Quartz crystal microbalance
A quartz crystal microbalance is a tiny device that is used to measure very small amounts of stuff.
Imagine that you have a tiny rock made out of quartz - this is a special type of rock that is very good at vibrating, or shaking back and forth very quickly. When you hit the rock, it will start to vibrate at a certain frequency - kind of like how a tuning fork makes a sound.
Now, let's say you take that vibrating quartz rock and put it in a container that has some liquid in it. As the liquid molecules float around and bump into the surface of the rock, they'll slow down the vibrations just a little bit. Depending on how many molecules are in the liquid and how heavy they are, the frequency of the vibration will change by a tiny amount.
The quartz crystal microbalance can measure these changes in vibration frequency very precisely. By doing so, it can tell you how much stuff is in the liquid. For example, if you put a drop of perfume in the container, the microbalance will be able to measure the change in the vibration frequency and tell you how much perfume is in the drop.
Scientists use quartz crystal microbalances to study all sorts of things, like how much fat is in foods and how much pollution is in the air. It's a really powerful tool for measuring the tiniest amounts of stuff!
Imagine that you have a tiny rock made out of quartz - this is a special type of rock that is very good at vibrating, or shaking back and forth very quickly. When you hit the rock, it will start to vibrate at a certain frequency - kind of like how a tuning fork makes a sound.
Now, let's say you take that vibrating quartz rock and put it in a container that has some liquid in it. As the liquid molecules float around and bump into the surface of the rock, they'll slow down the vibrations just a little bit. Depending on how many molecules are in the liquid and how heavy they are, the frequency of the vibration will change by a tiny amount.
The quartz crystal microbalance can measure these changes in vibration frequency very precisely. By doing so, it can tell you how much stuff is in the liquid. For example, if you put a drop of perfume in the container, the microbalance will be able to measure the change in the vibration frequency and tell you how much perfume is in the drop.
Scientists use quartz crystal microbalances to study all sorts of things, like how much fat is in foods and how much pollution is in the air. It's a really powerful tool for measuring the tiniest amounts of stuff!
Related topics others have asked about: