Properties of Sensors

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), introduces students to methods of how to identify what components can be used as electronic sensors.

The resource is designed so that students will know that:

• a sensor is a transducer whose electrical characteristics react to an energy transfer
• a sensor is a device which monitors changes in a physical environment
• a sensor is an input transducer
• sensors are part of an electronic system

The role of smart sensors in our everyday lives is becoming increasingly fundamental. The Smart Sensor Communications topic focuses on what smart sensors are, how they are being used today and how they can be innovative in the future. In this activity, the focus is on how sensors can be used to detect changes in the environment and can be used as part of a monitoring or control system.

This activity introduces the devices that can be used as part of an electrical system to monitor changes, and that the characteristics of a device can change according to changes in the environment. Students use a multimeter to measure changes in the characteristics of sensors.
The resource is supported by the How to Use a Multimeter information sheet.

Related activities can be found in the Smart Sensors sub-collection.

This activity is supported by the videos Smart Sensor Communications and Engineers without Borders.