University College Irish Science Teachers’ Cork Association

Eol-Oidí na hÉireann

The Use of Datalogging in Teaching Physics and Chemistry in

Second-Level Schools in Ireland.REPORT SUBMITTED TO

THE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION AND

THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE.

The National Centre forTechnology in Education.

Authors:

Declan Kennedy, Seán Finn,Lecturer in Science Education, Science Teacher, Department of Education, Coláiste an Phiarsaigh, University College, Gleann Maghair,Cork. Corcaigh.

August 2000

NCTE / DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE SCHOOLS INTEGRATION PROJECT (SIP)

Datalogging in Science

Table of Contents

Page

Acknowledgements (ii)Executive Summary (iii)

Chapter 1 Introduction1.1 The elements of datalogging 1 1.2 The development of datalogging 5 1.3 The advantages of datalogging in science teaching 6

Chapter 2 Datalogging in Ireland-The SIP Project 2.1 The National Centre for Technology in Education and SIP 122.2 Setting up the datalogging project 162.3 Aims of the project 18 2.4 Teacher training 18 2.5 Purchase and class testing of equipment 202.6 Implementation in schools 21 2.7 Project dissemination 24

Chapter 3 Project Evaluation and Equipment Evaluation 3.1 Monitoring of progress 28 3.2 Datalogging in the school laboratory 303.3 Evaluation of the effectiveness of datalogging technology in

science teaching 33 3.4 Evaluation of the effectiveness of various brands of datalogging equipment 35

Chapter 4 Conclusions and Recommendations 4.1 Main Findings 38 4.2 Recommendations 41

Bibliography 44

Appendix I List of sensors required for Leaving Certificate physics 47Appendix II List of sensors required for Leaving Certificate chemistry 48Appendix III Recommended computer specifications 49Appendix IV Schools involved in datalogging project 50Appendix V Specifications of physics sensors required 51Appendix VI Specifications of chemistry sensors required 54

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We wish to thank the National Centre for Technology in Education for providing the funding to enable the project to be carried out. A special word of thanks to Mr. Seamus Knox, National SIP Co-ordinator for his enthusiastic support of the project and for his hard work to ensure the success of the project.

We are extremely grateful to Dr. Colm O’Sullivan, Department of Physics UCC, for his expert guidance and advice throughout the project and for providing the laboratory facilities to enable the training of teachers to take place. Sincere thanks to the technical staff of the Department of Physics and Department of Chemistry UCC for the invaluable back-up service provided.

We wish to thank Dr. Francis Douglas, Head of Education, UCC and his predecessor Professor Áine Hyland for their enthusiastic support of this project from its early stages right through to its completion. The facilities of the Department of Education UCC were invaluable in the support and administration of the project.

We wish to acknowledge the tremendous work done by the physics and chemistry teachers who participated in the project. Their infectious enthusiasm and total commitment generated the momentum which led to the successful conclusion of the project. We also wish to thank the principals of the schools that participated in the project. Without their co-operation it would not have been possible to carry out any of the work involved.

We wish to thank Hannah Joyce, Administrative Officer of the Department of Education UCC for administrating the funding from the NCTE. Thanks also to Claire Dooley and Carol McAuliffe, Education Department UCC for assistance in various matters.

We wish to acknowledge the assistance of those companies who provided training courses in various brands of datalogging equipment. Without their assistance it would not have been possible to carry out the comprehensive investigation outlined in this report.

We are very grateful to our sponsors Siemens for providing computers and Esat Telecom for providing funding.

We wish to thank Mr. Jim Quinlan for his assistance in proofreading the final report.

We wish to acknowledge the support provided by Mary O’Leary, IT co-ordinator for the Cork region, and for her assistance in various ways.

Last but not least, a special word of thanks to Mr. Seamus McManus, Chairman Irish Science Teachers’ Association, and to our many colleagues in the Irish Science Teachers’ Association for their advice and expertise in various areas.

Declan Kennedy Sean Finn

ii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Datalogging is the collection and storage of information. In the past, this was done manuallybut modern technology is now able to perform this task. Computer datalogging has been used in teaching science in number of countries since the 1980s. However, it has not yet established a place in science education in Irish second-level schools. One of the reasons for the setting up of the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) was as a result of the concern expressed by many educationalists and industrialists that Ireland was not keeping pace with other countries in the use of technology in education.

The Department of Education UCC in co-operation with the Irish Science Teachers’ Association carried out a research project under the Schools Integration Project (SIP) to answer the following two research questions:

1. How effective is datalogging in teaching physics and chemistry at second level?

2. What is the most suitable datalogging system for Irish second-level schools?

The project was funded by the NCTE. Twelve pilot schools were selected, six to investigate datalogging in physics and six to investigate datalogging in chemistry. A number of training courses for the teachers were conducted in UCC using different types of datalogging equipment available. Of the various systems studied, three commercial brands of equipmentwere selected for further evaluation and class testing in schools.

The project was evaluated by means of school visits, classroom observations, interviews with teachers and questionnaires. It was found that the datalogging equipment was of enormousbenefit in the teaching of physics and chemistry. Teachers were unanimous in recommendingthe Pasco datalogging system as the most suitable one for the curriculum in Ireland.

This report recommends that all second-level schools in Ireland should be supplied with Pasco datalogging equipment in physics and in chemistry. It is vital that all schools should receive the same brand of equipment to facilitate in-service training, production of support materials, assessment in examinations, etc. In addition, all schools should be supplied with a data projector suitable for this datalogging equipment.

Funding should be provided by the NCTE for the production of laboratory manuals to accompany the datalogging equipment and specifically written for the new Leaving Certificate syllabi in physics and chemistry. Further research should be undertaken in conjunction with the NCTE to establish the most appropriate teaching methodology for science teachers to maximise the benefits of this new technology in the school laboratory.

iii

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The elements of datalogging

The central features of practical activity in science have always been observation and

measurement. Pupils are exposed to a variety of instruments that can observe and

measure. A collection of results is known as data. The results of observation and

measurement when processed are presented in graph and table form.

Modern computer technology can now assist this process of handling data. This process

is referred to as “datalogging”.

Research and industry have been using computer-aided datalogging for decades. Since

the 1980s the use of computers in US and UK schools has developed from being simply

an aid to teaching of mathematics, to being an indispensable past of the entire

curriculum. In science teaching this development has given rise to new approaches in

practical work.

The basic parts of a datalogging system are shown in Fig. 1.1.

INTERFACE BOX

Figure 1.1 The main parts of a datalogging system.

1

A brief description of each of these parts now follows.

1. Sensor

A sensor is a device that responds to some physical property of the environment.

Physical properties of the environment include temperature, pressure, light intensity,

sound, position, magnetic flux, voltage, current, etc.

Sensors detect variables in physical properties. The variation in the physical properties

is then converted into a voltage signal that is recognised by a device called an interface

box. A wide variety of sensors exist. A list of the sensors required for the teaching of

Leaving Certificate physics is given in Appendix I ( page 47) and a list of the sensors

required for teaching Leaving Certificate chemistry is given in Appendix II (page 48).

2. Interface box

A computer reads a digital signal only. The function of the interface box is to convert

the voltage signal of the sensor to a digital signal, which can be read by the computer.

An interface box is similar to a modem. The interface is connected to the computer via a

serial port of the computer. Serial communications are common with almost all types of

computer. Interface boxes are available with varying specifications. The quality of the

interface impacts on the quality of the data.

