With any piece of technology, there exists a learning curve where students need time to adjust to the ways in which the device works. If you struggle with having enough time for lab, it may be advantageous to have students learn how to operate one set of equipment and use that equipment as much as possible. In this article a unique application for the use of a motion detector is presented for measuring the thermal coefficient of expansion for a material. This lab involves using probeware to measure the temperature and change in length of a material. By the end of the lab, students make conclusions about the coefficient of linear expansion and heat capacity.
References
1.
N. G.
Holmes
and D. A.
Bonn
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,” Phys. Teach.
53
, 352
–355
(Sept.
2015
).2.
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Avett
, Alison Diehl
Ryan
, Leslie P.
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, and David G.
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,” Phys. Teach.
35
, 174
–175
(March
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).Additional Reading
Tom
Lough
and David
Gibson
, “Obtaining the length and width of a rotating box with a motion detector
,” Phys. Teach.
39
, 540
–544
(Dec.
2001
).Jonathan
Mitschele
, “Protecting your motion detector
,” Phys. Teach.
32
, 467
(Nov.
1994
).© 2018 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2018
American Association of Physics Teachers
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