Originally Posted by
chuboy
So you don't have trust any temperature reading that you haven't taken yourself from a thermometer you calibrated?
A question that demonstrates a lack of understanding of the importance of the points being made.
My level of "trust" depends on the implications of the reading.
Fortunately for you, the same concept applies to matters that determine your guilt or innocence and, if you're on an operating table, life and death.
A person was recently acquitted on the basis that evidence of a critical point of time was merely someone's observation of a mechanical clock on a hospital wall. No evidence was led as to how often the clock was checked against an accurate standard or how much time the clock 'lost' or 'gained' between checks. Two minutes were the difference between guilt and innocence. The prosecution therefore failed to prove the clock was less than two minutes 'out'.
A difference of 0.4 degrees C of a meaurement of your vital signs on the operating table could be the difference between you living and dying.
If I'm checking the tension on the control cables on my aircraft, I'm picky about the accuracy and calibration of the tensiometer I'm using. If I'm checking the tension of the lines of my Hill's Hoist, I don't give a sh*t.
I suppose some people take the view that if billions are going to be taxed and spent based on opinions about what a 'spurious' temperature reading may be, substantial rigour should be put into analysing those opinions and ensuring that temperature readings are demonstrably accurate within a demonstrable accuracy range.