Sensor

noun

A part that detects something in the world — heat, movement, sound, light — and turns it into a signal a machine can understand. A thermostat has a sensor for temperature. A smoke alarm has one for smoke.

Electronics Engineering — Shades
Go Deeper For parents & teachers
A device that converts a physical quantity (temperature, pressure, strain, chemical concentration, acceleration, and so on) into an electrical signal that can be measured, recorded, or used to trigger a response. Modern monitoring networks at volcanoes rely on arrays of different sensor types working together: seismometers for ground motion, thermal sensors for surface heat, gas sensors for SO₂ and CO₂ concentrations, GPS and tiltmeters for ground deformation.

The Burning Mountain Chapter 2 — Lina Hears the Mountain Speak

"Lina was already unclipping the first hard case. Inside lay three sensor heads packed in foam, sample strips in sealed sleeves, two coiled gas lines, …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 2 — Lina Hears the Mountain Speak

"… tell you what it's going to do next week." She lined the sensor heads up on the bench. "I can barely tell you what it's doing …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 2 — Lina Hears the Mountain Speak

"Her hands, meanwhile, had their own argument with the volcano. The sensor heads needed calibrating in conditions they were not designed for. Ash kept filming …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 3 — Trouble in the Ash

"Lina climbed onto the signal shed roof to check the sensor relays she had fitted the day before. Ash had already filmed two of …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 3 — Trouble in the Ash

"Lina saw the feed and felt her stomach tighten. She had fitted sensor relays to that mast. If the mast failed, her network went with it."

The Burning Mountain Chapter 4 — The Warning Station

"Lina set up the sensor display board herself. This was the brain of the station, and she trusted …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 8 — Gertie's Plan for Survival

"Monty stopped mid-sentence. Cracker stopped waving sensor reports. Sparky stopped mid-idea. Even Fingers lowered his headset."

The Burning Mountain Chapter 10 — Bridge of Nerves

"… southern footing, wedged between rock cages and the riverbank, and pressed her sensor strips into the stone where the bridge met the earth. The water was …"