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Calibration curve
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Analytical_chemistry/MHQf3YP6">analytical chemistry</a>, a calibration curve, also known as a standard curve, is a general method for determining the concentration of a substance in an unknown sample by comparing the unknown to a set of standard samples of known concentration. A calibration curve is one approach to the problem of instrument calibration; other standard approaches may mix the standard into the unknown, giving an <a href="/facts/Internal_standard/YdqEc1vq">internal standard</a>. The calibration curve is a plot of how the instrumental response, the so-called analytical signal, changes with the concentration of the <a href="/facts/Analyte/qWzKoY8L">analyte</a> (the substance to be measured). </p>