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Smart Physics Laboratory
The Smart Physics laboratory experiments have been designed to introduce the students to two new methods of data collection and performing experiments to test and verify physical principles.
1. Using a digital camera to record videos in slow motion which allows us to observe objects moving at high speed.
2. Using a smartphone's built-in inertial motion sensors to acquire data
Click here to download a primer introducing both methods of data acquisition and a general overview of the data processing steps involved.
Click here to download the presentation introducing Smart Physics Lab in the National Laboratory Immersion Program 2014.
Motivational Examples:
1. The video for a coin revolving and precessing (as shown in the banner above). The total time elapsed was 4.304 seconds.
2. The acceleration data for an elevator as recorded by placing the smartphone on the floor of the car.
3. Tracking the kinematics of a fruitfly using tracking based on difference between consecutive frames.
Contents |
Spring Pendulum (5.1)
| Student's Manual | Oscillations are a commonly observed physical phenomenon. In this experiment, we will use video analysis and a smartphone’s built-in accelerometer to record acceleration data. The two data sets will be obtained separately and then correlated to demonstrate the reliability of both methods in quantitative analysis. |
| MATLAB Files | Click here to download the package |
| Sample Results | Video Analysis: Displacement, Velocity, Acceleration |
| Accelerometer Data: Raw Accelerometer Data/Region of Interest, Fitted Acceleration data | |
| Essential Reading | Physics for Engineers and Scientists : Extended 3rd Edition by Ohanian, H.C. and Markert, J.T. (W.W. Norton and Company, 2007), Sections 15.1 and 15.2 |
Sliding Friction (5.2)
| Student's Manual | Friction is a very important concept. Without friction, it would not be possible for us to walk or drive cars. However, friction is also the cause of energy loss and we would like to reduce it for higher efficiency in machines. In this experiment, we will study the forces of friction when an object is stationary and in motion using video analysis and a smartphone's built-in accelerometer. We will then correlate the results and determine the relative effectiveness of these methods. |
| Matlab Files | Click here to download the package |
| Sample Results | Video Analysis: Region of Interest, Displacement, Velocity |
| Accelerometer Data: Raw Accelerometer Data | |
| Essential Reading | Physics for Engineers and Scientists : Extended 3rd Edition by Ohanian, H.C. and Markert, J.T. (W.W. Norton and Company, 2007), Sections 5.1-5.6 and 6.1 |
Colliding Pucks on a Carrom Board (5.3)
| Student's Manual | Collisions are ubiquitous in nature. They occur at microscopic levels between elementary particles as well as at grander scales when galaxies collide, merge and scatter. In all such processes, the linear momentum of the complete system is always conserved. In this experiment, we will study the collision of two pucks on a carrom board using video motion analysis. We will show that the law of conservation of momentum holds in random 2-D collisions and determine the type of collision through quantitative analysis. |
| Matlab Files | Click here to download the package |
| Sample Results | Video Analysis: Identifying the frame of collision, Region of Interest, Calculated Angles, Speeds of the extracted paths |
| Essential Reading | Physics for Engineers and Scientists : Extended 3rd Edition by Ohanian, H.C. and Markert, J.T. (W.W. Norton and Company, 2007), Sections 11.1-11.4 |
Analyzing Simple Pendulum Phenomenon (5.4)
| Student's Manual | The motion of the simple pendulum has been studied for centuries. The most common outcome of this classic experiment is to determine time period of the oscillation or the value of acceleration due to gravity. In this experiment, we will go a step further to study and analyse the underlying physical quantities like angular displacement, velocities and acceleration. The results will then be verified by correlating with acceleration data obtained from the smartphone. |
| Matlab Files | Click here to download the package |
| Sample Results | Video Analysis: Tracking Results, Angular Displacement, Angular Velocity and Acceleration, Centripetal Acceleration, Tangential Acceleration |
| Accelerometer Data: Tangential Acceleration | |
| Essential Reading | Physics for Engineers and Scientists : Extended 3rd Edition by Ohanian, H.C. and Markert, J.T. (W.W. Norton and Company, 2007), Sections 12.2-12.4 and 15.1-15.4 |
