Skip to main content

Lessons

Internet of Things at Stanford University

Profile picture for user DaveBakker
Submitted by DaveBakker on Mon, 04/09/2018 - 17:47

What Internet of Things projects are Stanford students developing? Stanford ME220 "Introduction to Sensors" is an introduction to the variety of sensors that are used in engineering practice. Students in this class get a comprehensive overview of common practices with sensors and learn the direction in which sensor technologies are heading. 

Grade Level

Programming with Sensors in Scratch

Profile picture for user DaveBakker
Submitted by DaveBakker on Sun, 04/08/2018 - 05:18

This lesson will show you programming in Scratch with external sensors. We can read sensor data directly into Scratch and use it to write programs that make decisions based on what the sensors are measuring. If you need a quick primer on Scratch programming, go to this link. There are plenty of resources to get you started.

Subject

PocketLab HotRod Ramp: A Study in Rotational and Translational Motion

Profile picture for user Rich
Submitted by Rich on Mon, 03/26/2018 - 01:31

This project will get your physical science/physics students involved in a number of Next Generation Science Standards, particularly in the NGSS science and engineering practices.  This investigation provides a nice opportunity for the students to (1) suggest hypotheses, (2) design an experiment to test their hypotheses, (3) analyze and interpret their data, and (4) use principles of physics to explain their observations quantitatively.

Grade Level

PocketLab Voyager/Wonder Gears: An Experiment on Gear Ratios and Angular Velocity

Profile picture for user Rich
Submitted by Rich on Mon, 03/12/2018 - 03:10

Gears date back many centuries and are extremely useful since they can change the direction imposed by a source of power, as well as torque and speed.  This lesson describes an experimental study of the relationship between gear ratio and angular velocity by using PocketLab Voyager and Wonder Gears.    Wonder Gears is listed for ages 3+, with this lesson heavily emphasizing the “+” part of the description—since this lesson is perfect for junior high students aged 12 through 14.  This is one of the many advantages of Po

Grade Level

Scratch and PocketLab Space Blaster game

Profile picture for user DaveBakker
Submitted by DaveBakker on Tue, 03/06/2018 - 00:03

Download the Scratch .sbx file for a Space Blaster game you can play with Scratch and PocketLab. Works with PocketLab One and Voyager. 

Instructions to run ScratchX and the PocketLab web app are here.

The Space Blaster game is also featured in our PocketLab and Scratch STEM Coding Challenge - see attached pdf file for complete programming guide.

Subject

Head-on Collision versus Crashing Into a Wall

Profile picture for user Rich
Submitted by Rich on Sat, 02/24/2018 - 03:56

 

Let’s imagine two scenarios:

1.       Two identical vehicles, each of whose speedometers reads 50 mph, travel toward each other and experience a head-on collision.

2.       Another identical vehicle, traveling at 50 mph, hits an unmovable, unbreakable and impenetrable rock wall.

Which collision is more severe from the viewpoint of one of these vehicles?

Voyager and Speedway Wonder™: Learning Angular Velocity in a Fun Way

Profile picture for user Rich
Submitted by Rich on Wed, 02/21/2018 - 19:54

Have your students attach Voyager to a Speedway Wonder™ car, set up a Speedway track of their own design, and they will be ready to challenge one another in a unique way.  The main idea is to collect angular velocity data while Voyager circuits the track.  Then by carefully studying the angular velocity graphs produced, determine posible layouts of the track.  A magnet at one location along the track, coupled with simultaneously measuring magneti

Grade Level

PocketLab HotRod

Profile picture for user PocketLab
Submitted by PocketLab on Tue, 02/20/2018 - 22:48

The PocketLab HotRod is a fun and creative take on the classic “physics cart”, except it’s not boring and it doesn’t look like a brick on wheels.  Check out the video and read more here to learn more. 

Subject

A Lesson in Radioactivity and Half-Life: Voyager/Scratch Geiger Counter Simulation

Profile picture for user Rich
Submitted by Rich on Tue, 02/20/2018 - 21:10

This lesson makes it possible for your students to study radioactive decay and half-life concepts without the need to purchase expensive radiation monitors and actual radioactive isotopes.  Scratch and Voyager work together to accomplish this via a simulation that matches that of true radioactive decay.  ScratchX is not required, but may be used.  The Scratch program provides the decay process.  With each decay of a simulated atom, the Scratch screen quickly flashes white and emits a beep sound similar to that of a typical Geiger counter.  Voyager’s light sensor records each of the decays a

True Random Numbers in Scratch

Profile picture for user DaveBakker
Submitted by DaveBakker on Fri, 02/16/2018 - 01:06

We can create a way to make true random numbers in Scratch using the PocketLab Voyager's light sensor and a lava lamp. Sounds crazy? Not really, there is actually a US patent for such a system! It turns out that on their own, computers are not good at generating true random numbers, therefore to make true random numbers using a computer you need an external source of randomness.

Subject

To access this free lesson, please sign up to receive communications from us: