ABSTRACT
The reliability of any radiation measurement depends both on the inherent consistency of the measurement procedure and on the accuracy of the instruments used. In practice, all instruments have to be calibrated since the results typically appear as numerical multiples of some appropriate unit. Very few radiation measurements are conducted in absolute terms based on “first principles.” Instead, almost invariably one relies on a meter reading or a comparison standard that can be used to calibrate the system, i.e., establish a firm scale of measurement.
