Mobile Learning of Physical Pendulum in Android-Based Smartphones

Physics Education, 2018

In the field of physics teaching, the simple pendulum provides a very simple way to study the harmonic oscillator, source of some fundamental concepts like periodicity, relaxation time and anharmonicity. As such, its experimental study is frequently integrated in the high school or first years university programs. With this in mind, in this article we propose a simple setup allowing to study some of its properties. By coupling a small wireless acquisition board to an oscillating mass, the centripetal acceleration is recorded and analyzed. We show using basic calculations how this acceleration allow to extract the variation with time of its period and of the amplitude. The experimental results show that the damping of the amplitude is very well described by an exponential law. The accuracy we obtain on the period allows to show that, not only it decreases with amplitude, but that this decrease is relatively well described by standard calculation. Using wireless multipurpose acquisition board and usual spreadsheet for experimental modelling, the completion of this work, about 4 hours, offers to the student an original way to go a little beyond the classical study of the spectacular object that is the pendulum.

International Journal of Online Engineering (iJOE), 2013

e-lab is a remote laboratory platform that provides access to several remote experiments in basic or advanced physics. Recent upgrades to itâ??s interface and new features introduced make it more accessible and appealing, but experimentâ??s attractiveness for teachers and students has been an issue. A new experiment intended to improve this aspect was introduced: the World Pendulum. Consisting in multiple identical pendulum apparatuses connected to e-lab and scattered throughout different locations across several countries. The World Pendulum is intended at exploring a unique feature allowed by remote experimentation â?? experimental repetition in different locations.

Science & Education, 2004

Articles about the pendulum in four journals devoted to the teaching of physics and one general science teaching journal (along with other miscellaneous articles from other journals) are listed in three broad categories-types of pendulums, the contexts in which these pendulums are used in physics teaching at secondary or tertiary levels and a miscellaneous category. A brief description of the sub-categories used is provided. * Paul McColl, a physics teacher from Bundoora Secondary College in Victoria and a doctoral student in science education at Monash University, assisted with the collection of the bibliographical material below and I owe a debt of gratitude to him for his contribution to this project.

Computers in Physics, 1994

arXiv (Cornell University), 2023

This paper aims to show how to guide students with a familiar example to extract as much physics as possible before jumping into mathematical calculation. The period for a physical pendulum made up of a uniform rod is changed by attaching a piece of putty on it. The period for the combined system depends on the location of the putty. Simple reasoning without calculation shows that there are two locations for the putty that do not change the period of the physical pendulum: the axis and the center of percussion. Moreover, without calculation, we reason that there is at least one minimal period when the putty lies somewhere between these two locations. The underlying physics is that the period depends on the ratio between two quantities: the torque and the momentum of inertia, which depends on the location of the putty. They conflict with each other; a smaller (larger) moment of inertia is accompanied by a smaller (larger) torque. The uniqueness of the minimal period and the corresponding location for the putty can only be obtained by calculation. Zee who also emphasizes thinking by quoting John Wheeler in the preface to his book [1]: Never never calculate unless you already know the answer! Another input is the qualitative analysis of simple harmonic motion, where the sinusoidal shape of the velocity versus time curve is not obtained by calculation but based purely on physical reasoning instead . The content of this article was tested in my Year-10 class. They enjoyed this style of teaching, so did I. The journey starts from the following two basic facts. The period for a simple pendulum with length ℓ and the period for a physical pendulum made up of a uniform rod with length 𝐿 are

2012

Presence of uncertainties or errors makes it possible to draw inference from the results obtained in experiments. Computerization of experiments increases the accuracy and precision of the results. In this paper, we are encapsulating these crucial aspects for studying the oscillations of a simple pendulum in order to determine the time period of the oscillations. The methods used are that of video analysis through Tracker software and model based simulations of Scilab software which are available on open source physics. Tracker reduces the errors involved in performing the experiment as compared to that performed manually. This is because of the temporal and spatial resolution associated with Tracker which leads to high precision and accuracy in the results obtained while analysing the captured videos of the simple pendulum oscillations. On the other hand, model based simulations is an effective tool to deal with the complexity involved in solving the equations associated with the s...

International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET)

In the present study we employ a combination of laboratory exercises and simulation. In particular we studied the case of teaching mechanical oscillations to undergraduate students of Polytechnic and Pedagogical departments. Simulations were performed using a general purpose package, MATHEMATICA®, which is widely employed in our departments, and presents some important advantages such as ease of writing mathematical relations, small extent of programs necessary for the solution, ease of creating graphical representations/animations. In the employed process an experimental setup of the physical system is constructed and then using a general purpose package students construct a model of the system that already know from the laboratory experiments. Using these models students produce solutions for various initial conditions, graphical representations of the results as well as animations corresponding to the time evolution of the system. The results show that the above process offers the students many different representations of the physical problem leading to a better understanding, contribute to the development of critical spirit and to the familiarization with the use of ICT.

International journal of online and biomedical engineering, 2023

The world is not going to be the same. COVID-19 was the catalyst for the worlds Largest ever remote work experience, and clear trends show that we are at the beginning of a new world. The goal of the hands-on work is to help students understand theory, teach them the scientific process and manipulative techniques, and generate interest and motivation in science. To achieve these goals, students must first recall the mathematical model of the physical phenomenon to be studied, perform manipulations to measure the physical phenomenon, demonstrate the compatibility between the theoretical and measured results and conclude with an analysis. At the end of the session, students are evaluated on the scientific quality of their work and receive a grade. Our challenge is to make this methodology available on a digital platform to allow learning for all, regardless of time or place.

2021

The study of the influence of geometric factors on an oscillating pendulum under various damping conditions is reported. Different cross-section areas perpendicular to the motion of the pendulum mass were studied. A smartphone was used as a pendulum and at the same time as a data recorder. Results show that the smartphone is an effective and reliable tool to be used when performing educational activities, and at the same time it presents students with a variety of ways for learning new content and physical concepts. It offers the opportunity to carry out experiments in the classroom, in the laboratory, or at home. In this way, the increment in the crosssection area slightly increases the damping coefficient, and rapidly decreases the oscillation amplitude as time passes. Additionally, the time necessary to decrease the amplitude by half is inversely proportional to the cross-section area of the pendulum. As expected, no significant variation in the period nor the angular frequency were found, due to the air-pendulum drag properties and to the slow pendulum speed.