Meter

“ The meters are caused to operate by pressure on the meter key MK, associated with the answering cord as in Fig. 458. This [Page 317] increases the normal potential to 30 volts. When the armature of the meter has made a part of its stroke, it closes a contact which places its 40-ohm winding in shunt with its 500-ohm winding, thus furnishing ample power for turning the meter wheels. ”

“ Two separate meters will be required in each theater; one for the general lighting and one for the emergency system.
Meter Reading. Meter Reading.—Meter readings are indicated by [279] pointers, arranged to move over dials as shown in Figure 165. The various pointers are connected together by gearing in such a manner, that alternate pointers move in opposite directions, as indicated by the figures on the dials. The gearing moving the pointers in Figure 165 is of such proportions that a total revolution of any pointer represents one-tenth of a revolution of the pointer to the left of it. ”

“ If the meter exactly fits when applied to a body, if we point the body and consequently the meter in the sense of the motion of the earth, it will not cease to exactly fit in another orientation, and that although the body and the meter have changed in length as well as orientation, and precisely because the change is the same for one as for the other. ”

“ Such a test, is made by determining with an accurate ammeter or watt-meter the current or power supplied to a circuit for a period measured by a good clock and comparing with this the actual reading of the meter during the same time. A common source of trouble is the short circuiting of the shunt coils owing to the shellaced cotton covering of the wire becoming moist.
A good meter should start with a current which is not more than 2% of its full load current. ”

“ As a meter is a type of machine, its natural tendency is to run slow; but occasionally, through accident, a meter may run fast. When a meter runs fast the consumer is paying a higher rate per kilowatt hour than his contract calls for. He is being discriminated against. The periodic testing of meters is therefore a necessity and is an indication of the honesty of intention of the manager toward the customers of his company. ”

“ The light moves through one division on the scale, and the meter has started. I will ask you to observe its rate of vibration. I will now double the current; this is indicated by the light moving to the end of the second division on the scale: the meter vibrates twice as fast. Now the current is three times as strong, now four times, and so on. You will observe that the position of the spot of light and the rate of vibration always correspond. Every vibration of the meter corresponds to a definite quantity of electricity, and causes a hand on a dial to move on one step. ”

“ Meter Method. The requirements of speed in good local service are opposed to the ticketing method. Where measured service is supplied to a substantial proportion of the lines of a large exchange, electro-mechanical service meters are attached to the lines. These service meters register as a consequence of some act on the part of the switchboard operator, or may be caused to register by the answering of the called subscriber. ”

“ As a result, the meter, when first placed, always favors the consumer, sometimes to the extent of recording only ninety-seven feet of gas for each one hundred feet actually passed. Owing to the aging of the mechanism and the drying out of the leathers, there exists a tendency to increase the registry for each cubic foot passed. In this way a slow meter may become a fast meter after a period of active service. From the meager data at my disposal, it would appear that every meter should be called in for a thorough overhauling and readjustment at periodic intervals of from three to five years. ”

“ It is easy to distinguish the continuous ring when the ground is reached from the short ring when the counter signals. A convenient winch for the wire is so graduated that if set when the axis of the meter is at the water surface it indicates at any moment the depth of the meter below the surface. Fig. 144 shows the meter as used on a boat. It is a very convenient instrument for obtaining the velocity at different depths and can also be used as a sounding instrument. ”

“ Meter, a form of metre.
Meter, mē′tėr, n. one who, or that which, measures, esp. an apparatus for recording automatically the quantity of a fluid passing through it, as in gas-meter, water-meter, &c.—v.t. to measure by a meter.—n. Mē′terage.—Dry meter, a gas-meter with bellows-like apparatus and no liquid. [Metre.]
Methane, meth′ān, n. marsh-gas, the simplest hydrocarbon, found wherever the decomposition of vegetable matter is taking place under water, also in coal-mines, forming when mixed with air the deadly fire-damp.—n. Methanom′eter. ”

“ In testing a meter, by comparing it with a standard, in order to obtain the best results there should be one man at each meter so that simultaneous readings may be taken on both instruments, and the man at the standard meter should maintain the voltage constant while a reading is being taken, by means of a rheostat in the field circuit of the generator supplying the current.
Fig. 2,905.—Transformer insulation resistance test. ”

“ The water-meter which is the subject of the patent consists of two parallel horizontal cylinders, each traversed by two pistons, connected together by a connecting-rod of such length that when one piston is at one end of the cylinder the other is at a sufficient distance from the other end, to leave the requisite space to be filled with the quantity of water to be measured at each stroke. ”

“ A current meter in which the current is measured by the heat it imparts
to a conductor. In one meter a very light helix of mica is poised
horizontally over a conductor, and the whole is enclosed in a case. As
the wire is heated it causes an ascending current of air which rotates
the vane, and the latter moves delicate clockwork which moves indicating
hands. ”

“ Every one who has had to pay his gas bill once a quarter probably quite appreciates what the electric meters are going to do, and why they are at the present time attracting so much attention. So soon as you have electricity laid on in your houses, as gas and water are laid on now, so soon will a meter of some sort be necessary in order that the companies which supply the electricity may be able to make out their quarterly bills, and refer complaining customers to the faithful indications of their extravagance in the mysterious cupboard in which the meter is placed. ”

“ THE METER.--A meter is required either to control the working of a complete acetylene installation or to measure the volume of gas passing through one particular pipe, as when a number of consumers are supplied through separate services under agreement from a central supply plant. ”

