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AP/College

CloudLab Curve Fit Feature Preview: Inverse Square Law of Light

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Submitted by Rich on Fri, 01/12/2018 - 22:15

The ability to quickly match empirical data to well-known mathematical models is an essential feature in the analysis of experiments.  This technique is generally referred to as curve-fitting.  The up-and-coming, but not yet leased, CloudLab software from PocketLab provides an easy way to fit data to models including linear, quadratic, power, exponential, and logarithmic.  This curve-fitting can be done for any selected region of PocketLab data.  This lesson provides a sneak preview of this CloudLab featu

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Interfacing PocketLab Voyager with Modular Robotics Cubelets Maker Space

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Submitted by Rich on Mon, 12/18/2017 - 20:39

The maker revolution has grown by leaps and bounds during the past four years. With dozens of robotic toys for learning and discovery now in the marketplace, it makes sense to give students opportunities for interfacing these robots with the investigative powers of PocketLab Voyager. This lesson describes an example project by which students interface Voyager with Modular Robotics Cubelets—robot blocks that magnetically connect to form an endless variety of robots. There are seventeen different blocks in three categories—sense, think, and act.

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An Intensive Energy Conservation Experiment Comparing the PocketLab Teacher Geek® Cart with a ZéCar Flywheel Powered Car

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Submitted by Rich on Thu, 11/09/2017 - 19:21

In addition to being a fascinating toy, the ZéCar flywheel powered car can be utilized in physics curricula to study conservation of energy.  It is available from a variety of sources, including teachersource.com for under $14.  In this lesson students study energy conservation, including gravitational potential energy, translational kinetic energy, rotational kinetic energy, and work done against non-conservative frictional forces, with emphasis on comparing ZéCar with the PocketLab Teacher Geek

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PocketLab Voyager Quantitative Experiment: Standing Waves on a Suspended Slinky

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Submitted by Rich on Thu, 11/02/2017 - 21:00

In addition to being a fun toy, the “Slinky” is commonly used in physics classes to qualitatively investigate a variety of wave properties: longitudinal versus transverse traveling waves, superposition of waves, wave reflection from a solid barrier or a free end, and standing waves and resonance.  Many of these investigations work well when the Slinky is stretched out on the surface of a floor.  However, to do a quantitative study of standing waves and resonance, suspending the stretched Slinky from the ceiling offers the advantages of less fricti

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PocketLab Voyager: A Flywheel Experiment

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Submitted by Rich on Thu, 10/26/2017 - 22:55

With the current growth in interest in flywheels, stemming from concern for the environmental impact of fossil fuel use, flywheels provide a convenient way for storing energy.  Because of this, the study of flywheels in the physics curriculum is well worth consideration by teachers.  Such a study allows for a careful examination of the principles of conservation of energy, as well as both linear and rotational kinematics.  PocketLab Voyager’s ability to collect angular velocity data makes data collection much easier than was required in similar past experiments wit

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VelocityLab/Voyager: An Experiment in Energy and Momentum Conservation

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Submitted by Rich on Thu, 10/19/2017 - 18:13

A pendulum is held vertically and is  then released, impacting a cart that is initially at rest.  This experiment provides students with a lesson for comparing theory with actual experimental results and explaining any differences.  A variety of physics principles, including conservation of energy, conservation of momentum, and impulse, are incorporated into the experiment.  VelocityLab is used to determine the actual speed of the cart after the impact, and the students compare this to speed predictions based upon theory.  In addition, students use impulse concepts to calc

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PocketLab Voyager/LEGO®: A Study of the Atwood Machine

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Submitted by Rich on Mon, 10/09/2017 - 17:57

Students study the Atwood machine to verify Newton’s Second Law of Motion.  In this machine, two hanging masses are tied to the end of a string that loops around a pulley.  The larger mass then moves downward with a constant acceleration, while the smaller mass accelerates upward.  The magnitude of this acceleration is a quantity of great interest as it relates to the values of the two masses.  In this lesson, an Atwood machine is constructed using parts from LEGO®’s Simple & Powered Machines Set<

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Fluid Energy (Bernoulli Principle) Lab

Submitted by kwarnke on Fri, 10/06/2017 - 19:47

PocketLab sensors can measure the pressure in a fluid line easily, by putting the PocketLab into a plastic wash bottle.  (For protection, put the sensor in a ziplock bag with a paper towel.)  The wash bottle nozzle inserts easily into 1/4" ID tubing, and can be used as a pressure tap to measure fluid pressure in two different T junctions.

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