Final answer:
The correct answer is a centrifuge, which is a device used to separate specimen components by density via high-speed spinning. They have diverse applications in science and medicine, such as isolating cells and macromolecules, and training astronauts for space travel.
Step-by-step explanation:
A device for spinning a specimen at high speed until it separates into its component parts is a centrifuge. The centrifuge is used in a variety of applications in science and medicine, including the separation of single cell suspensions such as bacteria, viruses, and blood cells from a liquid medium, and the separation of macromolecules, such as DNA and protein, from a solution. Furthermore, ultracentrifuges are specialized versions of centrifuges that are optimized for spinning a rotor at very high speeds, which are important in scientific studies and applications requiring high centripetal accelerations.
Centrifuges are often rated in terms of their centripetal acceleration relative to acceleration due to gravity (g); maximum centripetal acceleration of several hundred thousand g is possible, especially in vacuum environments. Interesting to note is that large centrifuges are employed to test and train astronauts, exposing them to accelerations similar to those experienced during rocket launches and atmospheric reentries.