Innards of an older-generation Vernier Dual-Range Force Sensor. The larger aluminum structure is fixed to the sensor housing. The moveable parts, called the “load cell,” consist of the sensor tip (upper aluminum piece) supported by a cantilevered beam, made of spring steel, with attached strain gages. Vertical forces applied to the load cell result in a change in resistance in the strain gages as their fine wires are slightly stretched or shortened