Students will be using a wide variety of high quality equipment in their laboratory investigations.

Partial equipment list

Low-friction dynamics track and carts, constant-velocity car, ramps, bottle rocket launcher, mass set, spring scales, digital scale, motion detector, force sensors, photogates, springs, meter sticks, stopwatches, Newton’s cradle, light ray box, mirrors, lenses, periscope, laser, ripple tank, double-slit for interference of light, tuning forks, batteries, light bulbs, LEDs, wires, capacitors, hand-crank generator, multi-meters, magnets, compasses, electromagnets, pith balls, electrophorus, and materials to make a speaker, motor, and shaker flashlight.

Computer data collection and software

We will be also be using Vernier’s Logger Pro software, which enables students to use a computer to collect real-time data through various sensors (motion, force, light, microphone, voltage and current probes) and analyze the data using graphing and analysis tools.

Video analysis of spinning baseball bat, demonstrating parabolic trajectory of its center of mass

We can also import video clips and analyze motion by stepping through the motion one frame at a time, marking the location of the object and collecting data about its position every 1/30th of a second.

Free software for students

My license for Logger Pro includes all student computers, so your child will be able to install this software on a home computer and use it for data analysis outside of class!