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Measurement Devices
length/area/volume devices | other
devices
Length/Area/Volume Measurement Devices
Measurement |
Device |
Units |
Area |
planimeter |
m2 |
Diameter |
caliper (internal or external)
micrometer |
mm, m
µm |
Distance away |
laser rangefinder, lidar, radar |
km |
Distance travelled, on foot |
pedometer (actually counts steps) |
m |
Distance travelled, car |
odometer |
km |
Height |
altimeter (atmospheric pressure or radar)
GPS |
m |
Length, light waves |
interferometer |
nm |
Length |
caliper |
mm |
Length |
ruler |
mm, cm |
Length |
tape
measure |
mm, cm, m |
Length, arbitrary curves (eg, contours or roads on a map) |
opisometer
surveyor's
wheel |
mm
m |
Location/position |
GPS |
°N/S, °E/W |
Gap, clearance |
caliper (internal)
feeler
gauge |
mm |
Volume |
graduated
cylinder
measuring
cup
pipette |
mL, L |
Other Measurement Devices
Measures |
Device |
Units |
Acceleration (including vibration),
gravity |
accelerometer
gravimeter |
m/s2 |
Angle |
protractor |
° |
Angle, direction |
(magnetic)
compass, theodolite |
° |
Angle, elevation |
astrolabe, inclinometer (or clinometer), sextant, theodolite, three axis accelerometer with trigonometry (as used in cellphones)
laser
line level, spirit
level (for level, a lack of elevation angle) |
° |
Angle, wind direction |
weather
vane |
° |
Climb speed (rate of climb) |
variometer |
m/s |
Current |
galvanometer
ammeter |
µA
µA, mA, A |
Electricity, quantity |
voltameter (not voltmeter) |
C (= A·s or F·V) |
Gas and liquid flow |
flow
meter (lots of different sorts for gas and liquid)
gas
meter (several sorts) |
L/s, m3/s (cumecs), etc |
Light, radiant energy power |
radiometer (a simplified version is Crookes_radiometer) |
W |
Light, radiant energy intensity |
pyranometer |
W/m2 |
Mass and weight |
balance,
spring
scale (aka spring balance)
weighing
scale (including digital scale) |
g, kg, N |
Milk, richness |
lactometer |
° (out of 100) |
Optical density (darkness) |
densitometer |
|
Pressure, atmospheric |
barometer (How
to Use a Barometer...)
barograph |
Pa (= N/m2) |
Resistance |
ohmmeter |
Ω |
Rotation speed |
tachometer |
rpm |
Sound |
sound
level meter |
dB (or dBA) |
Speed |
doppler
radar (radar
gun)
speedometer
tachymeter (not tachometer) |
km/h |
Temperature |
thermometer |
°C, K |
Thermal conductivity, gas |
katharometer |
W/(m·K) |
Time |
calendar (this doesn't actually measure time, just helps keep track of it)
sundial
hourglass, egg
timer
clock
marine
chronometer (see John
Harrison, 1737, subject of the excellent book Longitude)
atomic
clock
|
s |
Volts (electrical potential) |
voltmeter |
mV, V |
Weight |
see Mass above |
|
Wind speed |
anemometer |
m/s |
Devices which can measure a variety of things include multimeters
and oscilloscopes.
There are lots
more measuring devices.
Without looking, can you guess what a heliometer measures? Remember your chemistry
lessons?
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