Title: Sensor Based Physics Projects
Authors: Crystal Kenney, Scott Burgess (Teacher), Jace Cohen
(Student Teacher)
Discipline: Physics
Introduction:
The purpose of this project is to allow students to choose a
topic that is interesting to
them, to allow them to investigate that topic using sensors,
to analyze the data gathered,
and to communicate their findings clearly in poster and
paper form. Each topic has a
different specific focus.
J. INQUIRY AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Students will apply inquiry and problem-solving approaches
in science and technology.
Students will be able to:
1. Make accurate observations using appropriate tools and
units of measure.
2. Verify, evaluate, and use results in a purposeful way.
This includes analyzing and
interpreting data, making predictions based on observed
patterns, testing solutions
against the original problem conditions, and formulating
additional questions.
3. Demonstrate the ability to use scientific inquiry and
technological method with short
term and long term investigations, recognizing that there is
more than one way to solve
a problem. Demonstrate knowledge of when to try different
strategies.
4. Design and construct a device to perform a specific
function, then redesign for
improvement (e.g., performance, cost).
L. COMMUNICATION
Students will communicate effectively in the application of
science and technology.
Students will be able to:
1. Analyze research or other literature for accuracy in the
design and findings of
experiments.
2. Use journals and self-assessment to describe and analyze
scientific and technological
experiences and to reflect on problem-solving processes.
3. Make and use appropriate symbols, pictures, diagrams,
scale drawings, and models to
represent and simplify real-life situations and to solve
problems.
4. Employ graphs, tables, and maps in making arguments and
drawing conclusions.
5. Critique models, stating how they do and do not
effectively represent the real
phenomenon.
6. Evaluate the communication capabilities of new kinds of
media (e.g., cameras with
computer disks instead of film).
7. Use computers to organize data, generate models, and do
research for problem solving.
8. Engage in a debate, on a scientific issue, where both
points of view are based on the
same set of information.
Required Equipment:
Varies between student choice of experiment but should
include a variety of Vernier
sensors such as voltage, charge, magnetic field, microphone,
and sound.
Also Used:
World-in-Motion Physics Video Analysis Software Version 4.01
Video Camera and Tripod
Telescopes
Computers (for analysis of data)
Procedure:
These projects will be evaluated through a lab report and a
poster. The paper will consist
of a formal lab report explaining your project and how you
went about designing the
experiment. The posters will be a concise presentation of
the work involved with the
project. They will be judged on areas such as clarity of
explanation, organization of
information, completeness, and effort.
The equivalent of one class period per week will be allotted
for class time for the
projects. All other time needed to complete the projects
will have to be done after school.
Student groups are encouraged to use existing and recycled
materials for their projects. A
maximum of $20 out of pocket expenses is allowed per group.
Each group must keep a
record of expenses and submit it with the final paper.
Project Steps
Step 1: Choose Project
Step 2: Research
Step 3: Notebook Check
Step 4: Design Experiment
Step 5: Notebook Check
Step 6: Conduct Experiment
Step 7: Poster
Step 8: Paper
Students are expected to keep a notebook during this
project. This notebook will contain
the results of your research as well as the thought process
involved with the design of the
experiment. Steps 3 and 5 require the notebook to be checked
by a project mentor before
continuing onto the next step. Project topics will be chosen
from the following
suggestions.
1) Investigating Real-Life Motion: Students will use a
videocamera to record specific
types of motion, they will use World in Motion software on
our new computer to
analyze the video and develop mathematical models. Possible
types of motion to
investigate: free fall with air resistance, collisions in
one and two dimensions,
acceleration of cars, projectile motion with air
resistance...
2) Imaging the Planets: Students will use a specially
adapted web camera and a large
telescope to take video images of the planets. Students will
then use various computer
programs to do data processing on the captured video footage
to produce high quality
1 Physics Curriculum and Instruction, 22585 Woodhill Drive , Lakeview ,
MN 55044
images of the planets that can then be further studied.
Students doing this project must
be willing and able to travel to Mr. Burgess’ house in
Winterport to use the equipment
necessary for this project.
3) Studies of the Lunar Surface: Students will use a
specially adapted web camera and
a large telescope to take video images of the Moon. Students
will then use various
computer programs to do data processing on the captured
video footage to produce
high quality still images that can then be further studied.
Students doing this project
must be willing and able to travel to Mr. Burgess’ house in
Winterport to use the
equipment necessary for this project.
4) Studies of the Sun in Visible Wavelengths: Students will
use a specially adapted web
camera and a telescope to take video images of the Sun.
Students will then use various
computer programs to do data processing on the captured
video footage to produce
high quality images of the Sun that will then allow students
to study the various
features of the solar surface, namely, sunspots, filaments,
plages, granulation, etc.
5) Polarization of Light, Brewster’s Law: Student will use
light sensors and available
optics equipment to study aspects of light polarization. In
this project students will
determine the angle of maximum polarization for light
reflecting off a surface.
6) Polarization of Light, Malus’s Law: Student will use
light sensors and available
optics equipment to study aspects of light polarization. In
this project students will
determine the intensity of light passing through a
polarizing material.
