A water sample can be tested for its constituents, which relates to material found in the water. It can also be tested for certain properties such as the pH or temperature. Properties do not necessarily relate to substances in the water. When we speak about parameters in the context of this course, we refer to a constituent or property of the water we are interested in. Thus, it is a broader, more general term relating to a certain value we want to derive from the water sample, be it of physical, chemical or biological nature. The term “analyte” is also used throughout this course and in literature, and it is synonymous to the term “parameter”.
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