Linear potentiometer position sensors sense the linear motion of an object.

• A. Rotary
• B. Linear
• C. Angular
• D. Differential

Answer: (B)

Linear displacement is what this sensor measures. A linear potentiometer uses a resistive track with a sliding contact that moves along a straight path as the object travels. That sliding position changes the resistance (and thus the output voltage) in direct proportion to how far the object has moved in a straight line. This is different from rotary or angular sensors, which track rotation around an axis, and from differential terminology, which doesn’t describe the motion being sensed. So the device is specifically designed to sense linear motion.