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: ms¶
All time and duration values are measured in milliseconds (ms).
For example, the duration of motion with run_time, the duration of wait, or the time values returned by the StopWatch are specified in milliseconds.
angle: deg¶
All angles are measured in degrees (deg). One full rotation corresponds to 360 degrees.
For example, the angle values of a Motor or the GyroSensor are expressed in degrees.
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 Motor or the GyroSensor are expressed in degrees per second.
While we recommend working 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: mm¶
Distances are expressed in millimeters (mm) whenever possible.
For example, the distance value of the UltrasonicSensor is measured in millimeters.
While we recommend working 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: mm¶
Dimensions are expressed in millimeters (mm) whenever possible, just like distances.
For example, the diameter of a wheel is measured in millimeters.
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 InfraredSensor is a relative distance.
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.
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 \(deg/s^2\).
For example, you can adjust the rotational acceleration setting of a Motor to change how smoothly or how quickly it reaches the constant speed set point.
percentage: %¶
Some signals do not have specific units but range from a minimum (0%) to a maximum (100%). A specific type of percentages are relative distances.
For example, the sound volume ranges from 0% to 100%.
frequency: Hz¶
Sound frequencies are expressed in Hertz (Hz).
For example, you can choose the frequency of a beep to change the pitch.