---
title: "List of measuring instruments"
chunk: 3/5
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_measuring_instruments"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:29:33.241775+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

=== Specific temperature coefficient of energy or "specific heat capacity" ===
The temperature coefficient of energy divided by a substance-like quantity (amount of substance, mass, volume) describing the sample. Usually calculated from measurements by a division or could be measured directly using a unit amount of that sample.
For the ranges of specific heat capacities see: Orders of magnitude (specific heat capacity)

=== Coefficient of thermal expansion ===
Dilatometer
Strain gauge

=== Melting temperature ===
Differential Scanning Calorimeter gives melting point and enthalpy of fusion.
Kofler bench
Thiele tube

=== Boiling temperature ===
Ebullioscope a device for measuring the boiling point of a liquid. This device is also part of a method that uses the effect of boiling point elevation for calculating the molecular mass of a solvent.
See also Thermal analysis, Heat.

== More on continuum mechanics ==
This includes mostly instruments which measure macroscopic properties of matter: In the fields of solid-state physics; in condensed matter physics which considers solids, liquids, and in-betweens exhibiting for example viscoelastic behavior; and furthermore, in fluid mechanics, where liquids, gases, plasmas, and in-betweens like supercritical fluids are studied.

=== Density ===
This refers to particle density of fluids and compact(ed) solids like crystals, in contrast to bulk density of grainy or porous solids.

Aerometer liquids
Dasymeter gases
Gas collecting tube gases
Hydrometer liquids
Pycnometer liquids
Resonant frequency and damping analyser (RFDA) solids
For the ranges of density-values see: Orders of magnitude (density)

=== Hardness ===
Durometer

=== Shape and surface of a solid ===
Holographic interferometer
Laser produced speckle pattern analysed.
Resonant frequency and damping analyser (RFDA)
Tribometer

=== Deformation ===
Strain gauge all below

==== Elasticity ====
Resonant frequency and damping analyser (RFDA), using the impulse excitation technique: A small mechanical impulse causes the sample to vibrate. The vibration depends on elastic properties, density, geometry, and inner structures (lattice or fissures).

==== Plasticity ====
Cam plastometer
Plastometer

==== Tensile strength, ductility, or malleability ====
Universal testing machine

=== Granularity ===
Grindometer

=== Viscosity ===
Rheometer
Viscometer

=== Optical activity ===
Polarimeter

=== Surface tension ===
Tensiometer

=== Imaging technology ===
Tomograph, device and method for non-destructive analysis of multiple measurements done on a geometric object, for producing 2- or 3-dimensional images, representing the inner structure of that geometric object.
Wind tunnel
This section and the following sections include instruments from the wide field of Category:Materials science, materials science.

== More on electric properties of condensed matter or gas ==

=== Permittivity, relative static permittivity, (dielectric constant), or electric susceptibility ===
Capacitor
Such measurements also allow to access values of molecular dipoles.

=== Magnetic susceptibility or magnetization ===
Gouy balance
For other methods see the section in the article about magnetic susceptibility.
See also Category:Electric and magnetic fields in matter

=== Substance potential, chemical potential, or molar Gibbs energy ===
Phase conversions like changes of aggregate state, chemical reactions or nuclear reactions transmuting substances, from reactants into products, or diffusion through membranes have an overall energy balance. Especially at constant pressure and constant temperature, molar energy balances define the notion of a substance potential or chemical potential or molar Gibbs energy, which gives the energetic information about whether the process is possible or not - in a closed system.
Energy balances that include entropy consist of two parts: A balance that accounts for the changed entropy content of the substances, and another one that accounts for the energy freed or taken by that reaction itself, the Gibbs energy change.  The sum of reaction energy and energy associated to the change of entropy content is also called enthalpy. Often the whole enthalpy is carried by entropy and thus measurable calorimetrically.
For standard conditions in chemical reactions either molar entropy content and molar Gibbs energy with respect to some chosen zero point are tabulated. Or molar entropy content and molar enthalpy with respect to some chosen zero are tabulated. (See Standard enthalpy change of formation and Standard molar entropy)
The substance potential of a redox reaction is usually determined electrochemically current-free using reversible cells.

Redox electrode
Other values may be determined indirectly by calorimetry. Also by analyzing phase-diagrams.

== Sub-microstructural properties of condensed matter or gas ==
Infrared spectroscopy
Neutron detector
Radio frequency spectrometers for nuclear magnetic resonance and electron paramagnetic resonance
Raman spectroscopy

=== Crystal structure ===
An X-ray tube, a sample scattering the X-rays and a photographic plate to detect them.  This constellation forms the scattering instrument used by X-ray crystallography for investigating crystal structures of samples. Amorphous solids lack a distinct pattern and are identifiable thereby.

=== Imaging ===
Electron microscope
Scanning electron microscope
Transmission electron microscope
Optical microscope uses reflectiveness or refractiveness of light to produce an image.
Scanning acoustic microscope
Scanning probe microscope
Atomic force microscope (AFM)
Scanning tunneling microscope (STM)
Focus variation
X-ray microscope
(See also Spectroscopy and List of materials analysis methods.)

=== Sound, compression waves in matter ===
Microphones in general, sometimes their sensitivity is increased by the reflection- and concentration principle realized in acoustic mirrors.

Laser microphone
Seismometer

==== Sound pressure ====
Microphone or hydrophone properly gauged
Shock tube
Sound level meter

=== Light and radiation without a rest mass, non-ionizing ===
Antenna (radio)
Bolometer measuring the energy of incident electromagnetic radiation.
Camera
EMF meter
Interferometer used in the wide field of interferometry
Microwave power meter
Optical power meter
Photographic plate
Photomultiplier
Phototube
Radio telescope
Spectrometer
T-ray detectors
(for lux meter, see the section about human senses and human body)
See also Category:Optical devices

==== Photon polarization ====
Polarizer

==== Pressure (current density of linear momentum) ====
Nichols radiometer

==== Radiant flux ====
The measure of the total power of light emitted.

Integrating sphere for measuring the total radiant flux of a light source

=== Radiation ===

==== Cathode rays ====
Crookes tube
Cathode-ray tube, a phosphor-coated anode

==== Atom polarization and electron polarization ====
Stern–Gerlach experiment