What is a consequence of sensor drift if calibration is neglected?

• A. A reduction in data rate.
• B. A decrease in measurement bias.
• C. Faster processing.
• D. Bias in measurements leading to erroneous decisions.

Answer: (D)

When a sensor drifts and you don’t recalibrate it, its output slowly moves away from the true value. Calibration defines how the sensor’s raw signal maps to the real physical quantity, correcting offsets and scale errors. Without recalibration, these drift effects accumulate, so the readings become biased relative to reality.

That bias matters because systems rely on measurements to make decisions—thresholds, alarms, and control actions all hinge on accurate values. If every measurement sits off by a systematic amount, decisions based on those numbers can be wrong, potentially triggering false alarms, missed detections, or unsafe actions.

The other options don’t reflect what happens with neglected calibration. It doesn’t inherently reduce data rate, nor does it speed up processing. The key issue is the introduction of bias in the measurements, which can lead to erroneous conclusions.