ACCELEROMETER

Device to measure acceleration of physical bodies in motion. Its most important application is in the inertial-guidance system used on rockets, missiles, and long-range bombers. It is also used in studying the stresses that airplane structures and automobile parts undergo during motion. In its simplest form, an accelerometer consist of a weight attached to a spring. The amount of displacement of the mass due to the acceleration of the body to which the instrument is attached is a measure of the acceleration of that body. There are two types of accelerometers: the linear, which measure straight-line acceleration; and the angular, which measure angular acceleration.