Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Opportunities In Physics Education: Low-Cost Position Tracking For Use In Kinematics Labs, Paul R. Destefano, Cora Siebert, Roberto Perez-Franco, Thomas Allen, Gabriel Mukobi, Ralf Widenhorn

Student Research Symposium

Traditional introductory physics kinematics laboratories utilized a few different instruments for locating objects in motion, all of which have shortcomings. Some provide only timing data, which heavily restricts trajectories and data collection. Some instruments provide more measurements but restrict object shapes, orientations, and textures. Still others require extensive pre-processing. None of these traditional instruments provide two- or three-dimensional position data. New, low-cost, local positioning technology, based on radio frequency wireless communications, is available that enables novel redesigns of physics laboratories. This technology provides two- and three-dimensional position measurements, continuously, at data rates of 10 Hz or faster, from any object …