Microcomputer as a Learning Tool in the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory

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The use of a computer as a laboratory instrument is fast becoming a standard within the undergraduate physics laboratory. It is important, however, that the computer not be used to merely mechanize data gathering and analysis, virtually replacing the student in the lab and leaving him as a passive agent. This project will develop innovative ways to use the computer to allow the student to have a deeper intellectual experience in the lab. Using commercially available computer interfaces, the students will be instructed in the use of the computer hardware and software. They will then be encouraged to devise variations of standard undergraduate physics labs using the computer to acquire the data and then to analyze the data. The computers will be interfaced with airtracks and photo- reflective sensors, as well as existing transducers and sensors. The grantee institution is matching the NSF award with an equal sum obtained from non-Federal sources.