The interface box also provides a number of intelligent functions:

It can be programmed to collect data automatically. This is especially useful for

logging data over extended periods.

2

It contains its own memory for storing data. Therefore it can be used to log data

remotely, i.e. outside the school laboratory situation. The interface box is first

programmed with instructions (e.g. frequency of data collection) while still attached

to the computer. Logging can be activated by the press of a button, and stopped just

as easily. When the experiment is complete, the interface is re-connected to the

computer, and data is transferred to the memory of the computer. The data is then

processed with the aid of the computer software. The use of the interface for

carrying out datalogging remotely frees up the computer to perform other tasks

while the logging of data is in progress. This is one advantage.

An added advantage of remote datalogging is that the interface box is not connected

to any high-voltage apparatus but is powered by its own low voltage supply

(typically about 6 V). This makes it particularly safe for use during “wet chemistry”

work. The interface can also work from a battery supply, which is useful when

performing remote logging.

3. Computer with appropriate software

Most modern datalogging equipment is manufactured to run on both IBM compatible

and Apple computers. Typical computer specifications required for datalogging

equipment are given in Appendix III (page 49).

Specialised computer software is required so that the computer can interpret and process

the signals from the interface box. The frequency of readings may be varied to record

once a microsecond or even once a year.

Among the functions performed by this software:

3

It will recognise the type of sensor and will ensure that readings are taken from the

sensor at regular intervals. In addition, it will translate the incoming information to

recognisable results.

It manages the storage, display, and analysis of data. Data can be displayed in a

suitable form on the screen. This could take the form of tables, numerical values in

the form of large digits. The computer software is also capable of data handling,

i.e. the plotting of graphs, curve fitting, statistical manipulation, etc.

It allows the data or graphs to be printed on paper using the printer that is connected

to the computer.

It enables the data to be stored on disc for future use.

From a teaching perspective, one of the major advantages of modern computer-assisted

datalogging is that the software captures and instantly graphs the data. This allows the

students to concentrate on scientific inquiry and the development of problem- solving

skills. This “real-time” graphing encourages discussion on the progress of the

experiment and allows a higher ordered thinking.

Figure 1.2. Real-time datalogging at Presentation Brothers College, Cork.

4

The sensors, interface box, computer and appropriate computer software comprise what

is commonly called the datalogging system.

1.2 The development of datalogging

The use of computers in schools has greatly increased since the 1980s. Its scope has

developed from being a teaching aid in mathematics to having many innovative

functions throughout the entire curriculum. In recent years, new approaches to teaching

science with the aid of computer datalogging has made rapid progress - particularly in

the USA and UK.

In the early stages, the datalogging technology was difficult to use and required skills in

programming and considerable training. Most of the datalogging systems were designed

by engineers who were experts in their own field but had a poor understanding of the

school science laboratory. For the science teacher, the technology proved very difficult

to handle and the effort to try to get to grips with this unfriendly technology was not

worthwhile. In the UK, limited funds, limited time and limited training opportunities for

science teachers (NCET, 1993) meant that school science departments were rather slow

to adopt the technology (OFSTED, 1995).

However, despite this poor start, computer datalogging today is flourishing in the

science curricula of many countries. The success of datalogging as a teaching tool in

science education can be linked to two events:

1. Datalogging hardware and software is now far more “user friendly”.

2. Datalogging has been given a formal role in many science curricula throughout the

world.

5

The developments in more user-friendly hardware and software emanated from the

realisation among manufacturers of datalogging equipment that they would have to

work in collaboration with teachers, teacher trainers and inspectors. They needed to

respond to the needs of science education.

Many of today’s datalogging systems are very user friendly. One programme can

operate with the complete range of sensors. Sensors are often automatically identified,

logging rates are automatically optimised and interfaces match the type of information

supplied by the sensor to a type that the computer can accept. In addition, the amount of

time necessary to effectively train teachers has been considerably reduced. The

widespread use of the graphical user interfaces allows this.

1.3 The advantages of datalogging in science teaching.

Since the 1980s there has been a growing body of research evidence pointing to the

benefits of using datalogging in science teaching.

Studies by McKenzie & Padilla (1986) have shown that datalogging greatly improves

graphing skills of students and helping them to form links with the process of

investigating scientific relationships. Mokros & Tinker (1987) have shown that pupils’

interpretations of graphs is significantly improved when datalogging is used as part of

the instructional process. The skills of real-time reporting, where the graph is drawn at

the same time as the experiment is performed, has been shown to encourage reflection

and interpretation among students (Brasell, 1985). In addition, it was found (Rogers,

1992) that special features of datalogging graphing software helped students overcome

a variety of difficulties associated with manual methods of drawing graphs.

6

In a study carried out by Rodgers and Wild (1994) on the use of datalogging in teaching

practical work in physics to fifteen year old students, a comparison was made between

students who carried out practical work with the aid of computer datalogging and those

who performed the practical work by the conventional method. The following

interesting observation was noted:

“The IT groups were observed by a researcher. It was noted that the pupils approached the equipment hesitantly but, once started, they quickly collected data, looking at the data as it was collected and carrying out many repeat measurements on their own initiative. Whenasked if they would do so many measurements using ticker-tape, they said not because of the time problem in calculating results and ‘messing around with bits of tape’ ”.

It is clear from the research findings that the groups who used the computer datalogging

benefited more from the computer datalogging approach to practical work than the

groups who used the conventional approach.

Burton and Rodgers (1991) argue that the change in the emphasis from the routine

process of logging, towards the use of interpreting skills enhances scientific thinking,

creativity and problem solving ability.

Rodgers and Wild (1996) conducted research into the potential contributions of

datalogging to the quality of learning in practical work for pupils in the age range of 12-

15. They found that there was a marked change in the profile of activity among the

students during practical classes. Pupils’ pattern of activity changed from time spent

preparing, measuring and reporting, towards more spent on observation, manipulation

of data and discussion among students of the results obtained. The automatic logging of

experimental data and graphical representations allowed for a more focussed approach

to changes in experimental variables and discussion of results. Students were able to

obtain printouts of data without any difficulty and it was clear from the teacher-student

7

discussions that they had a better insight into the experimental work being performed.

In addition, the quality of written homework was greatly improved.

In contrast, control groups performing experiments without the aid of computer

datalogging spent considerably more time in data collection. The learning outcomes in

terms of data collection were varied as only some pupils managed to tabulate results for

interpretation and discussion. Many pupils never reached this vital stage.

In short, the traditional emphasis on the mechanical aspects of measuring, recording and

reporting in conventional practical work was greatly reduced with the aid of computer

datalogging and this allowed more time to be spent on observation and discussion.

Thus, the use of information and communications technology (ICT) gave rise to “higher

order skills” like questioning, discussing, interpreting, analysing, etc.

Figure 1.3 Students from Coláiste Muire Cobh using datalogging.

Based on a survey of the educational literature coupled with the research conducted in

this study, the chief advantages of datalogging are as follows:

8

1. Speed of capture. Datalogging allows the monitoring of variables within a very

small or very large timescale. Computers can capture data much faster and much

more frequently than by hand. This allows for greater accuracy and precision. In

addition, computers can process enormous amounts of data very rapidly.

