A direct observation of instrument ballistics

An electronic-flash light source and a calibrated time-delay generator provide a simple and accurate way of measuring the ballistic characteristics of instruments. Several parameters are suggested which can be measured directly by this method and used to specify the properties of an instrument. The method is useful in original design work, since the measured parameters can be related to mechanical constants of the mechanism, and is also applicable to production quality control, since standard instruments can be tested quickly without modifications.