Calibrations
Calibration operators
Arithmetic, trigonometric and logarithmic calibration operators and their input conventions.
Operators are grouped into three categories: arithmetic, trigonometric, and exponential and logarithmic.
Arithmetic operators
Section titled “Arithmetic operators”Arithmetic operators perform standard mathematical operations on the left and right sides of an expression.
| Operator | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| + | left + right | Addition |
| − | left − right | Subtraction |
| × | left × right | Multiplication |
| / | left / right | Division |
| ^ | left ^ right | Exponentiation. Left is the base, right is the exponent |
Trigonometric operators
Section titled “Trigonometric operators”Trigonometric operators apply a function to the right side and multiply the result by the left side. The right side must be an angle expressed in radians.
The result of any trigonometric step is: left × op(right)
To obtain the pure function result without a scalar multiplier, set the left side to a Value of 1.
| Operator | Result | Constraint on Right Side |
|---|---|---|
| sin | left × sin(right) | Angle in radians |
| cos | left × cos(right) | Angle in radians |
| tan | left × tan(right) | Angle in radians |
| arcsin | left × arcsin(right) | Right must be between -1 and 1 (inclusive) |
| arccos | left × arccos(right) | Right must be between -1 and 1 (inclusive) |
| arctan | left × arctan(right) | No constraint |
| arctan2 | arctan2(left, right) | Left is the y coordinate, right is the x coordinate. No scalar multiplier applies |
Note on arctan2
Section titled “Note on arctan2”arctan2 does not follow the standard left × op(right) pattern. The left side is treated as the y coordinate and the right side as the x coordinate. Setting the left side to 1 does not produce a pure function result in the same way as other trigonometric operators.
Exponential and logarithmic operators
Section titled “Exponential and logarithmic operators”Exponential and logarithmic operators apply a function to the right side and multiply the result by the left side, following the same scalar pattern as trigonometric operators.
The result of any exponential or logarithmic step is: left × op(right)
To obtain the pure function result without a scalar multiplier, set the left side to a Value of 1.
| Operator | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| exp | left × e^right | Right is the exponent. The base is Euler’s number |
| log_e | left × ln(right) | Right is the input number. Natural logarithm |
| logb(n) | log_left(right) | Left is the base, right is the input number. No scalar multiplier applies |
Note on logb(n)
Section titled “Note on logb(n)”logb(n) does not follow the standard left × op(right) pattern. The left side defines the logarithm base and the right side is the input number. Setting the left side to 1 does not produce a meaningful result in the same way as other operators in this category.
Summary
Section titled “Summary”Calibration action steps support three categories of operators: arithmetic, trigonometric, and exponential and logarithmic. Trigonometric and exponential and logarithmic operators follow a scalar pattern where the result is left x op(right), meaning the left side acts as a multiplier. Setting the left side to 1 returns the pure function result. The exceptions to this pattern are arctan2, where the left side is the y coordinate, and logb(n), where the left side is the logarithm base.
Next Steps
Section titled “Next Steps”- Review the action side types that can be used on either side of an operator expression: see Action step types reference
- Learn how steps are chained within a group: see Working with calibration groups
- Explore practical examples of operators in use: see Common calibration patterns
Related articles
Section titled “Related articles”- Calibration action step types
- Calibration conditions
- Calibration aggregates
- Common calibration patterns