47
11.0 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
11.1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Atmospheric Pressure - Pressure of the atmosphere at the Earth’s surface. NIST standard
atmospheric pressure = 1.01325 bar.
Burst Pressure - The maximum pressure that may be applied to the positive pressure port
without rupturing the sensing element.
Capacitive Sensing - Detection and measurement of pressure through the change in
voltage across a capacitor, one plate of which is a diaphragm which deflects slightly with
changes in applied pressure.
Differential Pressure - Pressure measurement relative to a reference pressure.
FS (Full Span) - The range of measured values over which a transducer is intended to
measure, specified by the upper and lower limits. Ex: 0 to 100 PSIG, FS is 100 PSIG/0 to 5
VDC, 800-1100 MB, FS is 300 MB.
P/I - Term common to process industries meaning pressure-in/current-out.
Ex: 3-15 PSIG Input to 4-20 mA DC Output.
Pressure Transducer - An electromechanical device for translating fluid pressure values
into voltages across a high-impedence (5k ohms or greater) load.
Pressure Transmitter - An electromechanical device for translating fluid pressure values
across currents (generally 4-20 mA) into a low-impedence load.
Proof Pressure - The maximum pressure that may be applied without changing perfor-
mance beyond specifications (typically 0.5% FS zero shift).
Range - The spread between the maximum and minimum pressures between which the
transducer has been designed to operate.
Span - The algebraic difference between the limits of the range. Ex: 0.1 to 5.1 Volts DC,
span is 5VDC. Sometimes used to designate full scale output; i.e. 5 VDC.
