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National Manufacturing Day 2017
On October 6th, we hosted 32 students from Aloha and Southridge high schools to tour our office for National Manufacturing Day. They learned about packaging and product testing in our production area, saw demos of our sensors with Dave Vernier, played in our augmented reality sandbox, and asked questions with Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici.
Graphical Analysis™ 4.1 Update
Version 4.1 of Graphical Analysis for Chrome™, macOS™, and Windows® is now available. The free update is available through the Chrome Web Store or our website.
- Go Direct™ sensors can now be calibrated.
- The Drop Counter can now be calibrated.
- Multiple identical sensors now have numbers appended to the column names for easier identification.
- Because of limited functionality while running within a browser, the Chrome version can no longer be opened on macOS or Windows; instead, users are prompted to get the native macOS or Windows version.
- Windows 7 is now supported for USB connection to sensors, as well as Data Sharing and Manual Entry use.
NSTA Blog Reviews Go Direct 3-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor
The NSTA Blog recently highlighted the Vernier Go Direct 3-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor in the article, “The Vernier Three-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor: A Magic Wand for Magnets.” Reviewer Martin Horejsi discusses the sensor’s benefits for science classrooms and calls it “a breakthrough in capability, size, weight, price, and most important performance.”
He concludes the review by saying:
“Conducting experiments and inspections with magnets is as easy as waving your magic wand. Don’t have a magic wand? Then use the next best thing, a Go Direct Vernier Three-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor.”
The Go Direct 3-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor measures the components of the magnetic field along three orthogonal axes. This allows students to determine the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field at any point in space. Students can also measure the field along only two axes, or even one axis, choosing the direction that is best for the experiment.
The Go Direct family of sensors offers teachers and students maximum versatility to collect scientific data either wirelessly or via a USB connection. The 16 low-cost sensors, which are designed primarily for chemistry, physical science, and middle school science, can be used in more than 190 teacher-tested experiments developed by Vernier and are supported by free graphing and analysis software, the Graphical Analysis™ 4 app.
Read more about the Go Direct 3-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor on the NSTA Blog »
NEW Go Direct Current Probe
Simplify your experimental setup with the Go Direct Current Probe. Use in combination with the Go Direct™ Voltage Probe to investigate Ohm’s law or series and parallel circuits. The wireless connection eliminates additional cables that can clutter the lab bench.
NEW Go Direct Respiration Belt
Measure human breathing patterns quickly with the Go Direct Respiration Belt. Respiration rate is reported in the Graphical Analysis 4 app, which makes comparison studies between subjects or experiments easy to do.
NEW Go Direct Rotary Motion Sensor
Monitor angular motion easily and precisely with the Go Direct Rotary Motion Sensor. The wireless connection eliminates the cables that can get caught and tangled during rotational investigations.
See the Data Collected During the Solar Eclipse
Teach students about the scientific aspects of real-life physical phenomena, such as the solar eclipse. Check out the data, available for free, collected with Vernier technology during the eclipse by educators like you.
Why Go Direct?
Discover the inspiration behind our Go Direct™ sensors, as told by our engineers and staff scientists. This video was created by our Business Education Compact (BEC) intern, Noe Calderon, a student at Health and Science School, under Vernier mentorship from David Lim. In addition to filming and editing the video, Noe also composed the soundtrack.
Vernier in the Journals (Fall 2017)
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Facile Method To Study Catalytic Oxygen Evolution Using a Dissolved Oxygen Optical Probe: An Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory To Appreciate Artificial Photosynthesis
Genesis Renderos, Tawanda Aquino, Kristian Gutierrez, and Yosra M. Badiei, J. Chem. Educ., 2017, 94 (7), pp. 922–927.
The goal of this activity was to study aspects of artificial photosynthesis, where water would be split by sunlight to produce oxygen and hydrogen. The oxygen produced would replenish the global supply, and the hydrogen produced could be used as a source of clean energy. The authors have developed a protocol to use various transition metal oxygen-evolving complexes to increase the rate of production of oxygen gas from the decomposition of water molecules in the presence of a chemical oxidant. The rate of change in concentration of dissolved oxygen over time is plotted using a Vernier Optical DO Probe and LabQuest Mini on computers using Logger Pro software. Students study the kinetics of the decomposition reaction to determine the effectiveness of the oxygen evolution complexes.
Featured Products: Vernier Optical DO Probe, LabQuest Mini, and Logger Pro software
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A Glowing Recommendation: A Project-Based Cooperative Laboratory Activity to Promote Use of the Scientific and Engineering Practices
Justin H. Carmel, Joseph S. Ward, and Melanie M. Cooper, J. Chem. Educ., 94 (5), 2017, pp. 626–631.