2. Ease of capture. Valuable teaching time can be taken up with reading instruments

and writing lists of data. The use of dataloggers makes the capture of this data far

less tedious and puts science teaching in a more modern setting as a sequence of

readings can now be obtained automatically under the control of computer software.

This increases the productivity of the class and encourages higher quality work. As

pupils and teachers become confident in the use of sensors and modern

programmes, they are encouraged to take decisions and to investigating the results

by altering some of the variables in the experiment. More cycles of “predicting and

testing of hypotheses” are possible due to ease of capture of data and the saving of

time allowed by the datalogging approach to science teaching.

3. Better learning outcomes. In the datalogging approach to teaching, there is a shift

of emphasis from gathering data to more interpretative student activity. The

simultaneous presentation of a graph as students watch their experiment has the

potential to help them relate the graphical image to the observed experimental

events. This assists in the linking of the abstract and the concrete. Since the

datalogging system can take the necessary readings and do the calculations, the

mental work for the pupils may be devoted to understanding the experiment and

exploring how the outcomes relate to the science questions being considered. Thus,

9

the quality of the learning experience is enhanced due to the provision of an exciting

and motivating environment.

4. Presentation of data. With the aid of datalogging software, the data can be easily

manipulated and presented in the form of clearly drawn graphs. Real-time

datalogging presents the graph on the screen “as it happens” and this is especially

beneficial to the less able student. Various statistical functions can be carried out

easily on the data

5. Appreciation of modern technology. Computer technology is widely used in

modern industry for data-gathering purposes. It is important that students get an

insight into how scientists work and this should be reflected in the classroom.

Knowledge and familiarity with new technologies are an important dimension of

careers in the technological industries and it is important that students are equipped

for the technology-rich world in which they live.

6. Increased level of interest among students. In general, students find information

technology to be a good stimulus for learning. Software tools for calculation and

analysis reduce tasks considered to be tedious and repetitive into creative

opportunities for carrying out investigations in the laboratory. This is often referred

to as “bringing science teaching into the twenty-first century”.

7. Active learning is encouraged. The use of computer datalogging helps to develop

problem-solving skills and encourages students to question, predict and hypothesise

10

about the results of their laboratory practical work. Students are involved in

planning experiments, measuring variables, analysing results, and evaluating

experimental methods. All of these processes are at the heart of good science

teaching.

8. Mixed ability teaching. Weaker students benefit from automated graph drawing as

the reduced effort in obtaining graphs, gives pupils of lower ability better access to

this visual medium for analysing data. Pupils of higher ability can manipulate the

data, present it in a variety of ways, change variables and predict the effect of these

changes. In addition they can compare their data with their colleagues and with

sample data and go on to discuss why differences exist.

Figure 1.4 Students from Tallaght Community School exhibiting datalogging experiments at the Esat Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.

11

CHAPTER 2

DATALOGGING IN IRELAND – THE SIP PROJECT

2.1 The National Centre for Technology in Education and SIP

Towards the end of the 1990s, concern was expressed by many educationalists at the

fact that Ireland was not keeping pace with other countries in the use of technology in

education. Many countries had already launched initiatives in response to the challenges

presented by the emerging global information society. It was realised that fluency in

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) was a very significant factor in the

competitiveness of the economy of a country.

In 1997, The Department of Education and Science in Ireland, decided that a

considerable investment in technology in education had to be made in the interest of

Ireland’s future economic well being. For this reason, The Department of Education and

Science, under the leadership of Mr. Micheál Martin T. D. decided to prioritise the

integration of ICT into teaching and learning right across the curriculum. Schools IT

2000 was set up with an initial public investment of £40 million. To date, much of this

public funding has been matched with private funding and many companies are making

a significant contribution to the programme.

The National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) was set up to implement and

co-ordinate the various elements of Schools IT 2000 . The NCTE has overall

12

responsibility for the implementation of Schools IT 2000 in schools. A director and four

co-ordinators were appointed to administer the project.

The Schools IT 2000 involves three main initiatives:

1. Technology Integration Initiative (TII)

The primary aim of this is to introduce at least 60,000 multimedia computers to Irish

schools by the end of 2001 with each school connected to the Internet. The TII aims to

support technology planning in a school, to get every school connected to the internet,

and to encourage further development of the ICT equipment infrastructure in schools. In

addition, an expert study will be conducted to determine further technology

infrastructure options that may arise.

2. Teaching skills initiative (TSI)

The professional development of teachers has been identified internationally as the

primary factor in enabling the effective ICT adoption by schools. The TSI involves the

training of at least 20,000 teachers nationally (having at least one from each school). In

addition, Departments of Education in third-level institutions will be encouraged to

support the implementation of a programme of pre-service training in the use of ICT in

the classroom for student teachers.

3. Schools Support Initiative (SSI)

Under the Schools Support Initiative, work is ongoing in the development of ScoilNet,

an online support service. ScoilNet will also develop a countrywide network in

association with the Education Centres. ScoilNet will be an excellent resource for the

13

provision of information, advice and support to schools on Schools IT 2000. It will be a

resource for general ICT issues. ScoilNet will also form the Irish part of the European

SchoolNet (EUN)

The Schools Integration Project (SIP) is one the major initiatives of Schools IT 2000

and was set up as part of the Schools Support Initiative. Its intention is to foster whole

school development for ICT integration. The National Centre for Technology in

Education invited schools to apply for inclusion in SIP. As a result of this, pilot projects

were established in a number of “lead” schools working in partnership with the

Education Centres, the community, industry, businesses and third-level institutions. It is

intended that the findings of these pilot projects will help to shape models of best

practice for the use of ICTs in the Irish education system. Extra funding and

supports have been made available to the SIP schools to help in realising their project

goals.

Participation in SIP has many benefits for schools. In addition to grant aid for hardware

and software, schools receive support in the form of release time for teachers and are

further supported by the regional IT advisors and the NCTE's National Co-ordinator.

Schools who applied for inclusion in SIP have provided clearly defined project goals

and a vision of how their project will develop. Preference was given to projects that

may be replicated and modified for national dissemination.

The SIP Application Process

Applicants were required to return an application form together with a completed school

ICT Plan and any other relevant materials by 30 October 1998. Clusters of schools

14

were also invited to apply for these special projects. One school of the cluster acted as

the “lead school” with responsibility to lead and direct the project for the cluster.

Information was also required to indicate precise details of hardware, software and

teacher-support requirements. Participating schools were also asked to submit a

statement of willingness to contribute to workshops and other dissemination activities.

Schools were selected on the basis of their project having met required criteria. In

addition, a cross section of schools was chosen to cater for school type, gender,

geographic location, disadvantage, special needs, etc. Smaller primary schools, in

particular, were not precluded from participation in SIP.

Preference was given to schools who nominated a staff member to act as IT co-

ordinating teacher or as a SIP co-ordinator. It was envisaged that the nominated staff

member would establish a partnership with industry, the community and/or third level

institution with a view to project development and evaluation. The co-ordinator could

develop their own project proposal and identify possible outcomes from their project to

include:

Pedagogical initiative

Skills development

Supports to be identified and investigated

Classroom resources to be identified and evaluated

Models for implementing innovation

Building community links

Home school liaison

Integrating special needs

15

Schools were also given preference if they formed a schools cluster with a stated and

appropriate project or selection of projects in mind. A history of successful

participation in initiatives was also considered but these initiatives need not have been

related to IT in any way. A history of liaison with the community, local business or

industry and/or education centres ( e.g. the school may have been used by the

community for training of parents or the unemployed) was another point considered.

