Stroboscope

A stroboscope, also known as a strobe, is an instrument that emits a series of brief, intense flashing lights at specific intervals onto an object rotating, reciprocating, oscillating or vibrating at high speed in order to study the motion of the object or to determine the speed of cyclic motion (such as rotation or vibration). The modern electronic stroboscope employs a gas-filled discharge lamp to produce very short, repetitive, brilliant flashes of light. Typically, a flash duration of about one microsecond (0.000001 second) and flashing rates ranging from 110 to 150,000 per minute are achieved. Stroboscopes play an important role in the study of stresses on machinery in motion. They are also used as measuring instruments for determining cyclic speed.