Crossword clues for gravimeter
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Gravimeter \Gra*vim"e*ter\, n. [L. gravis heavy + -meter: cf. F. gravim[`e]tre.] (Physics) An instrument for ascertaining the specific gravity of bodies.
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context physics English) An instrument used to measure local variations in the gravitational field. 2 (context physics English) A hydrometer.
WordNet
n. a measuring instrument for determining the specific gravity of a liquid or solid [syn: hydrometer]
a measuring instrument for measuring variations in the gravitational field of the earth [syn: gravity meter]
Wikipedia
A gravimeter is an instrument used in gravimetry for measuring the local gravitational field of the Earth. A gravimeter is a type of accelerometer, specialized for measuring the constant downward acceleration of gravity, which varies by about 0.5% over the surface of the Earth. Though the essential principle of design is the same as in other accelerometers, gravimeters are typically designed to be much more sensitive in order to measure very tiny fractional changes within the Earth's gravity of 1 g, caused by nearby geologic structures or the shape of the Earth and by temporal tidal variations. This sensitivity means that gravimeters are susceptible to extraneous vibrations including noise that tend to cause oscillatory accelerations. In practice this is counteracted by integral vibration isolation and signal processing. The constraints on temporal resolution are usually less for gravimeters, so that resolution can be increased by processing the output with a longer time constant. Gravimeters display their measurements in units of gals (cm/s), instead of more common units of acceleration.
Gravimeters are used for petroleum and mineral prospecting, seismology, geodesy, geophysical surveys and other geophysical research, and for metrology.
There are two types of gravimeters: relative and absolute. Absolute gravimeters measure the local gravity in absolute units, gals. Relative gravimeters compare the value of gravity at one point with another. They must be calibrated at a location where the gravity is known accurately, and then transported to the location where the gravity is to be measured. They measure the ratio of the gravity at the two points.
Usage examples of "gravimeter".
She could see data collected from the lunar material flickering over the softscreens, measurements of porosity and permeability, data from gas meters and pressure gauges and dynamometers and gravimeters.
Samshow set the plate down beside him and glanced at the gravimeters, spaced in a triangle in two corners and the middle of the opposite bulkhead.
He even had some experimental lightweight gravimeters, little stainless-steel cans, that were capable of getting down to an accuracy of ten milligals or so.
The gravimeters on the firefly are telling me the morphology of Cruithne has changed.