Staff members who had been active in attending training programmes or who had

received additional qualifications were favoured as were teachers who were active in

subject associations, teacher support groups, who participated in existing IT projects or

had a track record in teaching and developing IT. Schools that could formulate a staff

development strategy for the duration of the project, and a financial plan to sustain the

project once SIP is completed were also favoured.

2.2 Setting up the datalogging project

As outlined in chapter 1, computer datalogging has been used in teaching science in a

number of countries since the 1980s. However, its use in Ireland has been very limited

in the teaching of science at second level. The Education Department in University

College Cork is actively involved in educational research and is very conscious of the

progress being made in the areas of datalogging in other countries – particularly in the

UK and the USA. Due to the involvement of the Department of Education UCC in

research, it was in an ideal position to make the findings of a research study in

datalogging available to all involved in education, i.e. members of the inspectorate,

teachers, research bodies, student teachers, government organisations, national bodies

interested in education, etc. In addition, the Department of Education UCC has close

16

links with Dr. Colm O’Sullivan of the Physics Department UCC who has tremendous

expertise in the area of computer datalogging. Dr. O’Sullivan was willing to provide all

the technical support and laboratory facilities needed for the training of the teachers

involved in the project.

Professor Aine Hyland, then Head of Education UCC, and Mr Declan Kennedy,

Lecturer in Science Education, UCC, approached the NCTE for funding from the

Schools Integration Project to set up a research project on datalogging in collaboration

with the Irish Science Teachers’ Association (ISTA) with which it has very close links.

The Department of Education UCC allowed Mr. Declan Kennedy to act as project

manager and provided an office to assist with the running of the project.

The schools were selected on the basis of their close links with the ISTA and having a

proven record in practical work. A total of twelve second-level schools were selected -

six to study datalogging at Leaving Certificate chemistry level and six to study

datalogging at Leaving Certificate physics level. A list of schools and the teachers

concerned is given in Appendix IV (page 50).

Carrigaline Community School was nominated as the lead school as Mr. John Hourihan

of that school is a part-time lecturer in ICT in University College Cork. The school was

willing to release Mr. John Hourihan on partial secondment from his teaching post in

Carrigaline to co-ordinate the project.

The computer equipment obtained consisted of thirteen computers - one for each school

and one to administer the project. In addition, application was made for twelve

datalogging systems (six chemistry and six physics). The precise type of datalogging

17

systems to be purchased would be decided when all training courses in various systems

were completed.

It was proposed that the different datalogging systems would be circulated among the

participating schools. These would be class tested with students so that schools could

compare systems and report on their experience.

2.3 Aims of the Project

The aims of the project may be summarised as follows:

To examine how datalogging using computer technology can enhance practical

work in physics and chemistry. {PRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=Bullet"}

To ascertain the most suitable datalogging computer equipment for use in teaching

the science curriculum in Ireland.

To give {PRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=Bullet"} students and teachers a

competence in the use of datalogging equipment in laboratory work

{PRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=Bullet"}To investigate the factors involved in

training teachers in the use of computer technology in the teaching of physics and

chemistry.

2.4 Teacher Training

As already stated, Dr. Colm O’Sullivan of the Physics Department UCC had already

agreed to provide the project with the laboratory facilities and technical backup

required. A number of different brands of datalogging equipment were shortlisted and

the manufacturers of this equipment were invited to run a training course for the

18

teachers in the use of the datalogging equipment. Details of the training courses are

given in Table 2.1.

NAME OF COMPANY DATE OF

TRAINING COURSE

DURATION OF

TRAINING COURSE

Pasco Scientific (USA) 18/1/’99 – 20/1/’99 3 days

Philip Harris (UK) 30/3/’99 1 day

Vernier (USA) 25/8/’99 1 day

Data Harvest (UK) 26/8/’99 1 day

Scientific and Chem. Supplies (UK) 27/8/’99 1 day

Pasco Scientific (USA) 14/4/’00 1 day

Table 2.1. Training courses conducted by equipment manufacturers.

Figure 2.1 Teacher in-service being conducted by Pasco.

19

In addition to the training courses conducted by equipment manufacturers, Professor

Slavco Kocijancic, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia conducted a two-day training

course on 23 and 24 Sept 1999. Professor Kocijancic has extensive experience in the

area of teacher training as well as particular expertise in datalogging. During the course

there was emphasis on such items as handling problems, fault finding, working of

sensors etc. Particular emphasis was placed on the methodology of teaching science

with the aid of computer datalogging.

Figure 2.2 Professor Slavco Kocijancic, University of Ljubljana, Sloveniaconducts a teacher in-service course.

In response to requests from participants, a course on the use of Excel in teaching

science (with particular emphasis on datalogging) was conducted by Mr. Eamonn

Roche in UCC on 31/1/’00.

2.5 Purchase and class testing of equipment

At the conclusion of the training courses on 24 September 1999, the project team

decided that having studied various datalogging systems, three brands of datalogging

systems should be purchased and class tested in schools. The three types of datalogging

equipment recommended for purchase were Pasco, Vernier and Data Harvest. Two

20

physics sets and two chemistry sets were purchased from each company i.e. a total of

twelve datalogging sets of equipment.

During the summer of 1999, some members of the project team were seconded to the

Department of Education and Science to conduct teacher training for the introduction of

Figure 2.3 Class testing datalogging equipment at Carrigaline Community School

the new syllabi in Leaving Certificate chemistry and physics. Therefore, they were

unable to participate fully in the latter phase of the project. Substitute teachers were

appointed to replace them and these teachers agreed to participate in the project on

behalf of their schools. However these substitute teachers had not attended some of the

in-service courses. This proved to be a significant test of the level of user friendliness

of the equipment assesed.

2.6 Implementation in schools

It was agreed from the outset that teachers would receive a computer and a set of either

physics or chemistry datalogging equipment for use in their schools. As already stated it

was decided to select three brands of equipment for further evaluation- Data Harvest,

Pasco Scientific and Vernier. Various delays were experienced in obtaining the

21

equipment and it was not delivered until the end of October. This limited the level of

rotation of equipment among schools as the project had to be completed by 2 June 2000.

As the project progressed, it became clear that other items of equipment were needed in

the school laboratory to make effective use of the datalogging equipment. Teachers

requested that a trolley be supplied with the computer equipment to make it more

portable for class use. However the NCTE rejected this request, since we had not

applied for trolleys in requested in the initial application.

From reports received, it became clear a 15-inch monitor was unacceptable in a

classroom situation and that a data projector was required. for proper display of the

experimental data. Some schools purchased a data projector from their own resources.

Teachers strongly advised that a data projector is included in any datalogging package

being supplied to schools by the Department of Education and Science.

Having received the computers and datalogging equipment, teachers began to make use

of the new technology in their daily teaching. Each teacher was asked to write four

experiments for which the particular brand of datalogging equipment in their school

could be used. Teachers were given a template to indicated the format to be applied to

their reports of experiments. As the project progressed, written reports of experiments

were evaluated by the Project Co-ordinator and the Project Director. These reports were

then copied and handed out to their project colleagues. Finally teachers submitted all of

their reports before 1 May 2000. Teachers were given an opportunity to modify their

reports and borrow ideas from their colleagues as all reports were circulated within the

project team. The work of writing up the details of various experiments in physics and

chemistry was completed by the 1 May 2000.