7) Total Internal Reflection: Student will use light sensors
and available optics
equipment to study the phenomenon of total internal
reflection. In this project students
will determine the critical angle for total internal
reflection for light traveling in
various media.
8) The Electrical Effects of Changing Magnetic Fields,
Lenz’s Law: In this project,
students will use electrical sensors to measure the current
induced in a loop of wire by
a changing magnetic field. Although this sounds complicated,
this is actually not so
difficult an experiment to conduct.
9) Center
of Percussion
sensors to determine the center of percussion of a baseball
bat. The “center of
percussion” is a physicist’s fancy way of saying “the sweet
spot” of the bat where you
get the maximum transfer of energy to a baseball by the
baseball bat.
10) Rocket Propulsion: Have you ever wanted to be a rocket
scientist? Students
involved in this project will use force sensors to measure
the “impulse” of the engines
used in model rockets.
11) Rocket Flight: Students will use sensors (possibly a
videocamera) to measure the
actual flights of model rockets. Students choosing to do
this project could join with those
doing the preceding project to relate engine performance to
flight performance of model
rockets.
12) Resistive-Capacitive (RC) Circuits: The capacitor is a
neat device for storing
electrical charge. In this project students will use
electrical sensors to investigate RC
circuits they assemble, with specific focus on how
capacitors “charge” and “discharge”
electrical energy.
13) Investigating Charges: Students will use a new
electrical charge sensor to
quantitatively measure static electric charges. The exact
experiments involved will be
determined by the students after examining the capabilities
of the sensor.
14) Heat Capacity of a Solid Object: Students will use
temperature probes and
electrical sensors to investigate the heat capacity of a
solid when a certain amount of heat
is transferred to the object. Ambitious students may even
undertake the design and
construction of a simple “calorimeter” using Vernier LabPro
sensors to do all data
collection using a computer.
15) The Physical Pendulum: We have already studied the
“simple pendulum” in class.
Students will expand upon what they have learned to
investigate the motion of more
complicated objects (objects other than a mass on the end of
a spring). Vernier LabPro
sensors will be used to measure the behavior of physical
pendulums.
16) Transmission of Light through Fiber Optics: Students
will use light sensors and
optics equipment to investigate transmission of light
through fiber optics. Students will
determine the minimum radius of curvature of fiber optics.
17) Mutual Inductance: Students will learn how to create
transformers. Students will
then use electrical sensors to investigate the properties of
transformers and mutual
inductance.
18) Stereo Acoustics: Music is an important part of most
high school students’ lives.
What is the best way to set up and enjoy a stereo music
system? Does the room in which
you are listening affect the sound produced by your stereo?
Students will use sound
sensors and a stereo music system to study the acoustics of
stereo systems and the effects
of room acoustics.
19) Acoustics of Musical Instruments: Both a flute and an
oboe can play a note of “C,”
yet the flute sounds different from the oboe. What causes
different musical instruments to
sound different even when playing the same note? Students
choosing to do this project
will use musical instruments and sound sensors to
investigate the “harmonics” which give
particular instruments their particular sound “coloration.”
20) Constructive and Destructive Interference: In this
project students will investigate
what happens when waves interact. Using a sound source and
sound sensors, students
will find the nodes and antinodes found in a standing wave
and compare their
experimental results to known wave theory.
21) Physical Optics – Diffraction from Single and Double
Slits: When laser light
passes through a slit, a strange phenomenon known as
diffraction occurs. Using lasers and
light sensors, students will investigate the diffraction
patterns produced when using single
and double slits.
22) Scattering of Light by Water: Does water transmit light
of all frequencies (colors)
equally? Using light sensors, students will investigate what
happens as light travels
through water.
23) Magnetic Field of a Slinky: A little known fact about
Slinky’s is that they have very
interesting magnetic properties when an electrical current
is passed through them.
Students choosing to do this projects will use magnetic
field sensors to explore the
electrical and magnetic properties of the famous Slinky toy.
24) Exhaust Feedback on Automobiles: This project is for the
more chemistry-minded
student who would like to use sensors to investigate
automobile performance. Using
professional testing equipment, students will analyze the
exhaust of a real automobile and
relate that to performance of the engine of the automobile.
25) Independent Project: Students work either alone or in
small groups to accomplish a
project of their own design and choosing. Such projects must
involve some use of some
type of sensor or sensors in its completion.
Expected Results:
Obviously, individual data results will differ drastically
between groups, however all
groups should show competency in the area that they chose to
examine. They should be
able to explain the theory behind their experiment, what
difficulties arose during the
experiment, and what they learned as a result of the
experiment. They should be able to
present this material in both poster and paper form.
Troubleshooting:
Each group will encounter different problems. It is
therefore recommended that a mentor
for the students be around to discuss problems with and
brainstorm possible solutions. In
this case there were four classes implementing these
projects and four mentors available.
It would be best to have several teachers/fellows working
together on these projects with
the students.
waooo nice info about "Motion sensor project"
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