Consider the following actions:
1. Detection of car crash/collision which results in the deployment of airbags almost instantaneously
2. Detection of accidental free fall of a laptop towards the ground which results in the immediate turning off of the hard drive
3. Detection of the tilt of the smart-phone which results in the rotation of display between portrait and landscape mode In how many of the above actions is the function of accelerometer required?
This questions was previously asked in
UPSC CSP Previous Year Paper (2023)
Only one
Incorrect AnswerOnly two
Incorrect AnswerExplanation:
Accelerometers are devices that measure proper acceleration, which is the acceleration it experiences relative to freefall. They are used in a variety of applications to detect changes in orientation, sudden movements, or falls.
In cars, accelerometers can detect rapid deceleration indicative of a crash. This information is used to deploy airbags.
Many modern laptops come equipped with accelerometers to detect a free fall. When a fall is detected, the hard drive is quickly turned off to prevent damage to the spinning disk.
Smartphones use accelerometers to detect the orientation of the device. This information is used to rotate the display between portrait and landscape mode depending on how the user is holding the phone.
Therefore, all three actions require the function of an accelerometer. The correct answer is All three.
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By: Parvesh Mehta