A proof mass or test mass is a known quantity of mass used in a measuring instrument as a reference for the measurement of an unknown quantity. A mass used to calibrate a weighing scale is sometimes called a calibration mass or calibration weight. A proof mass that deforms a spring in an accelerometer is sometimes called the seismic mass. In a convective accelerometer, a fluid proof mass may be employed.
See also Calibration, checking or adjustment by comparison with a standard Control variable, the experimental element that is constant and unchanged throughout a scientific investigation Test particle, an idealized model of an object in which all physical properties are assumed to be negligible, except for the property being studied
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