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pybricks-api/source/signaltypes.rst
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Signals and Units
=================
Many commands allow you to specify arguments in terms of well-known physical quantities. This page gives an overview of each quantity and its unit.
.. _time:
time: ms
---------
All time and duration values are measured in milliseconds (ms).
For example, the duration of motion with :meth:`run_time <.ev3devices.Motor.run_time>`, the duration of :func:`wait <.tools.wait>`, or the time values returned by the :class:`StopWatch <.tools.StopWatch>` are specified in milliseconds.
.. _angle:
angle: deg
-----------
All angles are measured in degrees (deg). One full rotation corresponds to 360 degrees.
For example, the angle values of a :meth:`Motor <.ev3devices.Motor.angle>` or the :meth:`GyroSensor <.ev3devices.GyroSensor.angle>` are expressed in degrees.
.. _speed:
rotational speed: deg/s
-----------------------
Rotational speed, or *angular velocity* describes how fast something rotates, expressed as the number of degrees per second (deg/s).
For example, the rotational speed values of a :meth:`Motor <.ev3devices.Motor.speed>` or the :meth:`GyroSensor <.ev3devices.GyroSensor.speed>` are expressed in degrees per second.
While we recommend to work with degrees per second in your programs, you can use the following table to convert between commonly used units.
+-----------+-------+-----------+
| | deg/s | rpm |
+-----------+-------+-----------+
| 1 deg/s = | 1 | 1/6=0.167 |
+-----------+-------+-----------+
| 1 rpm = | 6 | 1 |
+-----------+-------+-----------+
.. _distance:
distance: mm
-------------
Distances are expressed in millimeters (mm) whenever possible.
For example, the distance value of the :meth:`UltrasonicSensor <.ev3devices.UltrasonicSensor.distance>` is measured in millimeters.
While we recommend to work with millimeters in your programs, you can use the following table to convert between commonly used units.
+---------+------+-----+--------+
| | mm | cm | inch |
+---------+------+-----+--------+
| 1 mm = | 1 | 0.1 | 0.0394 |
+---------+------+-----+--------+
| 1 cm = | 10 | 1 | 0.394 |
+---------+------+-----+--------+
| 1 inch =| 25.4 | 2.54| 1 |
+---------+------+-----+--------+
.. _dimension:
dimension: mm
-------------
Dimensions are expressed in millimeters (mm) whenever possible, just like distances.
For example, the diameter of a wheel is measured in millimeters.
.. _relativedistance:
relative distance: %
---------------------
Some distance measurements do not provide an accurate value with a specific unit, but they range from very close (0%) to very far (100%). These are referred to as relative distances.
For example, the distance value of the :meth:`InfraredSensor <.ev3devices.InfraredSensor.distance>` is a relative distance.
.. _travelspeed:
speed: mm/s
------------
Linear speeds are expressed as millimeters per second (mm/s).
For example, the speed of a robotic vehicle is expressed in mm/s.
.. _acceleration:
rotational acceleration: deg/s/s
--------------------------------
Rotational acceleration, or *angular acceleration* describes how fast the rotational speed changes. This is expressed as the change of the number of degrees per second, during one second (deg/s/s). This is also commonly written as :math:`deg/s^2`.
For example, you can adjust the rotational acceleration setting of a :meth:`Motor <.ev3devices.Motor.set_run_settings>` to change how smoothly or how quickly a motor reaches the constant speed set point.
.. _percentage:
percentage: %
--------------
Some signals do not have specific units but range from a minimum (0%) to a maximum (100%). A specific type of percentages are :ref:`relative distances <relativedistance>`.
For example, the sound :meth:`volume <.ev3brick.sound.beep>` range from 0% to 100%.
.. _frequency:
frequency: Hz
--------------
Sound frequencies are expressed in Herz (Hz).
For example, you can choose the frequency of a :meth:`beep <.ev3brick.sound.beep>` to change the pitch.