Using Smartphones to Innovate Laboratories in Introductory Physics Courses

Authors

E. Bernardini, University of Padua
M. Carli, University of PaduaFollow
M.Y. Elkhashab, University of Padua
Andrea Ferroglia, CUNY New York City College of TechnologyFollow
Miguel C. N. Fiolhais, CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community CollegeFollow
L. Gabelli, University of Padua
H. Jessen Munch, University of Padua
Darya Krym, CUNY New York City College of TechnologyFollow
P. Mastrolia, University of Padua
Giovanni Ossola, CUNY New York City College of TechnologyFollow
O. Pantano, University of Padua
J. Postiglione, CUNY New York City College of TechnologyFollow
J.S. Poveda Correa, CUNY New York City College of Technology
C. Sirignano, University of Padua
F. Soramel, University of Padua

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2024

Abstract

The SmartPhysics project involved two higher education institutions, one in Italy and one in the US, with the aim of exploring the use of smartphones for laboratory experiments in introductory Physics courses. Here we present and discuss two experiments that were developed in the project: the pendulum experiment, consisting in the measurement of the gravitational constant using a proximity stopwatch, and the ‘bouncing ball’ experiment, aimed at measuring the energy lost in inelastic collisions with a hard surface. Both experiments were tested with the students in the academic year 2021-22. Our results and didactical reflections contain suggestions for the use of smartphone-based experiments in university settings, in comparison with traditional experiments and considering the specificities of different contexts.

Comments

This article was originally published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series, available at https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2750/1/012014

This work is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License (CC BY 3.0).