Acceleration

Get the acceleration value (milli g-force) in one of three dimensions, or the combined force in all directions (x, y, and z).

Find the acceleration of the micro:bit (how fast it is speeding up or slowing down).

input.acceleration(Dimension.X);

You measure acceleration with the milli-g, which is 1/1000 of a g. A g is as much acceleration as you get from Earth’s gravity.

Parameters

dimension: the direction you are checking for acceleration, or the total strength of force.

x: acceleration in the left and right direction.
y: acceleration in the forward and backward direction.
z: acceleration the up and down direction.
strength: the total of all the forces in every dimension (direction) together.

Returns

a number that means the amount of acceleration. When the micro:bit is lying flat on a surface with the screen pointing up, x is 0, y is 0, z is -1023, and strength is 1023.

Example: bar chart

This example shows the acceleration of the micro:bit with a bar graph.

basic.forever(() => {
    led.plotBarGraph(input.acceleration(Dimension.X), 1023)
})

Example: quake meter

Every 5 seconds, with the micro:bit facing upward on a flat surface, show how much the earth is shaking (if at all).

basic.forever(() => {
    basic.showNumber(input.acceleration(Dimension.Strength))
    basic.pause(5000)
})

See also

set accelerometer range, compass heading, light level