Measuring g with a Smartphone: an experience of popular science

RAÚL URTEAGA; PABLO G. BOLCATTO; EMANUEL ELIZALDE

Cordoba

Conferencia; International Conference on Physics Education ICPE; 2014

We present here a proposal to use smartphones as a measurement instrument in several physics experiments. The results of a specific science outreach activity in a cycle of Cafes Scientifique organized by the Governmentof the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina and the experience of workshops and and talks in high school are shown here. In both activities, the phone is used as a multi-instrument in real experiments performed live during themeeting. The experimental objective is to obtain in different ways a value of the acceleration of gravity g. Multiples phone's sensors were used to measure time, distance, angles, acceleration and sound. All of themcombined can give different measures of g. In addition, the smartphone was set as a Wi-Fi router and the experimental data were sent to a workstation.Highlighting the capabilities that this device has as a scientific tool, curiosity, creativity and scientific spirit in the audience are strongly stimulated, which promote an enriching feedback.Additionally, it can be used to explain how such small units take advantage of centuries of knowledge and technological development on physics.This proposal invites people to do experiments with their own phones and to recognize the physical principles which are involved in the sensors inside these devices.