Content by NIST
Perspective: Weights and Measures Week 2014Making sure the marketplace measures up
Wed, 02/26/2014 - 14:49
Every year, we hear scattered stories of inaccurate measures. Gas pumps, grocery scales, grocery scanners, incorrectly labeled products. Considering the many thousands of devices in the average inspector's jurisdiction, it's a testament to the… SIM Metrology School at NIST
Tue, 02/18/2014 - 15:32
They spanned 140 degrees of latitude—from Canada to Chile—and varied widely in age and experience. But their goal was the same: To improve their metrological capabilities for the benefit of their home countries and the Western Hemisphere.
For five… Nearly Everyone Uses PiezoelectricsBe nice to know how they work
Wed, 02/05/2014 - 12:56
Piezoelectrics—materials that can change mechanical stress to electricity and back again—are everywhere in modern life: computer hard drives, loud speakers, medical ultrasound, sonar. Although piezoelectrics are a widely used technology, there are… Rebuilding the Nation’s Aging InfrastructureNIST to showcase projects and technologies March 13–14, 2014, in Gaithersburg, MD
Wed, 02/05/2014 - 11:00
The next time you drive over a bone-jarring pothole, remember this: Since 2008, 73 million tax dollars have been invested in monitoring and inspection technologies for the nation’s aging infrastructure. Here’s the good part: They’re making a… NIST Calibration Tools to Encourage Use of Novel Medical Imaging TechniquePrototypes are the first standard calibration tools for ULF-MRI
Thu, 12/05/2013 - 18:10
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed prototype calibration tools for an experimental medical imaging technique that offers new advantages in diagnosing and monitoring certain cancers and possibly other medical… Secretary Pritzker Announces Winners of the 2013 Baldrige National Quality AwardOne school district and two healthcare organizations honored
Thu, 11/14/2013 - 13:07
Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker has announced that three U.S. organizations will receive the 2013 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest presidential honor for performance excellence through innovation, improvement, and… New Spectrometry Standard for Handheld Chemical Detectors Aids First RespondersCorrects output from different handheld Raman spectrometers to give uniform results
Mon, 10/28/2013 - 16:31
When it comes to detectors for dangerous chemicals, toxins, or nefarious germs, smaller and faster is better. But size and speed must still allow for accuracy, especially when measurements by different instruments must give the same result.
The… NIST Measures Laser Power with Portable ScaleTechnique allows measuring of high-powered laser while in use
Wed, 10/23/2013 - 09:46
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a novel method for measuring laser power by reflecting the light off a mirrored scale, which behaves as a force detector.
Although it may sound odd, the… Air Conditioner ‘Evolves’ in Novel NIST StudyComputer-generated design that mimics laws of evolution yields a 3-percent gain in overall performance
Thu, 09/05/2013 - 13:42
Played out on a computer over hundreds of generations, a survival-of-the-fittest programming method adapted by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers has spawned, of all things, the design for a more efficient rooftop air… NIST Ytterbium Atomic Clocks Set Record for StabilityPerfect timing, forever
Wed, 09/04/2013 - 09:41
A pair of experimental atomic clocks based on ytterbium atoms at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has set a new record for stability. The clocks act like 21st-century pendulums or metronomes that could swing back and forth…