01 High Speed Camera

Edgerton synchronized his electronic stroboscope with a special high-speed motion-picture-camera so that with each flash, exactly one frame of film was exposed.  The number of flashes per second determined the number of pictures taken.

Motion pictures are normally exposed and projected at 24 frames per second, but when pictures are made at a higher rate and projected at normal speed, the apparent movement is slowed down.  Edgerton designed high-speed motion-picture cameras that could expose as many as six thousand to fifteen thousand frames per second.  When these films were projected at normal speed (24 frames per second), very high-speed events appeared – and could be studied – in extremely slow motion.

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