Is the Difference Between Laboratory & Industrial Scales?
Laboratory and industrial scales, also known as balances, differ significantly in their precision, accuracy, effective measuring range, and sensitivity.
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Precision
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"Precision" refers to the reproducibility of a measurement. That is, if the same object was weighed on the same scale five times, then (theoretically) the exact same measurement should be observed five times. In practice, this is rarely the case. Measurements tend to contain a certain amount of random error.
Accuracy
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Accuracy refers to how close a measured value is to the true value. Thus, if you obtained a weight that had been certified to weigh exactly one kilogram, then you expect a balance to deliver a measurement of one kilogram. Again, this is rarely the case in practice.
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Range
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The range of a scale reflects the minimum and maximum weight the scale can handle. A small scale may only be able to accommodate an object up to a few ounces (or less). Larger scales may accommodate objects weighing thousands of pounds. Such a scale, however, could not be used to measure, for instance, a paper clip.
Sensitivity
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Sensitive effectively refers to the number of decimal places to which a scale can measure. A small, sensitive scale may measure in grams to four decimal places (such as 5.3775 grams). A balance that measures larger units (such as pounds or tons) may only measure to one or zero decimal places.
Laboratory Balances
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Laboratory balances trade range for sensitivity, precision, and accuracy. That is, they may measure grams to four decimal places, and do so very reproducibly, but they can only handle up to, for example, 100 grams maximum weight.
Industrial Balances
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Industrial balances, in contrast, trade sensitivity and precision for range. So, for example, they may measure masses up to 2,000 pounds, but they will only do so to the nearest pound.
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