an instrument includes multiple sensing elements of the variable - capacitance type . the sensing elements are placed by a switching network into a single capacitance sensing circuit , and those elements which are not active in the circuit at a given time are switched by another or the same switching network into a ground shunt . the switching is effected at a rate , in relation to the expected vibrational spectrum of the sensor system , to determine a set of readings which are essentially equivalent to a set of simultaneous capacitance measurements of the plural sensing element . a preferred system is a weight sensing system employing three or four load cells to support a scale platform .