A description of a property of a system by means of a set of specified rules, that
maps the property onto a scale of specified values, by direct or '
mathematical' comparison with specified reference(s). The demand for rules makes '
measurement' a scientific concept in contrast to the mere colloquial sense of '
description'. However, in the present definition, '
measurement' has a wider meaning than given in elementary physics. Even a very incomplete description
of, for instance, a patient (at a stated time) has to be given by a set of measurements,
that are easier to manage and grasp.
Source:
PAC, 1995, 67, 1563
(Properties and units in the clinical laboratory sciences-I. Syntax and semantic rules
(IUPAC-IFCC Recommendations 1995))
on page 1565
Cite as:
IUPAC. Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book"). Compiled by
A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford (1997).
XML on-line corrected version: http://goldbook.iupac.org (2006-) created by M. Nic,
J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN 0-9678550-9-8.
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.
