Exploring Acceleration with an Android
Setting up the Android acceleration "track."Copyright 2012 Scott Burns, University of Nebraska
Students conduct an experiment to study the acceleration of a mobile Android device. During the experiment, they run an application created with MIT's App Inventor that monitors linear acceleration in one-dimension. Students use an acceleration vs. time equation to construct an approximate velocity vs. time graph. Students will understand the relationship between the object's mass and acceleration and how that relates to the force applied to the object, which is Newton's second law of motion.
Students apply engineering concepts to mathematical and scientific problems. During the activity, students complete an experiment that requires a specific process and analysis of the results. Engineers perform this same type of experimentation and data collection in their fields every day. For example, engineers gather acceleration data during car safety crash tests, and acceleration data is a useful measure of racing vehicle performance during competition. Software engineers create applications and software, as well as work on programs to collect and analyze data. Engineers from other disciplines, such as civil, electrical and aerospace, continually measure, record and analyze data as part of the design process to produce results that are both desirable and efficient.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Use data collected by the Android device to demonstrate the relationship among acceleration, velocity and speed.
- Use an acceleration vs. time graph and numerical integration to approximate the maximum velocity of the device.
- Use an acceleration vs. time graph to construct an approximate velocity vs. time graph.
- Understand how acceleration and the force applied are related.