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# NIST4-wheel.png

## Appears In

                        - Artifacts, Begone! NIST Improves Its Flagship Device for Measuring Mass
                        - National Institute of Standards and Technology

The NIST-4 Kibble balance is an electromechanical machine that measures the mass of objects roughly 1 kg. Here, you can see the top of the balance, which includes a wheel that rotates back and forth as the two sides of the balance move. Just visible on the left side of the image are a set of thin electrical wires that connect the electromagnetic coil (not pictured) to other key parts of the balance. Incidentally, the reason the thin wires are coiled like springs instead of being pulled straight is so that as the wheel moves back and forth, the wires stretch without touching each other.

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