Innovative Uses of Vernier Technology

In addition to our large variety of experiments offered in our curriculum, teachers use their creativity to bring excitement to the classroom. Find out how our sensors have made the ordinary into the extraordinary!

Doing something innovative in your classroom? Tell us about it by e-mail at innovativeuses@vernier.com

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Showing 13 results in Engineering, most recent entries shown first.

Title	Excerpt	Products Used
Studying Biomechanics with Vernier	If you have ever wanted to introduce your students to the study of human biomechanics, we have found a great product for you. While attending the Annual Meeting of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS), we came across two excellent interactive models that use Vernier sensors and our LabQuest to study human biomechanics. The company, Denoyer-Geppert, in collaboration with Daniel Lemon and Joe Griswold from the City College of New York, developed fully articulated models of the ... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Physiology	Low-g Accelerometer Dual-Range Force Sensor Vernier LabQuest Logger Pro 3
Force Plate Used to Measure Forces Exerted by Screws	As part of Project Lead The Way engineering courses, Ken Kessenich at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee, WI started teaching a new unit that involves simple machines. He wanted his student to see REAL problems instead of simulations to demonstrate effort force and mechanical advantage. To measure the force exerted by screws, he uses the Force Plate and Vernier LabQuest. ... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Physics, Technology	Force Plate Vernier LabQuest
Force Plate Used to Test Wing Spar	Ron Bowerman at St Wendelin High School, Fostoria, Ohio, knows how to motivate students: competition. In his physics class, students compete for a high stakes simulated contract with an airline. Physics and engineering skills are put to the test as students work in engineering teams that try to design the lightest and strongest wing spar for an airplane. Bowerman's students use a Vernier Force Plate to stress test each spar. The real-time graphs help build the competition&#... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Physics	Force Plate Vernier LabQuest Logger Pro 3
Balloon Launch Uses Vernier Technology	The FIRST LEGO� League Team from Reston, VA recently took part in the High Altitude LEGO Extravaganza (HALE) balloon launch. Their payload included a LEGO NXT Robotics System with a Vernier NXT Adapter and two Vernier sensors�a UVB Sensor and a Surface Temperature Sensor. UV pinwheel filter (sunglass lens, cotton shirt, denim, and no filter) They measured UV radiation as a function of altitude as the balloon rose to almost 100,000 ft. over Nevada. The NXT controlled a rotating pinw... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering	Surface Temperature Sensor UVB Sensor NXT Sensor Adapter
Measuring Motor Speed	Brian Lamore, physics teacher at the Chinquapin School, Highlands, Texas, has his students build a "Beakman's" Motor to study electromagnetic induction. This simple motor can be built in a single class period and the activity is always a favorite of his students. But nothing makes an activity more interesting than a little competition, so Brian challenges his students to build the motor that will spin the fastest. Instructions can be found at http://www.simplemotor.com/bmotor.ht... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Physics	LabPro Interface Voltage Probe Logger Pro 3
Troubleshooting a Radio	Ham radio enthusiast and Vernier consultant Lew Malchick was having trouble with one of his radios. The packet system radio is set up to support the Nassau County, NY Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) group, so it was important to keep the radio functioning. Lew's packet data was being corrupted as the radio switched from receive to transmit, rendering the information unusable. Lew suspected a faulty power supply and connected a voltmeter to watch for irregularities, but nothing show... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Physics	Differential Voltage Probe LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
Comparing LED and Traditional Holiday Lights	LED lights are becoming much more common. They�re used in traffic lights, bicycle lights, flashlights, message displays, and their application is growing. LED holiday lights have been available for several years; however, the sales of the LED versions lag behind the traditional incandescent lights, primarily because of cost. (LED lights can be as much as five times more expensive.) Nevertheless, LED lights have several important advantages over conventional incandescent bulbs, including ... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, General Science, Physics	Light Sensor Surface Temperature Sensor Vernier Spectrometer LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
Battery Life Comparison	Brian Lamore, physical science teacher at the Chinquapin School in Highlands, Texas, wanted to get his students to investigate which battery was the best. Based on their experiences (and with a little help from advertising) the students made their predictions. Using four Voltage Probes connected to a LabPro, Brian's students measured the changes in voltage as the batteries supplied power to a simple circuit. Each battery was in a circuit that powered a 6.2 W lamp. The results were fa... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Physics, Technology	Voltage Probe LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
Investigating Resistivity	Alan Gleue, physics teacher at Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Kansas, called our tech support line with a challenge. He wanted to be able to use Vernier sensors to investigate resistivity in copper wire. The issue troubling Alan - how to measure small changes in voltage with enough precision to be able to see the relationship between wire length, cross-sectional area, and resistance. At the Vernier end of the call was our own Rick Sorensen. Rick is one of the co-authors of our physics ... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Physics, Technology	Logger Pro 3 LabPro Interface Instrumentation Amplifier Current Probe Vernier Circuit Board
Investigating Airport Sound Levels	Sound levels of airplanes at take off and landing Anyone who lives along the flight path of a major airport knows that sound pollution is an unpleasant fact of life. Riley Wilson, Tim Horton, and Mario Bautista, 8th grade students at Hughes Middle School in Long Beach, California, know this all too well, often having instruction interrupted as planes fly over their school. Airplane noise in the Long Beach area is a frequent topic ... [more] Science Subjects: Earth Science, Engineering, General Science, Middle School Science, Physics, Technology, Environmental, Life Science	Sound Level Meter LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
Measuring Stress Limits of Printer Ribbon	Paul Lulai, physics instructor at Saint Anthony Village Senior High School in Saint Anthony Village, MN, developed an activity to measure the stress limits of printer ribbon. Paul�s students use a Force Sensor and Motion Detector to find the yield point of a single loop of the ribbon. Paul uses printer ribbon, since its yield point is typically within the range of the Force Sensor. Students create two loops on either end of a small length of printer ribbon. (Each loop is taped ... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Physics, Technology	Dual-Range Force Sensor Motion Detector LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3
Light Reading	Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have become a popular choice among energy-conscious homeowners. CFLs consume as little as one-fifth the power and last up to 13 times longer than incandescent lamps. A single CFL can save enough electricity (coal-fired) to keep a ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere1. While CFLs may save a lot of energy, some people comment that they are not as bright as they would like when they first turn them on. We decided to put some bulbs to the test to s... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Physics	Light Sensor LabPro Interface
Mouse Support System	Gus Frederick with the Oregon Public Education Network has come up with a fascinating idea that ties into the Millennium Mars Project, a project supported by NASA and the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of this project is to design a viable Martian colony. Participants are further required to produce a visual representation of their design. Gus took this idea a step further and built a small-scale working model of such a colony using mice rather than people. His "Controlled Ec... [more] Science Subjects: Engineering, Environmental, General Science, Integrated, Life Science, Middle School Science, Physiology, Biology	CO₂ Gas Sensor O₂ Gas Sensor pH Sensor Relative Humidity Sensor Stainless Steel Temperature Probe LabPro Interface Logger Pro 3