Mobile Science vs PP+ Newton's 2nd Law

by Ray Wisman and Kyle Forinash, Indiana University SE. Acknowledgements: Tab bar icons by Joseph Wain @ glyphish.com. Core-Plot used for plotting, http://code.google.com/p/core-plot. Acceleration records, graphs and emails the iPod/iPhone/iPad accelerometer measurements. The application is useful for measuring acceleration, velocity and distance resulting from motion along a single axis. Up to 120K unfiltered measurements can be recorded from 1 to 100 samples per second and graphed while recorded. Start to start recording measurements. Stop to stop recording. Send to send the recorded measurements as an email. Samples/second rate set using the slider bar. Calibrate to toggle zeroing of X, Y and Z axis values to ignore any effects due to gravity or other global acceleration of the device. With calibration ON, the initial one second of measurements are used to determine the average measure for each axis; for zeroing, the average is subtracted from each subsequent measure. X, Y and Z buttons display the graph of the acceleration, velocity and distance measurements for that axis. X, Y and Z axis values are displayed in real time by three progress bars and graphed. Time slider scrolls through the X, Y and Z axis values measured at the time selected.

The Newton’s Second Law lab uses a laboratory cart to investigate the relationships between the force applied to an object and the mass and acceleration of the object. It is part of Polyhedron Physics Plus, a set of 24 iPad apps for use in the classroom. For those who’d prefer to develop their own experiments, the PP Cart and Pulley app features a similar apparatus without lab procedures and other supporting materials. In addition to a 3D simulation that produces realistic data, each lab includes introductory videos, background theory, experimental procedure, analysis and reporting tools, pre-lab quiz, post-lab questions, and teacher support materials. The experimental data produced by the simulations are realistic, including random and systematic errors. These features allow students to use standard data analysis and error analysis techniques to report on their own unique data, just as if the experiment had been performed using hands-on equipment. These labs can serve as replacements for hands-on labs, especially when equipment is not available, or as supplements to hands-on labs. They are also a suitable option for students in distance learning and home school situations. Formative and summative evaluations showed no significant difference in learning between students using the virtual labs and those using hands-on labs. Preliminary results suggest increased learning by students using the virtual labs as supplements to hands-on. Polyhedron Physics was developed by Polyhedron Learning Media, Inc. with partial funding provided under contract numbers ED-07-CO-0040 and ED-IES-11-C-0029 from the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.