Static characteristics describe an instrument's performance when measuring quantities that remain constant or vary slowly. They include properties like linearity, sensitivity, resolution, repeatability, hysteresis, and environmental effects. Dynamic characteristics describe how the instrument responds when the measured quantity varies rapidly over time. Instruments can be modeled as a series of blocks, each with their own static and dynamic transfer functions. The overall static and dynamic responses are obtained by multiplying the individual block transfer functions. Characterizing both the static and dynamic behavior is important for understanding an instrument's performance.