ERIC Number: EJ945891
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Nov
Pages: 3
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
EISSN: N/A
Vibration Analysis and the Accelerometer
Hammer, Paul
Physics Teacher, v49 n8 p505-507 Nov 2011
Have you ever put your hand on an electric motor or motor-driven electric appliance and felt it vibrate? Ever wonder why it vibrates? What is there about the operation of the motor, or the object to which it is attached, that causes the vibrations? Is there anything "regular" about the vibrations, or are they the result of random causes? In this paper, I will introduce a laboratory approach that may be followed to begin to understand the vibration characteristics of a rotating device--in this case, an electric box fan. This approach involves collecting data with an accelerometer and analyzing the data with software that performs a fast Fourier transform analysis. (Contains 6 figures.)
Descriptors: Physics, Engines, Electronic Equipment, Science Laboratories, Science Activities, Computer Uses in Education, Computer Software, Science Instruction
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://scitation.aip.org/tpt
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A