22

Figure 2.4 Project Team at final meeting (29 May 2000)

In order to obtain feedback on the different types of datalogging equipment tested, a

final meeting of the project team was held 29 May 2000. Each teacher completed a

questionnaire dealing with all aspects of the project. It was clear that only one brand of

datalogging equipment could be recommended to the NCTE and the Department of

Education and Science. Full details of the recommendations are given Chapter 4 of this

report.

2.7 Project Dissemination:

It was agreed in the project application form that the group would participate in project

dissemination. This involved demonstrating the use of datalogging equipment at various

science-teacher conferences and science exhibitions. The NCTE provided for the costs

of travel and subsistence for teachers of the project team. These teachers participated in

the following dissemination sessions.

23

1. ISTA Annual General Meeting in Galway (17 April 1999)

The use of datalogging equipment to carry out experiments in physics and chemistry

was demonstrated at a workshop session held at the above conference. Teachers

attending the conference gave very positive feedback to the project team. The

teachers attending the conference reported how impressed they were with the

experiments on display and with the potential use of the new technology in teaching

science.

Figure 2.5 A dissemination session in progress at the RDS.

2. Chem. Ed. 1999 (29 October 1999)

This annual conference conducted by Dr. Peter Childs again provided the perfect

opportunity for project dissemination to our target audience of chemistry teachers.

Project members used computers supplied to them by the NCTE . The dissemination

session took the form of demonstrations and practical sessions where teachers got

hands-on experience in the use of this technology .

24

3. Esat Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition RDS

(13 - 14 January 2000)

Mr. Seamus Knox, National Co-ordinator of SIP invited the project team to attend

the Esat Telecom Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in the RDS. Since

the exhibition consists of students demonstrating science to the public, it was

decided that students from the project schools would present the datalogging

project to the public. To this end, pupils were selected by their schools to

represent their schools at the exhibition. Many experiments from physics and

chemistry were demonstrated over two days.

The involvement of teachers and students at the display stands allowed teachers

the freedom to discuss the technology with visitors to the stands.

Figure 2.6 Mr. Pat Hanratty of Tallaght Community School draws a crowd during a dissemination

session at the Esat Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition

.

25

4. The Irish Science Teachers’ Association Conference in UCD

(24 - 26 March 2000)

The dissemination session consisted of a workshop where equipment was

demonstrated over a very wide range of experiments in physics and chemistry. In

terms of attendance, this was the largest dissemination session held. Once again a

very positive response was received from the teachers who attended the workshop

and many teachers enquired as to when they would see this technology in their own

schools.

Figure 2.7 Mr. David Rea, St. Colman’s College Fermoy demonstratedto teachers at the ISTA Annual Conference.

5. Press Releases

Wherever possible the public were kept informed in the press of developments in the

datalogging project. In addition, science teachers were kept informed by regular articles

in Science, the official journal of the Irish Science Teachers’ Association.

26

Figure 2.8 A photograph from a dissemination article which appeared in The Examiner on 22 February2000, showing pupils and teachers from the Carrigaline Community School who participated in the Esat

Telecom Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2000 demonstrating the use of datalogging technology to teach science.

27

CHAPTER 3

PROJECT EVALUATION AND EQUIPMENT EVALUATION

3.1 Monitoring of progress

The progress of the project was monitored by the researchers using the standard

methods of educational research (Cohen and Manion , 1983). The main methods of

monitoring the progress of the project may be summarised as follows:

(a) Meetings and briefing sessions

Prior to the commencement of the project, meetings were held to brief teachers on the

aims and objectives of the projects, on the work schedule of the project as well as the

level of commitment required of those involved in the project. Also, teachers had an

opportunity to discuss their progress during the meetings held at the end of each of the

in-service courses. In addition to the support and assistance that teachers received from

each other, support was also provided by the Physics Department UCC and the

Education Department UCC. Participants were regularly kept informed by the project

co-ordinator on up-coming events and deadlines.

(b) Training courses

The training courses were of invaluable assistance to the monitoring of the project.

Teachers had the opportunity to discuss all aspects of the project during these training

sessions. The advice given by those conducting the course and the technical assistance

provided by the Physics Department UCC and the Chemistry Department UCC were of

tremendous help to all concerned.

28

Figure 3.1 A briefing session in progress.

(c) School visits

A cross-section of project schools were visited by the authors of this report. Due to

constraints of time and distance, it was not possible to visit all of the schools.

Figure 3.2 A school visit to Presentation Brothers College, Cork.

29

During these visits, teachers were observed using the datalogging equipment with

various classes and these teachers were then interviewed to ascertain their opinion on

During these visits, teachers were observed using the datalogging equipment with

the effectiveness of datalogging as a teaching tool.

(d) Reports

Reports summarising the progress to date were sent out regularly to the teachers

involved in the project. In addition, teachers provided written and verbal reports at

regular intervals to the project co-ordinator and to their colleagues at the various

meetings held whilst the project was in progress. At the final meeting of the project

team, teachers were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire on all aspects of the

project.

3.2 Datalogging in the school science laboratory

Once the equipment was received in schools, it was put to immediate use. Teachers

used the equipment to carry out a wide variety of practical work. This practical work

was carried out mainly at Leaving Certificate level (since teachers were asked to write

up experiments that would be of relevance to the new Leaving Certificate Physics and

Chemistry syllabi). However, some teachers reported that they had used the equipment

at Junior Certificate level and Transition Year level. In addition, one of the teachers

used datalogging for a project in the Esat Telecom Young Scientist and Technology

Exhibition.

Tables 3.1 and 3.2 provide an overview of the practical work in physics and chemistry

in which datalogging equipment was used.

30

LEAVING CERTIFICATE PHYSICS

1. A direct method of measuring the speed of sound in air.

2. Acceleration due to gravity.

3. Acceleration on an inclined plane .

4. Capacitors: Charging and discharging.

5. Diode characteristics.

6. Do larger bodies fall faster?

7. Electromagnetic induction.

8. Heat transfer experiment.

9. How good is your co-ordination?

10. Investigating of transistors as a NOT gate.

11. Investigation of relationships between light intensity and current.

12. Ohm’s Law.

13. Pendulum periods.

14. Position velocity and acceleration.

15. Rectification: Full and half-wave.

16. Series and parallel circuits.

17. Simple harmonic motion.

18. Sound waves.

19. Static and kinetic friction.

20. The coffee problem experiment.

21. To draw a transistor characteristic curve.

22. To examine different types of motion using a motion detector.

23. To investigate the transistor amplification of an alternating signal.

24. To measure g using an inclined plane.

25. To measure the induced EMF when a magnet is dropped through a coil.

26. To plot motion graphs for moving bodies.

27. Tones vowels and telephones.

28. Understanding motion 1.

29. Understanding motion 2.

Table 3.1 Areas of the physics syllabus in which datalogging equipment was used.

31

LEAVING CERTIFICATE CHEMISTRY

1. Acid-base titration.

2. Acid rain.

3. Beer’s law.

4. Charles’ law.

5. Determination of the number of moles of gas formed during a chemical reaction.

6. Effect of concentration on rate of reaction.

7. Household acids and bases.

8. Electrical conductivity of solutions.

9. Energy content of food.

10. Energy content of fuels.

11. Evaporation and intermolecular attractions.

12. Exothermic and endothermic reactions.

13. Fractional distillation.

14. Freezing and melting point of water.

15. Heat of combustion of magnesium.

16. Heat of fusion of ice.

17. Heat of reaction: NaOH with HCl.

18. Heat of solution.

19.Heat of vaporisation.