This article discusses how to incorporate NGSS skills and processes into studies involving glow sticks. Students used the Vernier SpectroVis® Plus Spectrophotometer and Logger Pro software to collect fluorescence spectra from glow stick reactions. This was done by placing the software in intensity mode and then monitoring the spectrum produced by the reaction in the cuvette. The authors proposed experiments to study the kinetics of the reaction involving catalysts, temperature, acids, and bases. One goal was to extend the period of emission from the glow sticks. In another experiment, students attempted to mix the dyes from the glow sticks to produce more intense emissions. Solvent-resistant plastic cuvettes were used to avoid damage to the SpectroVis Plus.
Featured Products: SpectroVis Plus and Logger Pro software
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Polymeric Medical Sutures: An Exploration of Polymers and Green Chemistry
Cassandra M. Knutson, Deborah K. Schneiderman, Ming Yu, Cassidy H. Javner, Mark D. Distefano, and Jane E. Wissinger, J. Chem. Educ., Articles ASAP (As Soon As Publishable).
The article describes an activity developed to support engineering and science integration in response to changes proposed by NGSS. In this activity, students synthesize their own medical sutures from various polymers and then use a Vernier Dual-Range Force Sensor and LabQuest 2 to measure the tensile strength of their fibers. Commercially available sutures are also tested and subjected to various degrees of degradation by exposure to phosphate buffer for different periods of time. The force required to break the sutures is measured and compared.
Featured Products: LabQuest 2 and Dual-Range Force Sensor
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Determining a Solubility Product Constant by Potentiometric Titration to Increase Students’ Conceptual Understanding of Potentiometry and Titrations
Lauren E. Grabowski and Scott R. Goode, J. Chem. Educ., 94 (5), 2017, pp. 636–639.
In this activity, students titrated a solution of copper(II) sulfate with sodium oxalate to produce a precipitate of copper(II) oxalate. A custom-built electrode was attached to a Vernier Electrode Amplifier and LabQuest 2. The electrode was comprised of a Ag/AgCl reference electrode from a modified pH electrode and a copper wire. The potential difference between the copper wire and reference electrode was measured and a titration curve of potential vs. volume was graphed as the titration progressed.
Featured Products: LabQuest 2 and Electrode Amplifier
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Measurement of Chlorophyll Loss Due to Phytoremediation of Ag Nanoparticles in the First-Year Laboratory
Kurt Winkelmann, Leonard Bernas, Brendan Swiger, and Shannon Brown, J. Chem. Educ., 94 (6), pp. 751–757.
In this activity, the effect of nanoparticles of silver on chlorophyll was studied. Students subjected samples of Egeria densa, a waterweed, to low concentrations of silver nanoparticles. The absorbance spectrum of the chlorophyll from the waterweed could then be collected using any one of Vernier’s visible spectrophotometers, such as SpectroVis Plus or the Vernier Spectrometer. Students were able to quantitatively show the depletion of the chlorophyll as the concentration of silver nanoparticles was increased.
Featured Products: Vernier Spectrophotometer, LabQuest 2
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Playing with the Bulb Lamp: RTL Measurements and Modelling
G Torzo (Padova, Italy), M D’Anna (Locarno, Switzerland), and B Pecori (Bologna, Italy), Physics Education, 51 (5), September 2016.
This article describes many aspects of the operation of an incandescent lamp, including how light level, current, and potential vary. With the 50 or 60 Hz AC applied to the filament, a lot of interesting things are going on.
Featured Products: Go Direct Voltage Probe, Go Direct Light and Color Sensor
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Using Flatbed Scanners in the Undergraduate Optics Laboratory—An Example of Frugal Science
Thomas Koopman and Venkatesh Gopal (Elmhurst College, Illinois), American Journal of Physics, 85 (5), May 2017.
This article describes using low-cost commercial flatbed scanners to scan and study interference and diffraction patterns. The authors used the Vernier Diffraction Apparatus to produce the diffraction patterns.
Featured Products: Diffraction Apparatus
3D-Printable Eddy Current Brake for Dynamics Cart and Track System Carts
An eddy current brake is a non-contact braking system, most commonly used in trains and roller coasters. In an eddy current brake, magnets are used to induce eddy currents in a metal rotor or another metal part of the vehicle. According to Lenz’s law, those induced currents create a magnetic field opposing the original field. The two opposing magnetic fields work to slow the vehicle in contrast to the frictional force used in a traditional braking system.
Read more »