Innovative Use Of Digital Video Technology In Instructional Physics Laboratories

数字成像是一门在科学和工程领域有着广泛应用的新兴学科。我们将数字图像采集和处理作为整个实验课程的标准技术。在数字视频和微型计算机能力方面的最新进展使成像技术成为本科生物理实验室中获取数据和分析数据的强大且经济高效的新工具。现在有了价格低廉的系统，可以将全动态数字视频以实时视频速率直接捕获到计算机磁盘上。我们正在使用这些系统来改善我们的入门、现代物理和高级实验室的实验室教学。每个实验室站都联网，并配备了电视摄像机、视频采集硬件和一台能够处理和显示视频图像的计算机。在介绍性实验室中，这些系统被用来研究运动、波动现象以及光学绕射和干涉。现场视频特别适合于定量运动研究，因为它能够捕捉和量化各种各样的现象，而不需要建造特殊的设备。使用视频，即使在轨迹无法预测的情况下，运动也可以比使用光门更完整地记录下来。对于先进的实验室，我们购买了教学扫描隧道显微镜(STM)和粉末相机，并使用数字图像处理技术开发实验，将原子结构图像(ATM)与电子和X射线衍射图进行比较。我们课程中成像硬件和软件的标准化使学生能够有效地培养技能，为他们与四名使用数字成像技术的教职员工进行研究做好准备。我们通过维护列表服务器和支持通过互联网的匿名文件传输(FTP)，使其他人可以使用全动态和静止帧图像和课程材料。

Digital Imaging is an emerging discipline with widespread applications in science and engineering. We are introducing digital image acquisition and processing as standard techniques throughout our laboratory curriculum. Recent advances in digital video and in the power of microcomputers have made imaging technology a powerful and cost-effective new tool for data acquisition and analysis in undergraduate physics laboratories. Inexpensive systems are now available which can capture full-motion digital video directly to computer disk at live video rates. We are using these systems to improve laboratory instruction in our introductory, modern physics, and advanced laboratories. Each laboratory station is being networked and equipped with a television camera, video acquisition hardware, and a computer capable of processing and displaying video images. In the introductory laboratory these systems are being used to study motion, wave phenomena and optical diffraction and interference. Live video is especially well suited for the quantitative motion studies since it is capable of capturing and quantifying a wide variety of phenomena without the construction of special apparatus. With video, motion is recorded far more completely than is possible with photogates even when trajectories cannot be predicted. For advanced laboratories we have purchased an instructional scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and a powder camera and develop experiments using digital image processing techniques to compare images of atomic structures (ATM) with electron and x-ray diffraction patterns. Standardization of imaging hardware and software across our curriculum allows students to build skills efficiently, preparing them for research with four faculty members who use digital imaging techniques. We make full-motion and still frame images and curricular materials available to others by maintaining a listserver and supporting anonymous file transfers (FTP) via the Internet.