Science Education with mobile devices - Experiments, teaching and research possibilities

Abstract

The present thesis is dedicated to the exploration and validation of novel uses and applications of mobile devices as experimental tools (MDETs) in the realm of science and in particular physics education. Specifically, it presents applications of MDETs for physics teaching and learning in four different teaching settings: I) several new experiments which illustrate the potential of MDETs for exploring physics in novel ways in a variety of real-life situations; II) a selection of experiments for usual laboratory sessions, highlighting the practicality and versatility of the approach; III) science communication and citizen science; IV) and undergraduate research projects. In these four settings, a wide variety of physics experiments were developed and tested, from classical to novel ones, and from simple to more elaborate ones: the standing vertical jump as an application of mechanics to sports; the modulation of the spectrum of the sizzling noise in a frying pan, based on the model of the Helmholtz resonator; analyzing sound in a daily life situation by Euler-Bernoulli beam theory; investigating the dynamics of the "Euler disk" with its finite time singularity using acoustical and mechanical data (setting I); inclined plane; parabolic motion; pendulum; sound frequency (musical instruments); noise level and 1/r^2-behaviour of point sources; atmospheric pressure; thermal mixing and IR transparency (setting II and III); car breaking distance; motion in a flight simulator; parabolic flight; Earth radius; bottle Helmholtz resonator; singing glasses (setting IV)