ERIC Number: EJ1150648
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-May
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
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Available Date: N/A
Low-Cost Alternative for Signal Generators in the Physics Laboratory
Pathare, Shirish Rajan; Raghavendra, M. K.; Huli, Saurabhee
Physics Teacher, v55 n5 p301-305 May 2017
Recently devices such as the optical mouse of a computer, webcams, Wii remote, and digital cameras have been used to record and analyze different physical phenomena quantitatively. Devices like tablets and smartphones are also becoming popular. Different scientific applications available at Google Play (Android devices) or the App Store (iOS devices) make them versatile. One can find many websites that provide information regarding various scientific applications compatible with these systems. A variety of smartphones/tablets are available with different types of sensors embedded. Some of them have sensors that are capable of measuring intensity of light, sound, and magnetic field. The camera of these devices has been used to study projectile motion, and the same device, along with a sensor, has been used to study the physical pendulum. Accelerometers have been used to study free and damped harmonic oscillations and to measure acceleration due to gravity. Using accelerometers and gyroscopes, angular velocity and centripetal acceleration have been measured. The coefficient of restitution for a ball bouncing on the floor has been measured using the application Oscilloscope on the iPhone. In this article, we present the use of an Android device as a low-cost alternative for a signal generator. We use the Signal Generator application installed on the Android device along with an amplifier circuit.
Descriptors: Physics, Laboratory Experiments, Telecommunications, Handheld Devices, Scientific Concepts, Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Computer Peripherals, Computer Software, Light, Measurement Equipment, Acoustics, Cost Effectiveness
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://aapt.scitation.org/journal/pte
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
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Language: English
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