20. Ideal Gas Law.

19. Mapping a flame.

20. Neutralisation of vinegar with drain cleaner.

21. pH versus time of antacid.

22. Rate of a chemical reaction using a photogate.

23. Rate of a chemical reaction.

24. Titration curves of strong and weak acids and bases.

Table 3.2 Areas of the chemistry syllabus in which datalogging equipment was used.

32

3.3 The evaluation of the effectiveness of datalogging technology in science

teaching

The evaluation of the effectiveness of using this new technology in the teaching of

science was made by observation of lessons, interviewing of teachers and completion of

a detailed questionnaire by the teachers. Overall, there was unanimous agreement

among teachers that the use of datalogging equipment enhanced the teaching of science

and they expressed the view that there was a marked increase in the effectiveness of the

lessons and in the learning outcomes. A number of reasons were given to explain this

increased effectiveness – many of these reasons concurred with those given in the

research literature as discussed in Chapter 1.

The main reasons given for the increased effectiveness of teaching and learning

outcomes relate to the ease of capture and presentation of accurate data in a short time

frame. Students derived greater benefit from practical work in that they could easily

generate their own data and repeat this process a number of times In addition, the fact

that the datalogging equipment made the analysis of the data quite easy resulted in

enhanced learning outcomes for the students.

It is hoped that the following quotations taken from the written reports of the teachers

involved in the project will help to give a flavour of the views of teachers regarding the

effectiveness of this new technology in the teaching process.

“Students weren’t bogged down with graphs and data manipulation.This allowed students to focus on the real task at hand-developing the true scientific method.”

33

“Immediate student interest. Easy to set up live demonstrationexperiments.”

“The students took to the datalogging much more easily than I thought and the enthusiasm was clearly sustained. It was also impressive for demonstration experiments and caused fresh interest in physics class.”

“The gathering of data, manipulation of figures was secondary to the real science concepts.”

“It supplied a new burst of enthusiasm to my teaching. Experiments not even thought about before, could now be done. Results can be got far more quickly and in greater quantity.”

“Greater possibility of throughput of students doing experiments.Greater accuracy. A variety of experiments impossible without datalogging.”

“It very much enhanced my teaching as an aid to demonstratingexperiments and also brought IT into the teaching of science, which is the only way forward. It brought physics and science to life.”

“Students gained expertise in modern methods including informationtechnology. Accuracy of recording and interpretation of results (and speed of same) were invaluable. Datalogging reflects best practice used in industry.”

“Greatly improved efficiency of time. Allowed teacher to demonstrate a lot more material. Made experiment measurements more accurate. Showed relationship in ‘time’ that you could not otherwise have shown.”

“When performing acid-base titrations the graphs materialisedinstantaneously. This increases the probability of a valid learning outcome.”

“Students were excited at producing data so quickly.”

34

3.4 Evaluation of the effectiveness of various brands of datalogging equipment

As already stated in Chapter 2, three brands of datalogging equipment were chosen for

evaluation. Initially, it was hoped that this equipment would be rotated among all the

schools involved. However, due to time constraints, this rotation took place on a limited

scale.

Teachers were asked to use the equipment as comprehensively as possible in their

teaching. In addition, they were asked to write up four specific experiments (agreed at

one of the planning meetings) and accompanying notes for teachers that would be

relevant to either the new physics syllabus or the new chemistry syllabus. In some cases

this involved the modification of experiments in laboratory manuals supplied by the

equipment manufacturers so that the material would be relevant to the Irish curriculum.

In other cases the experiments were written up ab initio by the teachers themselves.

As the project progressed, it became clear that some brands of equipment were far more

satisfactory than others. In their final report, teachers were asked to describe their

experience of using the different brands of equipment and, based on this experience, to

make a recommendation regarding the one they considered to be most suitable for Irish

second-level schools.

At the final session, participants were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire. One

of the questions asked participants to evaluate their equipment. There was unanimous

agreement among the thirteen teachers involved in the project that the system

developed by Pasco Scientific was the most suitable.

35

Figure 3.3 Participants attending the final project meeting in UCC.

The following were some of the reasons given for choosing the Pasco datalogging system:

“I could roll out the equipment and within 15 minutes I had an experiment done. This is what a teacher needs. Teachers will adapt to Pasco like ducks to water.”

“ Pupils were excited at producing data quickly. It brings science to life.”

“The set up was easy, equipment is robust, and I was able to get it up and running quickly, even though I had not attended in-service.”

“Within 10 minutes I had an experiment done - there is no comparison.”

“Pasco was excellent, and brought a new beginning to my teaching. Looking at the manual set me thinking and I could easily make up myown experiment using the equipment. Even students can use it without much instruction. The ease of use is very important without the backup of a laboratory technician.”

“Pasco is both teacher and student friendly”

“After one hour’s training on Pasco I was ready to demonstrate.”

“The sensors were very robust and I had no difficulty letting the students use it. The pH probe was dropped twice and survived. After

36

one day a student was able to use the equipment by herself for a project. She came beck to me with 20,000 datalogging points in just two hours”.

“My school purchased a few sets of the equipment….. Pasco is unbelievably simple to use.”

Figure 3.4 Pupils and teacher from St. Brendan’s College Killarney evaluating equipment and software.

37

CHAPTER 4

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1 Main findings

This project was undertaken to answer two main questions:

1. How effective is datalogging in teaching physics and chemistry at second level?

2. What is the most suitable datalogging system for Irish second-level schools?

The main findings are summarised as follows:

1. Effectiveness of datalogging in the school science laboratory

Throughout the world, the teaching and learning of physics and chemistry is making use

of advances in technology. Just as in industry there in an increase in automation of

mundane repetitive tasks, similarly in education datalogging in physics and chemistry

will remove the drudgery of the mechanical aspects of measuring, recording and

reporting. This results in an enhancement of time spent on observation and discussion.

With the aid of computer-assisted datalogging, the graph is a starting point for thinking

and not the end product as often is the case in conventional practice. The real benefits of

datalogging come from immediate observations of the data, asking questions about

them, looking for links with other information, making comparisons, making

predictions, looking for trends, and so on. Its use in both teacher demonstration and

pupil activity has a very positive effect on learning outcomes.

38

From the written reports received from the teachers at the conclusion of the project, a

number of important points emerged.

The teachers found that datalogging had an enormously beneficial effect on

classroom teaching.

Using the datalogging equipment, teachers could carry out a wide range of

experiments in the classroom. A total of twenty five chemistry experiments and

twenty five physics experiments relevant to the new physics and chemistry syllabi

were written up as part of the first draft of a laboratory manual.

The plotting of data in real time as it is acquired enhances the students

understandings of the graphical representation of data.

The tedium of gathering data in scientific experiments was removed and the time

bonus allowed students to focus on the real task at hand developing the true

scientific method.

Results could be obtained with greater accuracy than before. Demonstrations could

be performed very easily. In many cases, experiments could not be done without the

aid of this new technology.

Datalogging greatly facilitated the teaching of difficult concepts.