“ After we had done so we would call it an “ammeter” because it measures amperes. Years ago people would have called it an “amperemeter” but no one who is up-to-date would call it so to-day.
If we had a very carefully made ammeter we would send it to the Bureau of Standards to be calibrated. At the Bureau they have a number of meters which they know are correct in their readings. They would put one of their meters and ours into the same circuit so that both carry the same stream of electrons as in Fig. 11. Then whatever the reading was on their meter could be marked opposite the pointer on ours. ”

“ In the metric system, roads are measured in kilometers and hectometers, short distances in meters or dekameters, small objects in centimeters or millimeters and microscopic objects in micrometers or microns. Taking the length of a good-sized bacterium as one micron, it is immediately evident to the mind that a million such bacteria would fit into a meter, and one thousand million into a kilometer. ”

“ Ridiculous as it may appear, the average station attendant may frequently be seen straining his eyes to read to tenths of a division on the scale of a meter which, if subjected to test, would show an inaccuracy of over 2 per cent. ”

“ In making the circuit connections, be very careful that the positive lead or wire is placed in the positive binding post of the meter. This precaution is essential for insuring an accurate and sensitive measurement on small loads. When a meter of the commutated motor type sparks at the brushes at starting, it is an indication that the commutator is dusty. Clean it with a piece of closely woven cotton tape 1/4-inch in width. [568] Meters should never be allowed to remain with their covers off, in the testing room, station, or any other place. ”

“ A meter for measuring alternating current, as supplied to consumers,
from an alternating current system. Like most commercial meters its only
function is the measurement of quantity; the potential difference is
maintained at a constant figure by the generating plant.
The cut shows the Schallenberg meter. It is simply an alternating
current motor (see Motor, Alternating Current) , with air vanes mounted
on its spindle. A main coil passes all the current. ”

“ These are made of an alloy of platinum with 10 per cent. of iridium. April 5, 1893, the Treasury Department adopted meter No. 27 and kilogram No. 20 as the standards of the country, and since that time all measures are standardized against these, following the law of 1866 which defined the ratio of the yard to the meter as 3600 to 3937, and the ratio of the pound to the kilogram as 1 to 2.2046. For the history and derivation of the meter and kilogram, see Metric System. ”

“ An ammeter or ampere meter is simply a commercial form of galvanometer so constructed that the deflection of the needle indicates directly the strength of current in amperes. A good ammeter should have a very low resistance so that very little of the energy of the current will be absorbed; the needle should be dead beat, and sufficiently sensitive to respond to minute variations of current. ”

“ Meters can always be had stamped with the seal of a local authority or other body having duly appointed inspectors under the Sales of Gas Act, and the presence of such a stamp on a meter implies that it has been officially examined and found to register quantities accurately, or not varying beyond 2 per cent. in favour of the seller, or 3 per cent, in favour of the consumer. ”

“ The copies sent to the United States were officially adopted by Congress, April 5, 1893, as the American national standards. The yard is hence legally defined as a definite fraction of a meter, and the pound as a definite fraction of a kilogram. This was an important step, but was regarded by many as of no practical importance, the use of the British standards being still protected by law.
The next step forward in this country was the adoption, July 12, 1894, of eight units for the measurement of electrical magnitudes. Electricity as a quantitative science is founded on the metric system. ”

“ The metric system is the only system of weights and measures that can be called international. Moreover, only the very best available system should be good enough for Americans.
It is sometimes complained that the meter as a unit should be set aside because it is inaccurate. ”

“ Advantages of the Metric System.—First, it is a decimal system; second, the same form and prefixes are used in every table; third, the standards of length (meter) , volume (liter) , and mass (kilogram) bear a simple relation [Pg 11] to one another. This simple relation between the three standard units may be given thus: first, the liter is a cubic decimeter, and second, the kilogram is the mass of a liter of water. (See Fig. 5) Since the liter is a cubic decimeter, the length of one side is 10 cm. The liter therefore holds 1000 ccm. (10 × 10 × 10) . Therefore, 1 liter = 1 cu. ”

“ We thus see that a meter-stick, which, when held perpendicular to its line of motion, has the same length as a meter-stick at rest, will be shortened when turned parallel to the line of motion in the ratio , and indeed any moving body must be shortened in the direction of its motion in the same ratio. ”

“ The meter is placed in series with the aerial and when the high frequency currents pass through it they heat and expand a fine wire, causing the needle to move over a graduated scale and indicate the amount of current passing. ”

“ This feature is an annoying one on account of the difficulty of detecting it; a meter may, as far as appearances go, be in excellent working order and yet give readings which are not to be relied upon. ”

“ The fact that the iron frame of the meter lies between the permanent magnets and the current coils protects the magnets from the effects of short circuits which create a strong magnetic field within the meter itself. ”

“ The subscriber's meter is joined in multiple with the cut-off relay, and whenever a pe is connected to the circuit a current flows through the meter. This current is small, however, and the meter is not operated until a much larger current is passed through it. Calls are registered by pressing a key, which connects a battery through a position meter of very low resistance to the socket of the line jack, thereby furnishing the necessary energy to the meter. The position meter just mentioned is common to all the cords on one position and records all completed calls handled at the position. ”

“ This bureau is empowered to construct and preserve the international standards, to distribute copies of the same to the several countries, and also to discuss and initiate measures necessary for the determination of the metric system. The commission adopted a form for the standard as shown in Fig. 1. The lines representing the length of the meter are drawn on the plane A, which is the neutral plane, and will not change in length should the bar deflect. ”

“ Having completed the field work, the results of their labors were laid before a commission composed of members of the National Institute and learned men from other nations, who had accepted the invitation that had been extended to them, and after carefully reviewing and calculating the work, the length of the meridian was determined, and from it was established the meter as we now have it. ”