Teaching Physics with a Smartphone:
Abstract: The ubiquity and advanced capabilities of modern smartphones offer an unprecedented opportunity to transform physics education. This article explores how the suite of integrated sensors, computational power, and user-friendly interfaces of smartphones can be leveraged to create engaging, hands-on learning experiences across various physics domains. By connecting theoretical concepts to real-world phenomena that students can investigate using their own devices, smartphone-based experiments foster deeper understanding, enhance scientific inquiry skills, and have the potential to democratise access to high-quality STEM education.
Keywords: Physics Education, Smartphones, Mobile Learning, Sensors, Experimentation, STEM Education.
1. Introduction
Economic prosperity and national security are increasingly reliant on global leadership in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and literacy. Providing a robust foundation in science and engineering for all students is crucial for fostering innovation, creating high-quality jobs, and enabling informed participation in a democratic society. However, despite significant investment and repeated calls for improvement, the STEM education enterprise in many nations no longer sets the global standard. Novel approaches are needed to fully engage diverse talent, accelerate learning, and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Revolutionary change in one field is often catalysed by innovation in another. In this context, the remarkable advancements in microelectronics and communication technologies have placed unprecedented measurement and analysis capabilities in the hands of every student through the smartphone. This sets the stage for a fundamental shift in high school STEM education. The array of sensors, computational analysis power, and real-time visualisation features on a smartphone can revolutionise the student learning experience by utilising a device with which they are already proficient.
2. Smartphones as Mobile Physics Laboratories
Common smartphones are equipped with a sophisticated suite of sensors, including a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, 3-axis magnetometer, barometric pressure transducer, microphone, speaker system, satellite navigation system, high-resolution optical video cameras, and high-resolution timers. These tools, combined with exceptional computational power and user-friendly graphical interfaces, enable extraordinary new approaches to hands-on student experimentation and discovery, surpassing what was conceivable just a decade ago. Smartphone technology is particularly well-suited for learning the scientific method and engineering practices through physics experiments.
The widespread adoption of this approach is facilitated by the unprecedented accessibility of smartphones to students. Globally, the number of smartphone users reached 6.6 billion in October 2022, and a recent report indicates that 95% of high school students have access to a smartphone, irrespective of their demographics. This broad availability has the potential to democratise physics education to a level exceeding that currently offered by even the most elite learning institutions, allowing every student to participate in this technology-enabled revolution.
3. Exploring Motion with Smartphone Sensors and Video Analysis
Smartphones offer versatile tools for investigating kinematics and motion. The 3-axis accelerometer can be used to measure acceleration during various movements, such as elevator rides or arm extensions, allowing students to visualise and quantitatively analyse the associated physics. Numerical integration of acceleration data enables the calculation of velocity and displacement. Furthermore, the gyroscope facilitates the study of rotational motion, providing precise measurements of angular velocity and displacement. Experiments involving centripetal acceleration and the relationship between angular velocity can also be conducted using a rotating smartphone. Even subtle vibrations associated with the cardiac cycle can be detected using the sensitive accelerometer, demonstrating multidisciplinary applications.
Beyond direct sensor measurements, video analysis, also known as Video Movement Analysis Using Smartphones (ViMAS), offers another powerful approach to studying motion. This involves capturing video sequences of moving objects and analysing them frame-by-frame to extract position data over time. The primary educational benefit of this technique lies in its ability to empower students to conduct a complete scientific analysis using the tools they already possess. The process typically involves selecting a situation, creating a video, pointing to track the motion, and analysing the data. This hands-on approach fosters curiosity, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and technical understanding. Applications like FizziQ, a free application for smartphones and tablets, facilitate pointing, calculation of kinematic variables, and data analysis. Video analysis can be used to investigate a wide range of phenomena, from the physics of sports to fundamental concepts like uniform movement, free fall, pendulum motion, parabolic trajectories, uniform circular motion, and oscillations. Creating a good video for motion analysis, which includes stabilising the camera and ensuring proper framing, is a crucial and rewarding part of the learning process. Various software options are available for video analysis, including free tools like Tracker and FizziQ, as well as paid options like Logger Pro and Vernier Video Physics.
Furthermore, the satellite navigation system (GNSS) in smartphones allows students to directly measure their latitude and longitude coordinates, enabling the precise determination of their position over time. This capability opens avenues for investigating motion during walks or other activities, allowing for the calculation of displacement, distance, velocity, and speed, and providing a practical context for understanding vectors and scalars.
