Learning optics using a smart-phone

Abstract

We propose several ideas about how to teach Optics using smart-phones. We think that the almost addictive interest of students in smart-phone technology can be useful for the benefits of learning. Moreover as all of our students are from university level, it helps that mostly all of them own a device. In this work we review many possibilities that using a smart-phone offer from the teaching point of view. We begin with a search of different apps about Optics. Then we also use the device as a sensor for implementing some experiments, we analyze accessories such as telescope and microscope lenses and finally, when the smart-phone is over, we use different parts to teach diffraction or imaging.

Finding the average speed of a light-emitting toy car with a smartphone light sensor

“…Smartphones are often used in physics classrooms at present [1,2], where some researchers, par ticularly as physics educators, have performed studies using various sensors on these devices to find the values of physical quantities [3][4][5][6][7][8]. In kinematics, the acceleration of objects was detected using the acceleration sensors of these devices [3,4].…”

“…In kinematics, the acceleration of objects was detected using the acceleration sensors of these devices [3,4]. Moreover, in optics, their light sensors were used to better understand the properties of light [5,6], while the speed of sound was also measured with smartphone applications [7,8].…”