In short, the datalogging equipment has been of enormous benefit in the teaching of

science at all levels.

39

2. The most suitable datalogging system for use in second-level schools in Ireland

When teachers were asked to recommend a datalogging system for purchase on a

national level, teachers were unanimous in selecting the Pasco system.

A number of reasons were given for making this recommendation.

The high quality of the Pasco hardware was particularly suitable for use by both

teachers and students. In contrast to other systems, the Pasco hardware was robust

and trouble-free.

The DataStudio software was far superior to any other software assessed. It made

the use of the sensors very easy. Manipulation of the results was very

straightforward once the experiment was concluded. (The scale of the axis could

even be changed while data was being collected!)

“After-sales service” was an important factor in the final decision. When the

teachers had a query about software or hardware, they sent an e-mail to the Pasco

customer support centre. In all cases queries were quickly answered to the

satisfaction of all. This level of customer care is a necessary consideration when

selecting a brand of equipment. Teachers have no access to technicians in school

and need to have their problems sorted quickly and efficiently.

Pasco is represented in Ireland by Lennox Laboratories. Representatives of Lennox

Laboratories attended the training sessions and provided excellent support to the

teachers involved in the project.

40

4.2 Recommendations

1. That datalogging equipment for teaching physics and chemistry be supplied to

all second-level schools by the Department of Education and Science.

2. That the datalogging equipment supplied to schools should be Pasco

datalogging equipment (for the reasons outlined in section 4.1). The datalogging

equipment should consist of a basic physics and chemistry “bundle”, as well as

some extra probes as outlined in Appendix V and Appendix VI.

It is important to emphasise that all schools should receive the same brand of

equipment. The reasons for this are:

(i) To facilitate in-service training of teachers on a national scale. If schools have

different sets of equipment, the provision of in-service courses would become

extremely difficult – if not impossible. It would be necessary to conduct

different courses for different brands of equipment. Course presenters would

have to be familiar with a wide variety of different datalogging systems. Thus,

the provision of appropriate professional skill development and support would

be very difficult.

(ii) To facilitate local support and peer networking among teachers.

(iii) To facilitate the production of high quality supporting resource materials, e.g.

laboratory manuals.

(iv) To facilitate assessment of examination work in the state examination system.

Should students be asked to describe an experiment in an examination, great

difficulty could be encountered in assessment if a wide variety of different data

41

logging systems were in use in school science laboratories throughout the

country.

(v) To facilitate the updating of equipment and software for the future. If all schools

possess the same brand of datalogging equipment, the upgrading of software

(and hardware) is greatly facilitated.

3. In addition to the datalogging equipment, a data projector should also be

supplied to each school. It is difficult for a large group of pupils to view one

computer. When teachers conduct demonstration experiments, the entire class needs

to view the data being logged. As outlined in chapter 1, research has shown that the

discussion prompted from the drawing of the graph holds the greatest potential for

learning benefits to be gained from the technology.

4. A laboratory manual, written specifically for the new syllabi in Leaving

Certificate physics and chemistry with full details of the use of Pasco equipment

should be provided to all teachers as part of their inservice training. The NCTE has

an important role to play in providing funding and support to enable this work to be

undertaken.

5. A plan of inservice training for teachers in the use of datalogging equipment needs

to be put in place. In parallel with the provision of national inservice courses for

teachers, the introduction of training in the use of datalogging equipment in pre-

service training in colleges of education and universities should be considered.

42

6. Further research needs to be undertaken in conjunction with the NCTE to make

recommendations regarding the best methods of teaching practice to establish the

most appropriate teaching methodology in order to maximise the benefits of this

new technology in the school laboratory.

43

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46

Appendix I

SENSORS REQUIRED FOR LEAVING CERTIFICATE PHYSICS

2 x Temperature Sensors

1 x Light Sensor

2 x Current Sensors

1 x High Temperature Sensor

1 x Acceleration Sensor

1 x Force Sensor

1 x Sound Sensors

1 x Rotary Motion Sensor

1 x Pressure Sensor

1 x Radioactivity Sensor

2 x Voltage Sensors

1 x Magnetic Flux Sensor

1 x Photogate set

1 x Motion Sensor

47

APPENDIX II

SENSORS REQUIRED FOR LEAVING CERTIFICATE CHEMISTRY

2 x Temperature Sensor

2 x pH Sensor

1 x Colorimeter Sensor

1 x High Range Temperature Sensor

1 x Voltage Sensor

1 x Light Sensor

1 x Conductivity Sensor

1 x Absolute Pressure Sensor

48

APPENDIX III

COMPUTER SPECIFICATIONS RECOMMENDED FOR DATALOGGING

Windows

- Windows 95/98 or Windows NT 4.0

- Pentium processor

- At least 16 MB of RAM

- At least 50 MB hard disk space

- CD-ROM drive

- 800 x 600 monitor resolution

- 56 K Modem

- Sound card

- 8 Mb ATI video card

- Internal ZIP drive

Macintosh

- MacOS 7.5 or higher

- PowerPC processor

- At least 16 MB RAM

- At least 50 MB hard disk space

- CD-ROM drive

- 800 x 600 monitor resolution

- 56 K modem

- Sound card

- 8 Mb ATI video card

- Internal ZIP drive

49

APPENDIX IV

SCHOOLS INVOLVED IN DATALOGGING PROJECT

CHEMISTRY SCHOOLS

School Name Address Teacher Concerned

Blackrock College Blackrock, Co. Dublin Mr. John Daly

Coláiste an Chroí Naofa Carrignavar, Co. Cork Ms. Marion Kelleher/

Mr. Declan Cahalane

Coláiste Muire Cobh Cobh,

Co. Cork

Mr. Fergus O’Brien

Mr. Tim Cronin

Post Primary School

Maynooth

Maynooth, Co. Kildare Ms. Siobhan McLoughlin/

Mr. Seamus McManus

St. Caimin’s Community

School

Tullyvarragh,

Shannon, Co. Clare

Mr. Jim McNamara/

Ms. Niamh O’Sullivan

Tallaght Community School Tallaght,

Dublin 24

Mr. Pat Hanratty

PHYSICS SCHOOLS

School Name Address Teacher Concerned

Carrigaline Community

School

Waterpark, Carrigaline Co.

Cork

Ms. Miriam Wixted

Mr. John Gargan

Christian Brothers College

Cork.

