Continued working on GUI for using photo-gates for various experiments. Writing python code for this single GUI with which user can access different experiments involving time measurements.

The program is giving time-out errors while using two photo-gates simultaneously. Need to debug all the errors by tomorrow so that this GUI will be ready.

…. About Light Barrier as Photo sensor ( Source expeyes.in)

A photo-transistor plus LED combination can be used for measuring light transmission and for sensing the timing of mechanical movements. The LED is powered by SQR1. The collector of the photo-transistor is connected to SEN, which is connected to 5 volts through a 5.1k resistor. The voltage at the collector of the photo transistor changes according to the amount of light falling on it. The built-in analog comparator on SEN input is used for timing measurements when the light crosses a certain threshold.

Today I worked on python programs for Mechanics – friction experiments and documentation of mechanics experiments. Started working on a GUI for using photo-gates for different  time measurements. This can be used for various experiments involving precise time measurement.

today, I could get the apparatus for energy conservation experiment prepared from local carpenter in wood. Its working fine. Wrote python program for the experiment. User can enter the value of initial height of the metal sphere, to calculate Potential energy. When the Sphere roles between two photo-gates, time can be measured with microsecond accuracy and velocity and hence kinetic energy can be calculated. The results show that Initial Potential Energy is equal to final Kinetic Energy and hence proves the Energy Conservation Theorem.

This simple experiment is very useful for high school students.

Did required modifications in the main GUI program ” CROPLUS” written by Dr Ajith Kumar, to access these new experiments. Uploaded this program on my GIT repo.

Next week I will finalize sound experiments.

Conservation of energy is an important concept in mechanics. It can be demonstrated easily by calculating total energy of a body at different positions during its motion. Today I planned and worked on the set up of   a new and simple experiment to demonstrate this.

The experiment can be done in two ways

1. Using Ultrasocic sensor :  SRF 05 module transmits a burst of ultrasonic pulses. The ultrasonic pulses reflect off a target and return to the face of the sensor.  The sensor measures the time between the trigger rising edge and the echo rising edge. It uses this time and the speed of sound to calculate the distance to the object. To determine velocity, it uses consecutive position measurements to calculate the rate of change of position.
2. Using Photogates : A photogate monitors the motion of objects passing through its gate, counting events as the object breaks the infrared beam. If the size of the object is known, by measuring the time an object blocks the gate, you can determine the velocity.

I could do the experiment with two photogates using a small spherical ball rolling on an inclined plane.

Tomorrow I will get the wooden ramp for this purpose. Program to measure the time and to calculate Kinetic and Potential energy is ready.I will also try to do the same experiment using SRF module.

Oscillations is a very important phenomena in physics and has an extremely wide range of occurrences.

They are visible in the swinging and cushioning of cars or suspension bridges. In Nature, oscillation always occur as coupled ones.

Today I started working on setting up an experiment with two spring pendulum to study oscillations of coupled pendulum. In this experiment we will try to get the characteristic frequencies and investigate the phenomenon of beat-vibration with two coupled spring pendulum.