Related papers: The Bat Signal
Although the observation of optical spectra is common practice in physics classes, students are usually limited to a passive, qualitative observation of nice colours. This article discusses a diffraction-based spectrometer that allows…
We present a new simple experimental setup for demonstrating beat phenomenon. We have combined two amplitude-modulated light beams on a solar cell using two smartphones as signal generators and a third smartphone as an oscilloscope to…
This article describes an exemplary robot exercise which was conducted in a class for mechatronics students. The goal of this exercise was to engage students in scientific thinking and reasoning, activities which do not always play an…
Optics is an important subfield of physics required for instrument design and used in a variety of other disciplines, including materials science, physics, and life sciences such as developmental biology and cell biology. It is important to…
We describe four classical undergraduate physics experiments that were done with everyday objects and low-cost sensors: mechanical oscillations, transmittance of light through a slab of matter, beam deformation under load, and thermal…
Mechanics and electronic systems can be applied to the physical models to understand the physical phenomena for students in laboratory. In this paper we have developed a robot arm for a laboratory experiment, where students learn how to…
Science teaching in secondary schools is often abstract for students. Even if some experiments can be conducted in classrooms, mainly for chemistry or some physics fields, mathematics is not an experimental science. Teachers have to…
We study simultaneous localization and mapping with a device that uses reflections to measure its distance from walls. Such a device can be realized acoustically with a synchronized collocated source and receiver; it behaves like a bat with…
In this paper, we demonstrate a low-cost method to measure the speed of light. It uses instruments which are readily available in any undergraduate laboratory in a developing country and some components which are inexpensive. The method is…
We have created a simple, portable, low-cost setup allowing the students and teachers to experiment with and discuss electromagnetic induction in a safe way, using low currents. The simplicity and portability make these activities well…
Parallax is the most important astronomical method for determining the distances from the Earth to nearby stars. We present two hands-on activities that explore the concepts and practice of parallax measurement. The first activity is a…
The present work describes a website designed for remote teaching of optical measurements using lasers. It enables senior undergraduate and postgraduate students to learn theoretical aspects of the subject and also have a means to perform…
Sports are a popular and effective way to illustrate physics principles. Baseball in particular presents a number of opportunities to motivate student interest and teach concepts. Several articles have appeared in this journal on this…
Many species have evolved advanced non-visual perception while artificial systems fall behind. Radar and ultrasound complement camera-based vision but they are often too costly and complex to set up for very limited information gain. In…
The movements of birds, bats, and other flying species are governed by complex sensorimotor systems that allow the animals to react to stationary environmental features as well as to wind disturbances, other animals in nearby airspace, and…
We entertain the use of light dependent resistors as a viable option as measuring sensors in optics laboratory experiments or classroom demonstrations. The main advantages of theses devices are essentially very low cost, easy handling and…
Human eye tracking devices can help to investigate principles of processing visual information by humans. The attention focus movement during the gaze can be used for behavioural analysis of humans. In this work we describe our experimental…
In this paper, the use of cost-effective, custom home experiment kits for remote teaching of first-semester introductory physics labs is described. The kit experiments were designed to match the existing onsite lab experiment learning goals…
We propose to use transformation optics to generate a general illusion such that an arbitrary object appears to be like some other object of our choice. This is achieved by using a remote device that transforms the scattered light outside a…
Physlets are scriptable Java applets that can be used for physics instruction. In this article we discuss the pedagogical foundations of Physlet use and provide a sample of Physlet-based exercises that could be used to teach optics.