Ingredients for sensors science

This paper is a contribution to the improvement of the communication of results in sensors among the researchers active in the field. First, it provides a set of definition for a clearer identification of the existing types of sensors. These definitions lead to the representation of any sensor as a composition of basic parts each characterized by a proper sensitivity concurring to the total sensitivity of the device. Sensitivity and resolution are generally recognized as important parameters to describe the properties of sensors. Here we suggest that without a declaration of the sensor operating point (the measurand value and its neighbour) sensitivity and resolution become inadequate concepts hindering the comparison between sensors and, ultimately, the reproducibility of the results. Furthermore, being the sensor resolution strongly related to the signal to noise level, two simple and easy implementable techniques for noise measurement and interpretation are presented and commented.