With an intriguing blend of the history, fundamentals, and technical details, the Handbook of Mass Measurement forms the definitive treatise on mass metrology. It covers the entire field, from its historical basis and the development, calibration, and maintenance of mass standards through detailed accounts of weighing designs, balances, and uncertainty to in-depth examinations of the various factors that introduce error into mass measurement. The authors, both highly regarded veterans of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, write in clear, accessible prose on topics vital to anyone involved in mass metrology, even at the very highest levels.

Mass and Mass Standards. Recalibration of Mass Standards. Contamination of Mass Standards. Cleaning of Mass Standards. From Balance Observations to Mass Differences. Measurement Uncertainty. Weighing Designs. Calibration of the Screen and the Built-In Weights of a Direct-Reading Analytical Balance. A Look at the Electronic Balance. Buoyancy Corrections in Weighing. Air Density Equation. Density of Solid Objects. Calculation of the Density of Water. Conventional Mass; Concept, Intent, Benefits, and Limitations. A Comparison of Error Propagations for Mass and Conventional Mass. Examination of Parameters that can Cause Error in Mass Determinations. Determination of the Mass of a Piston-Gage Weight, Practical Uncertainty Limits. Response of Apparent Mass to Thermal Gradients and Free Convective Currents. Magnetic Errors in Mass Metrology. Effect of Gravitational Configuration of Weights on Precision of Mass Measurements. Between-Time Component of Error in Mass Measurements. Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures. Control Charts. Tolerance Testing of Mass Standards. Surveillance Testing. The Mass Unit Disseminated to Surrogate Laboratories Using the NIST Portable Mass Calibration Package. Highly Accurate Direct Mass Measurements without the Use of External Standards. The Piggyback Balance Experiment; An Illustration of Archimedes' Principle and Newton's Third Law. The Application of the Electronic Balance in High Precision Pycnometry. Appendices.