General Data > Measurement Instruments
This page lists the various measurement instruments that we may use in schools and what they measure. There are many more complex instruments used in further education and industry that we have not included here for simplicity purposes.
Some instruments are designed to measure a certain distance or range. For example micrometers are used to measure tiny distances whereas trundle wheels are designed to measure in metres. Students may need to be able to identify which type of instrument is required for a specific task. Therefore these examples may be used in wall displays or on your school's VLE.
Instruments such as voltmeters are available in a variety of ranges to suit the intended application and may be classed as milli or micro-voltmeters. Essentially they do the same job, just at different voltage levels.
| Measurement |
Instrument(s) |
| Area |
Quadrat
Planimeter
|
| Electrical charge |
Electroscope |
| Electrical current |
Ammeter
Galvanometer
|
| Electrical resistance |
Wheatstone bridge
Ohmeter
|
| Electrical voltage |
Voltmeter
Oscilloscope
|
| Force |
Forcemeter (Newton meter)
Strain gauge
Torsion balance
|
| Ionising Radiation |
Geiger tube
Spark counter
Cloud chamber
Photographic plate (as in radiation badges)
|
| Length |
Ruler
Trundle wheel
Metre rule
Micrometer
Odometer
Surveyor's tape
Ultrasonic range finder
Caliper
|
| Light and EM radiation |
Spectrometer
Radio antenna
EMF meter
Camera
Light Dependant Resistor (LDR)
Photographic plate
Microwave detector (electro-smog detector)
Lux meter (light meter)
|
| Magnetic field |
Compass
Magnetometer
Hall effect sensor
|
| Mass |
Balance
Weighing scales |
| Pressure |
Manometer
Barometer
Anemometer
|
| Temperature |
Mercuty thermometer
Spirit thermometer
Crystal thermometer
IR thermometer
Galileo thermometer
Thermistor
Bi-metallic strip
Thermocouple
|
| Time |
Hourglass
Clock
Sundial
Carbon dating
Chronometer
|
| Volume |
Pipette
Volumetric flask
Graduated measuring cylinder
Eureka can
|