Talk:Mercury switch
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ok...but what are the characteristics of a mercury switch that make it attractive? it's wet, so it doen't arc like a dry tilt switch?
[edit] Use in car bombs
Is there any evidence in records as to how these switches were used to set off car bombs? Were they attached internally to parts of the car that would tilt or turn during use? It seems more likely to me that the mercury switch would be internal to the bomb enclosure, as that would be faster to attach to a vehicle. In that case, would it make sense that the mercury switch would be placed at a slight angle, with the contact-end raised up? It would function then as a crude accelerometer, as a sudden movement would cause the blob of mercury to roll upwards towards the contacts. I assume it'd be easiest to orient the raised end towards the front of the vehicle, so that it would be positioned to sense deceleration, as most drivers brake harder than they accelerate. Does anyone have any hard facts on how they've been used? Alvis 07:57, 4 January 2007 (UTC)