4. Investigating Sound with the Smartphone Microphone
The microphone integrated into smartphones provides a versatile tool for exploring acoustic phenomena. Vibrating bodies generate air pressure fluctuations that propagate as sound waves, and smartphones equipped with suitable apps can capture and analyse these fluctuations. It is possible to differentiate between four types of sound waves: tone, sound, noise, and bang, with clear physical distinctions between « tone » and « sound » from a physics perspective. Experiments using tuning forks and musical instruments can be conducted, with data captured and displayed using apps like Audio Kit for iOS systems. The captured data can be viewed directly on the smartphone or exported for further analysis.
Smartphones can also function as sound spectrum analysers, capable of performing real-time Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to analyse sound. This allows students to investigate the frequency components of various sounds. The Helmholtz resonator is another acoustic phenomenon that can be explored using smartphones, with studies using even a bottle of tea as a universal Helmholtz resonator. Apps like Phyphox also offer audio amplitude sensors that can be used for sound experiments. Calibration of the audio sensor is important to ensure readings align with the standard decibel scale. Calibration can be done using a separate decibel meter or by using the known sound level of a quiet room as a reference. Students can apply their understanding of sound and resonances to investigate the properties of solid objects through resonance acoustic spectroscopy by analysing the sound waves produced when objects are gently tapped.
5. Exploring Other Physics Domains with Smartphones
The capabilities of smartphones extend to various other domains of physics:
- Magnetism: The 3-axis magnetometer enables accurate measurement of the Earth’s magnetic field and the investigation of magnetic fields produced by dipole magnets, current-carrying wires, and coils. Students can verify the « right-hand rule » and even explore the principles of magnetic storage using nails and a magnet.
- Optics: The light sensor and orientation sensor can be used simultaneously to verify fundamental laws about the nature of light, such as the polarisation of light and Malus’ Law. The phone’s display can serve as a light source for studying colour addition, and the camera, combined with a simple lens, can create a magnifier to investigate electronic displays. Reflectance spectroscopy experiments can be conducted using the phone’s flashlight and camera to measure blood volume variations.
- Pressure: The barometric pressure transducer allows for the measurement of atmospheric pressure changes, enabling experiments to determine height and speed, such as measuring vertical velocities of elevators and stairways.
- Collisions and Energy: By analysing the sound produced by a bouncing ball using the microphone, students can precisely measure the timing of collisions and investigate the details of the ball’s motion and energy conservation laws. The accelerometer can also be used to measure mechanical vibrations resulting from collisions.
- Simple Harmonic Motion: The accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer can be used to measure small displacements associated with various types of simple harmonic motion, such as a mass on a spring or a pendulum.
6. Benefits and Impact on Physics Education
Utilising smartphones in physics education offers numerous pedagogical advantages. The hands-on nature of smartphone-based experiments engages students in discovery through active participation. By using devices they are already familiar with, students can seamlessly integrate technology into their learning. This approach can make abstract physics concepts more tangible and relatable, fostering a deeper understanding of fundamental principles. The ability to conduct experiments in various settings, including non-traditional places like playgrounds and gyms, enhances the connection between physics and everyday life.
Furthermore, smartphone-based learning promotes scientific inquiry skills as students are involved in all stages of the investigation, from choosing the subject to analysing the data. The immediate feedback and visualisation capabilities of smartphone apps can stimulate lively discussions and collaborative projects. The accessibility of smartphones has the potential to democratise physics education, providing equitable access to high-quality STEM learning resources regardless of students’ demographics or economic status.
7. Challenges and Supporting Implementation
Despite the immense potential, successful integration of smartphones into physics education requires addressing certain challenges. A shortage of qualified physics teachers and the need for high-quality curriculum that effectively leverages smartphone technology are significant hurdles. To address these, initiatives such as the development of freely available inquiry-based learning materials and teacher training programs are crucial. Platforms like Phyphox provide a wide range of experiments and tools, along with support for educators.
8. Conclusion
The integration of smartphones into physics education represents a significant opportunity to create a sea change in how students learn and engage with STEM fields. By harnessing the power of these ubiquitous devices, educators can provide hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences that connect physics to the real world, foster deeper understanding, and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. Continued development of high-quality curriculum and support for educators will be essential to fully realise the transformative potential of teaching physics with a smartphone.
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