Can accelerometer measure direction?

An accelerometer measures acceleration, which is a vector. Thus, you can easily (?) keep track of direction once you have a reference. You cannot, however, simply use an accelerometer to determine north or +x. Can you be a bit more specific?

this is a accelerometer that you can use anywhere, as you can see it measure the magnitude and the direction of the aceleration

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sir
actually i wanted to know about its ability to respond when acceleration decreases instantly ie retardation starts. cant it show + sign and - sign on its LED display.

regards
anumeha

well an acceleroemeter is a second degree sensor, you can use easy expresions to evaluate the retardation, is that your question or i misunderstood?

i need indication from the machine itself...actually the purpose is this "i need indication from accelerometer which i may use in an amplifier circuit to run a mechanism. actuallly it acceleration or deceleration on which type of motion depends"

anu_mechsir
actually i wanted to know about its ability to respond when acceleration decreases instantly ie retardation starts. cant it show + sign and - sign on its LED display.

regards
anumeha

Well, you can't get acceleration to decrease instantly. If you try, it jerks the wings off aircraft or the wheels off cars, etc.

nopes.... i have not got anything to do with acceleration...its just an indicator. neither i need the direction. i just want the info on a digital display that if the speed is increasing or decreasing.
plzz help

anu_mechnopes.... i have not got anything to do with acceleration...its just an indicator. neither i need the direction. i just want the info on a digital display that if the speed is increasing or decreasing.
plzz help

Forgive me for being blunt, but you say you are not interested in acceleration, just whether speed is increasing or decreasing. I fear you don't understand acceleration at all. Acceleration is a change in velocity. Acceleration always includes changes in speed and direction. Can you clearly state exactly what you're looking for?

sorry for being rude! but its a serious matter for me and you are not supposed to crack such stupid jokes over here!I obviously meant dat i dont need to know about the magnitude of acceleration. my concern is whether the speed is increasing or decreasing.

Im sorry im not a native english speaker.
If you only want to know if the speed is increasing or decreasing, you can see from the picture i posted before, if the acceleration is positive then the speed is increasing, if the acceleration is negative then the speed is decreasing, and you have two axes of information, up/down + left/right, is that what u need or i misunderstood you?

anu_mechsorry for being rude! but its a serious matter for me and you are not supposed to crack such stupid jokes over here!I obviously meant dat i dont need to know about the magnitude of acceleration. my concern is whether the speed is increasing or decreasing.

I made no joke, stupid or otherwise. If your concern is only a "+" or a "-", that is possible. However, you will without a doubt have a dead band where you cannot tell; the size of that dead band is an acceleration magnitude. I have used accelerometers for decades.

i am extremly sorry for such a behaviour, actually the purpose behind using an accelerometer was just as an indicator. but since the cost of device is demanding we are going for the alternative(speedometer with sensors)...