Sidney Hill,

Wellington Road, Cork

Mr. Eamonn Roche

Coláiste Chríost Rí Capwell Road,

Cork

Mr. Noel Brett

Colaiste Phobal Ros Cre Roscrea, Co. Tipperary Mr. Michael Maunsell

Presentation Brothers College The Mardyke, Cork. Mr. Conor Goggin

St. Brendan’s College Cathedral Place,

Killarney,

Co. Kerry

Mr. Pat Fleming/ Mr. Tim Regan

St. Colman’s College Fermoy Fermoy, Co. Cork Mr. David Rea

50

APPENDIX V

SPECIFICATIONS OF SENSORS REQUIRES FOR DATALOGGING

Physics Sensors

Description

Voltage SensorVoltage range ± 10V AC/DC Probe ends are 4 mm banana plugs Includes insulated crocodile clip adapters Colour coded wire cables (Red & Black) Pin Configuration - 5-pin DIN Plug

Motion Sensor Minimum Range - 15cm (short dead zone) Maximum Range - 8 Metres Transducer Rotation - Angle adjustable 360°

Near/Far Switch Settings- near: for distances up to 2 metres to reject false target signal or ignore air track noise - far: for longer distances up to 8 metres Rod and clamp mounting Feet for table mounting LED indicates target acquisition

Force SensorForce Range - ± 50 Newton Resolution - 0.03 N or 3.1grams Zero (Tare) Function - push button Damped measuring system to reduce vibration effects Force overload protection - mechanical stop to prevent forces of more than 50 N from damaging the sensor Mounts standard 12.4mm support rods Integral finger holes to allow for sensor to be hand held Pin Configuration - 8-pin DIN plug

Temperature SensorOutput equals 10 mV/°C Range equals - 5° C to + 105° C with ±1° C accuracy Pin Configuration - 8-pin DIN plug

Includes Teflon coverDual seal on sensing element for longer life Low thermal mass for minimum impact on measured temperatures

Sound SensorSignal to noise ratio < 60 dB Frequency response from 20 to 7200 Hz Two stage amplification conditions low level signals Sound levels from 45 dB to >100 dB Output Voltage - ±10 V Pin Configuration - 8-pin DIN plug on box. Includes a 2 metre extension cable.

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Acceleration SensorRange - ±5g (g = acceleration due to gravity 9.8 m/s2 )

Resolution - 0.001gSlow and Fast response switch selectable Tare button to null out gravity Includes Mounting bracket and hardware for use with dynamics

cartsPin Configuration - 8-pin DIN plug on box. Includes a 2 metre extension cable

PhotogatePhotogate: Width - 7.5cm Rise time - <500ns Spatial Resolution - <1mm Timing Resolution: 0.1 millisecond

Temperature Sensor, Type KType K thermocouple with chromel and alumel wire junction Temperature range from -200 ºC to +400 ºC Insulation tolerates temperature to +482 ºC Tip of probe tolerates to +1,200 ºC Linear response from 0º C to + 400º C with an error of 3º C

± 3% Output voltage/Temperature Ratio - 10 mV/ºC Probe length- 95 cm Pin Configuration - 8-pin DIN plug

Current Sensor1.5 Amp max input current 5 mA resolution (1X gain) 0.5 mA resolution (10X gain) Maximum differential voltage 1.5V DC or AC RMS (root mean

square)Maximum common mode voltage 10V DC or AC RMS (root mean

square)Pin Configuration - 5-pin DIN plug on box. Includes a 2 metre extension cable

Magnetic Field Sensor * Resolution: 12 bit (0.024 %)* Ranges: +/- 10 Gauss, +/- 100 Gauss, +/- 1,000 Gauss (mechanical switch)

Precision: 2.4 mGauss, 24.4 mGauss, 244 mGauss

G-M Tube with Power Supply* audible beep for counts* power indicator light* protective cover

* Window: 1.5 -2.0 mg/cm2 mica* Window Diameter: 9.14 mm* Filling Gas: Ne/Ar* Dead Time: 90 ms* Plateau Threshold Voltage: 450 V* Pleateau Width: 150 V* Internal Voltage: 500 V* Max Unit Background: 10 cnts/min* Internal Capacitance: 4 pF* Operating Temperature: -40 C to +75 C* Tube Life: 1 x 109 cnts* Input Voltage: 5 V DC

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* Operating Current: 10 mA* Output: TTL pulses* Weight: 160 g*Dimensions: 44 mm x 112 mm

Rotary Motion Sensor* Resolution: 1 degree / 0.25 degrees (software selectable)* Plug: 2 stereo phone plugs

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APPENDIX VI

SPECIFICATIONS OF SENSORS REQUIRES FOR DATALOGGING

Chemistry Sensors

Temperature SensorOutput equals 10 mV/°C Range equals - 5° C to + 105° C with ±1° C accuracy Pin Configuration - 8-pin DIN plug Suitable for use in Chemistry and Biology laboratory

solutions Includes Teflon cover

Dual seal on sensing element for longer life Low thermal mass for minimum impact on measured temperatures

Absolute Pressure Sensor0 - 700 kPa range Sealed 40 mTorr reference vacuum

Quick lock connectorPin Configuration - 8-pin DIN plug on box. Includes a 2 metre extension cable Including 20 ml syringe, and tubing

pH SensorSilver - Silver Chloride combination gel electrode Electrode membrane resistance at 25° C of 50 Meg Ohm pH range of 0 - 14 pH amplifier: pH to voltage ratio of 1 pH = 0.1 V KCl storage buffer solution and storage bottle included Pin Configuration - 8-pin DIN plug on box. Includes a 2 metre extension cable

Colorimeter Sensor Automatic calibration

Use with or without computer. The two-line LCD display reads percent transmittance Water resistant cell holder Transmittance range - 0 - 100%Transmittance with 0.1%

resolutionWavelengths - 470nm (blue), 565nm (green), 635nm (orange), and 697nm (red) LCD display updates every 0.5 seconds Pin Configuration - 6-pin mini-DIN socket. Includes 2 metre cable (6-pin mini-DIN to 8-pin DIN) for connecting to 500 InterfaceWhen connected to Interface, it takes it power from the

interfaceBattery compartment for stand alone use. Takes 4 x AA cells

(not included) Supplied with 15 cuvette

Temperature Sensor, Type KType K thermocouple with chromel and alumel wire junction Temperature range from -200 ºC to +400 ºC Insulation tolerates temperature to +482 ºC Tip of probe tolerates to +1,200 ºC Linear response from 0º C to + 400º C with an error of 3º C

± 3% Output voltage/Temperature Ratio - 10 mV/ºC

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Probe length- 95 cm Pin Configuration - 8-pin DIN plug

Light Sensor * Photodiode Type: Hamamatsu S6036 Si PIN* Resolution: 12 bit (0.024 %)* Range: 320 nm - 1100 nm* Lens Diameter: 7 mm* Peak Sensitivity (lp): 960 nm* PhotoSensitivity (S): 0.56 A/W* Noise Equivalent Power (NEP) at lp (VR = 12 V): 1.0 x 10-14(W/Hz1/2)* Accuracy: +/- 0.02 V + 0.1% of reading* Precision: 5 mV, 0.5 mV* Spectral Response:

Conductivity Sensor* Electrodes: platinum* Electrode Band #: 2* Cell Constant Kc: 1.0* Range: 20k scale: 0 - 20,000 mS, 2k scale: 0 - 2,000 mS, 200 scale: 0 - 200 mS* Resolution: 20k scale: +/- 10 mS scale, 2k scale: +/- 1.0 mS, 200 scale: +/- 0.1 mS* Maximum Rated Temperature Tmax: 80 °C* Minimum Rated Temperature Tmin: 0 °C

Plug: 8-pin DIN plug

Absolute Pressure Sensor* Resolution: 12 bit (0.024 %)* Range: 0 to 700 kPa* Accuracy: +/- 0.5 % of reading* Precision: 0.5 kPa* Number of Pressure Ports: 1* Plug: 8-pin DIN plug

Barometer* Resolution: 12 bit (0.024 %)* Range: 81.3 to 108.4 kPa (24-32 inches of Hg)* Max Pressure: 200 kPa (61 in of Hg)* Accuracy: +/- 1 % of reading* Precision: 0.066 mBar* Number of Pressure Ports: 1* Plug: 8-pin DIN plug

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