The Science Quiz | There’s something to measure everything else

Questions:

1. This device, when used onboard aircraft, tells the pilots how fast the vehicle is ascending or descending. American engineer Paul MacCready has described it as a “pressure altimeter with a leak which tends to make it read the altitude of a moment earlier.” Name the device.

2. The X superseded the circumferentor in the early 19th century. The latter consisted of a compass with markings along its north-south axis. One could measure a horizontal angle by subtracting the angles made by the compass needle in two different directions with respect to the north-south line. Name X.

3. A katharometer is a common component of gas chromatography — a set of techniques used to ascertain the elements in a compound. The katharometer’s contribution is to measure the _______ ____________, and is thus useful to determine how much combustible methane is present in a volume of biogas. Fill in the blanks.

4. When dealing with a gaseous colloid, an aethalometer measures the quantity of particulate matter suspended in it, especially matter that’s K in colour. This is because objects of this colour absorb the most frequencies of visible light. Name K.

5. The ____________, like the aethalometer, tracks the properties of suspended particles in gases and also liquids. It’s often used to measure air pollution. Its name in Greek means “cloud measure”. Fill in the blank.

Visual:

This is a pneumatic tribometer. What does it measure? Medical implant manufacturers frequently use it to test their products’ suitability for use within a human body.

Answers:

1. Variometer

2. Theodolite

3. Thermal conductivity

4. Black

5. Nephelometer

Visual: Friction/roughness