Use of Software & Tools
- The use of electronic software and tools is increasingly used in classroom experiments
- These improve accuracy and remove sources of uncertainty such as human error
Spreadsheets
- Graph plotting and data analysis software, such as Microsoft Excel, can be an invaluable tool
- Spreadsheets provide a very effective way of processing data, particularly when the amount of data is large
Data Loggers
- Electronic data loggers are more accurate, quick and reliable than manual logging
- They can take multiple readings per second and present the data as a graph or table in real-time
Cameras
- Cameras can be used to take photos in experiments that happen too quickly to read a scale
- A camera can be used to take a photo burst as the experiment happens
- The scale can then be read from the photos afterwards
- If the time each photo is taken is known, or if the frame rate is known, then properties such as velocity can be calculated
