Comparison of four instrumentation variants for the laboratory practice “Newton’s Second Law”

Abstract

The results obtained during the analysis of three experimental setups (1.7, 1.8 and 1.9) of the chapter “Mechanics” in the computer-assisted laboratory practice system (CALPS) HPCI-1 are presented. The same experimental setups proposed in these are used, now using digital counters with their analog photogates and the Tracker software to analyze the videos filmed with a mobile phone of the movement on the air track. The results of the HPCI-1 obtained in the determination of the values ​​of the physical magnitudes in each of these experiments are taken as a reference to verify the objective of each of these practices to compare them with the other proposed variants. Using Microsoft Excel, the graphs corresponding to the relationships sought, their adjustment equations and the R2 coefficient were prepared to compare the results. All this allowed an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages in each variant used. The three alternatives evaluated to replace the instrumentation of the experiments of the HPCI-1 computer-assisted physics laboratory practice system were valid and allowed obtaining the results proposed by the HPCI-1 manufacturers for said experiments with the same quality.