Smartphones in Physics and Engineering Education

Dr. Shakur “Doc”Taylor Sinatra

And the $1 Billion Winner is …

Smart … Very Smart!

• Compelling piece of technology• Microprocessor and Operating System• Haptic System (Touchscreen)• Array of sensors included• Three-axis accelerometer• Gyroscope• Gaussmeter (Magnetometer)• TRRS Headphone input / output• Microphones• Speakers

Monkey See … Monkey Do!

Gotcha!

Antisymmetric Tracks … and the winner is?

Symmetry-breaking in Classical Physics

Atwood’s Machine

• Measure gravity by “slowing it down”

• Measured by hanging two slightly different masses and reading the acceleration

Atwood’s Machine

• Smartphone is placed in a plastic bag

• App measures the acceleration

• Data compared to theory

• 99% accurate

Acceleration App

• Today is your lucky day!

• Everybody in the audience gets it FREE!

Centripetal Acceleration Lab

• The phone is placed on a turntable and the app is run

• a = mv2 /r

20th Century 21st Century

Frequency and Oscilloscope

Android Bluetooth Remote for Lego Mindstorm NXT

Quantum Mystery

THE Book!

MIT App Inventor

• App Inventor is Free• Simple pre-coded blocks make it relatively

easy to use

Blocks Editor

Future Exploration

• Smartphones have become indispensable• Ideas for future laboratories

– Oscilloscope and Signalscope App– Gaussmeter for magnetic fields– Gyroscope for angular speed

• Smartphones can reduce lab budget significantly• Students are excited about using smartphones

Android Emulator on the PC

Install App

That’s All Folks …