What follows is a list of papers outlining Physics labs and activities that are possible using mobile devices as primary data collection tools with the appropriate app installed. The app listed under the paper is the one mentioned by the paper's authors, but many other apps might enable the same functionality. A list of apps is compiled in
another blog post.
Jochen Kuhn from Kaiserlautern University of Technology and Patrik Vogt from the University of Education Freiburg have paved the way with their blog, iPhysicsLabs in
The Physics Teacher. They have written many of these papers and their contribution to the world of Smartphone Physics is appreciated.
Using iPads to illustrate the impulse-momentum relationship
Jefferson W. Streepey
Students use the accelerometer in an iPad to see that it is not the peak value of acceleration, but the size of the impulse that affects movement. App used: SparkVUE
Jochen Kuhn and Patrik Vogt
Capturing sound using the device’s microphone, and using Fourier analysis to illustrate the difference between sound, noise, and tone. App used: Audio Kit
Patrik Vogt and Jochen Kuhn
Using a device’s accelerometer, the radial acceleration of a merry-go-round is measured and analyzed. In the lab, the relationship between radial acceleration, radius, and tangential velocity can be explored. App used: SPARKvue or Accelogger
Patrik Gabriel and Udo Backhaus
In combination with a phone’s built-in GPS receiver and Google Earth, especially the elevation profiles provided by the latter, kinematics values can be taken for motion over long distances. An example is given of a longboarding descent, comparing speed changes to elevation changes. Apps used: Google Earth, built-in GPS apps
Oliver Schwarz, Patrik Vogt and Jochen Kuhn
The audio of a ball bouncing is recorded. The change in energy of the noise for each successive bounce is used to infer the coefficient of restitution of the ball. Using this, and the time between bounces, it is possible to obtain acceleration due to gravity. Apps used: Oscilloscope, or alternatively, Audacity
Lars-Jochen Thoms, Giuseppe Colicchia and Raimund Girwidz
Diffraction lenses are used to view colours produced on a smartphone, to see how the LCD display used primary colour addition to make colourful images. App used: Any graphical software
Sara Orsola Parolin and Giovanni Pezzi
Using two smartphones, the time between acoustic signal sent and received is used to determine the speed of sound in several different gases. App used: Acoustic Ruler Pro
Asif Shakur and Taylor Sinatra
The gyroscope in a smartphone records data as the phone spins along with a rotating platform. A weight is dropped on the platform and the data is analyzed with reference to angular momentum and rotational kinetic energy. App used: xSensor
Jochen Kuhn, Patrik Vogt and Andreas Müller
The side-to-side motion of an elevator is recorded and compared to the estimated length of the elevator cable, modeling the elevator as a pendulum. App used: SPARKvue or Accelogger
Patrik Vogt and Jochen Kuhn
Elastic, inelastic, and partly inelastic collisions are investigated using smartphones in place of typical accelerometer. App used: SPARKvue or Accelogger
Martín Monteiro, Cecilia Cabeza and Arturo C. Marti
Using a gyroscope, the rotation of a bicycle wheel is characterized. Rotational energy and angular momentum are considered. App used: AndroSensor
Jochen Kuhn, Patrik Vogt and Michael Hirth
The beat phenomenon is explored by producing two tones of slightly different frequencies using smartphone speakers and recorded using a smartphone microphone. App used: Oscilloscope and Audio Kit
Martín Monteiro, Cecilia Cabeza, Arturo C. Marti, Patrik Vogt and Jochen Kuhn
A smartphone is mounted to a merry-go-round, and radial acceleration is recorded during rotational motion. The relationship between acceleration and angular velocity is explored, and kinematics equations are verified. App used: Unspecified
Nadji, Taoufik
Phys. Teach. 50, 307 (2012); 10.1119/1.3703551
The instructor drops an iPad from the top of a stairwell, and students catch it two flights below using a blanket. The concept of zero acceleration is explored, with attention given to reference frames. App used: AccelGraph
Richard P. Hechter;
Students stage and film the shooting of a hockey puck. It is modeled as a projectile and LoggerPro video analysis is performed. App used: LoggerPro
Sándor Egri and Lóránt Szabó
A cart is attached to springs on either side and allowed to oscillate as governed by Hooke’s law. A smartphone is fixed to the cart and records the acceleration data. App used: a program developed by the authors. However, any accelerometer app will work
Marcus Meißner and Hendrik Haertig
The International Space Station can be filmed using the camera in a smartphone. Based on how long the ISS is in view, its orbital speed can be calculated. It is also possible to estimate the height of the ISS above the surface of the Earth. App used: Built in camera
Jochen Kuhn, Alexander Molz, Sebastian Gröber and Jan Frübis
Three distinct investigations relating to light are explained: the inverse-square law of power, absorption, and decay. App used: RadioactivityCounter
Martín Monteiro,
Patrik Vogt,
Cecilia Stari,
Cecilia Cabeza,
Arturo C. Marti
arXiv:1512.01511
A smartphone is mounted to a drone and flown upwards several hundred feet, recording atmospheric data on the way. Combined with data taken from commercial cruising altitude, this is compared to atmospheric models. App used: AndroSensor
Exploring G-force with Physics Toolbox
Of my design, this activity is a quick introduction to get students used to the accelerometer app and the reference frame of the phone.
