Accelerometer

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Accelerometer

An Accelerometer (/ækˈsɛləˌrɒmɪtər/; from Latin accelerare, "to accelerate", and Greek metron, "measure") is a device that measures proper acceleration, also known as G-force. Proper acceleration is not the same as coordinate acceleration (rate of change of velocity). For example, an accelerometer at rest on the surface of the Earth will measure an acceleration due to Earth's gravity, straight upwards (by definition) of g ≈ 9.81 m/s2. By contrast, accelerometers in free fall (falling toward the center of the Earth at a rate of about 9.81 m/s2) will measure zero.

History

The concept of an accelerometer can be traced back to the second century when the Greek engineer Hero of Alexandria described a simple water-based device for measuring acceleration. However, the modern accelerometer was not developed until the 19th century by George Atwood as a laboratory experiment to demonstrate constant acceleration.

Types of Accelerometers

There are several types of accelerometers, but the two main types are piezoelectric and capacitive. Piezoelectric accelerometers measure changes in pressure, while capacitive accelerometers measure changes in capacitance.

Applications

Accelerometers have many applications in various fields, including engineering, medicine, and consumer electronics. In medicine, accelerometers are used in biomechanics to measure body movement and in cardiology to detect heart vibrations. In consumer electronics, accelerometers are used in smartphones for orientation detection and in video game controllers for motion sensing.

See Also

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