2006-10-02 16:34:02 · 2 answers · asked by Frontier's 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
If you mean distance: a ruler, an odometer.
If you mean speed: a speedometer.
If you mean velocity and direction: a vector.
2006-10-02 16:38:57 · answer #1 · answered by Jay 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If I understand this correctly (which I highly doubt, despite your most elaborate vocabulary), 'tis done with a speed gun or somethin' else of that sort. The principle working here is that the device sends a (usually green) laser beam toward a moving object. Knowing the speed of the wave and measuring the short period of time it took for the beam to return to the device, it is then calculated how fast that object was going. Or something of that sort.
2006-10-02 16:41:08 · answer #2 · answered by Yankuta118 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
in the classical world, it is done simply by measuring distance covered over a period of time. However, general relativity and the heisenburg uncertainty principle can make this tricky in some cases.
2006-10-02 17:29:27 · answer #3 · answered by s_e_e 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