Teaching resources
Lessons
Most lessons require minimal resources other than the smartphone, and are relevant to introductory physics in high school and college.
All lessons
62 lessons Linear Motion · Accelerometer Acceleration Due to Gravity What is the acceleration due TO gravity near the surface of the Earth? Fluids · Barometer Air Pressure in a Balloon What is the relationship between pressure and radius of an inflated rubber balloon? Earth & Space · Light · Light Meter Albedo How does light reflection and absorption influence climate change? Earth & Space · Biology · Sound · Sound Meter Ambient Noise How loud is my environment? Circular Motion · Accelerometer · Roller Coaster Amusement Park Physics Measure g-forces, acceleration, and circular motion on a variety of amusement park rides. Sound · Tone Generator Beats What is the relationship between two frequencies played at once and the observed beat? Chemistry · Light · Light Meter Beer's Law What is the relationship between solute concentration and light absorption? Light · Light Meter Binary Messages with Light How can information be conveyed via digital signals? Circular Motion · Accelerometer Centripetal Acceleration and Tangential Velocity What is the relationship between centripetal acceleration and tangential velocity? Measurement · Earth & Space · Inclinometer · GPS Circumference of the Earth What is the circumference of the Earth? Biology · Light · Color Generator Color by Addition What do projected colors of light look like when mixed? Earth & Space · Light · Color Generator Color by Reflection What do pigmented objects look like under monochromatic lights? Light · Color Generator Color by Subtraction What colors of light get absorbed by various filters? Linear Motion · Sound Meter Describing Acceleration with a Tin Pan What is the relationship between the position of objects and the time they take to fall? Linear Motion · Accelerometer · GPS Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration What is the vertical displacement traveled during an elevator ride? Earth & Space · Magnetism · Magnetometer Earth's Magnetic Field Which way does the earth's magnetic field point at my latitude and longitude? Earth & Space · Light · Light Meter Eclipses, Transits, and Exoplanet Detection How do astronomers detect exoplanets? Electromagnetism · Magnetometer Electromagnetism and Helmholtz Coil What is the relationship between current and magnetic field magnitude in three dimensions? Electromagnetism · Accelerometer · Magnetometer Electromagnetism and the Bio-Savart Law What is the value of permeability OF free space? Electromagnetism · Compass Electromagnetism and the Oersted Effect What is the relationship between current and magnetic field deflection? Earth & Space · Magnetism · Energy · Magna-AR · Accelerometer Energy in Magnetic Fields and Solar Flares Where does energy "go" when magnets and their fields interact? Sound · Tone Generator Forced Resonance of Sound How many harmonics can be created in a straw? Forces · g-Force Meter · Inclinometer Forces on an Inclined Plane What is the relationship between the incline angle and forces on an object placed on an inclined plane? Linear Motion · g-Force Meter G-"Forces" Under what circumstances do g-forces read "0" in all dimensions? Why? Measurement · Periodic Motion · Biology · Accelerometer Gait Patterns What is the relationship between the height and gait frequency for walking humans? Linear Motion · Fluids · Barometer Gas Pressure and Speed in an Elevator What is the speed of an elevator shaft? Sound · Spectrum Analyzer Harmonics What is the relationship frequency and harmonic number? Magnetism · Magnetometer Identifying Permanent Magnets What kinds of common metals can be permanent magnets? Forces · Accelerometer Impulse in Collisions How well do different materials decrease the force OF impact between two objects? Periodic Motion · Accelerometer Inertial Balance What is the relationship between mass and period of an oscillating inertial balance? Sound · Sound Meter · Tone Generator Interference What is the relationship between position between two sound sources and intensity? Intro to Sensors Introduction to Smartphone Sensors What sensors are available in a smartphone, and what do they measure? Intro to Sensors Introduction to Smartphones as a Teaching Tool What are some examples physics topics that can be taught with smartphones? Fluids · Barometer Investigating Elements of Bernoulli's Principle What is the relationship between pressure and depth below the surface of a liquid? Light · Light Meter Light Intensity What is the relationship between the light intensity and distance from a point source of light? Earth & Space · Fluids · Barometer Liquid Pressure and Stevin's Law What is the relationship between pressure and depth below the surface of a liquid? Circular Motion · Accelerometer Locating an Accelerometer with Circular Motion Where is the accelerometer located in my smartphone? Magnetism · Magnetometer Magnetic Field Intensity What is the relationship between the magnetic field strength and the distance from a magnetic "point source"? Magnetism · Magnetometer Magnetic Poles Where are the poles of a bar magnet? A horseshoe magnet? A spherical or irregular magnet? Linear Motion · Barometer Measuring Height and Displacement with Air Pressure What is the relationship between the pressure and height above ground? Earth & Space · Fluids · Barometer Measuring Height and Vertical Speed with Air Pressure What is the relationship between the pressure and height above ground? Measurement · Inclinometer Measuring Heights What is the height of any structure? Linear Motion · Motion Visualizer Motion Mapping with Your iPhone How can motion be represented on position vs. time graphs? Sound · Tone Detector Natural Resonance of Sound What is the relationship between resonant frequency of a bottle and the length of the resonating air column? (or the properties of a resonating rod?) Sound · Tone Detector · Spectrum Analyzer Natural Scale What is the relationship frequency and note number in the natural scale? Forces · Accelerometer Newton's Laws with an Atwood's Machine What is the relationship between mass, net force, and acceleration for an object? Forces · Accelerometer Newton's Laws with an Elevator Ride How does the normal force on my body change during an elevator ride? Biology · Sound · Sound Meter Noise Insulators What types of materials block out sound waves? Periodic Motion · Proximeter Pendula and Periods of Oscillation What is the relationship between length, mass, and period of a simple pendulum? Earth & Space · Magnetism · Magna-AR · Accelerometer Planetary Magnetism What do magnetic fields look like around planets? Light · Light Meter · Inclinometer Polarized Light and Malus' Law What is the relationship between light intensity and angle for polarized light observed through a polarizer? Periodic Motion · Energy · Circular Motion · Accelerometer Potential and Kinetic Energy of a Pendulum What is the relationship between potential energy and kinetic energy of a simple pendulum? Measurement · Ruler Precision and Accuracy What is the precision of our measurement tools? Earth & Space · Light · Light Meter Seasons and Flux What causes the seasons? Measurement · Earth & Space · Accelerometer Seismic Vibrations What is the relationship between seismic vibration strength and distance from the "epicenter" of the shake? Chemistry · Light · Color Detector Solute Concentration and Color Intensity What is the relationship between solute concentration and color? Sound · Sound Meter · Tone Generator Sound Intensity What is the relationship between the sound intensity and distance from a point source of sound? Periodic Motion · Accelerometer Spring Systems What is the relationship between effective spring constant and spring systems (series/parallel)? Periodic Motion · Accelerometer Springs and Period of Oscillation What is the relationship between mass and period of an oscillating spring? Sound · Tone Generator Surface Waves and Couder Spheres What do physical waves look like? Biology · Sound · Oscilloscope Waveforms Produced by Sound What kind of waveforms are representative of high/low pitch and high/low volume? Sound · Tone Generator · Oscilloscope What is the speed of sound in air? Speed of Sound in Air