Misurando

Misurando is a term used in metrology and measurement theory to denote the quantity physically to be measured. It is the quantity of interest that the measurement process aims to determine, which may be scalar or vector. In Italian, misurando is the participial form of misurare and is used to name the quantity under measurement.

In a measurement model, the misurando is distinguished from the measurement instrument and from the measurement result. The instrument provides a reading that, after processing, yields a numerical value for the misurando with associated units and uncertainty. The true value of the misurando is generally unknown; the measured value estimates it within measurement uncertainty. The term is often used interchangeably with the English term measurand.

Common examples: the length of a rod, the mass of an object, the temperature of a sample, the electrical resistance of a component. The specification of the misurando includes its quantity type (scalar, vector), the unit, and the range of interest.

In practice, defining the misurando is a design step in metrology and experimental science, because it determines what is being measured and how the measurement model is constructed.

See also: measurand, metrology, measurement uncertainty, measurement model.