use a smart switch to turn off a lithium battery charger
I know that I ought not leave things powered on. Knowing that is easier than remembering that an e-bike or drone or laptop battery is still connected. Below I show how to turn on...
Category: handling data from experiments
This section is about examining the data that sensors collect from experiments. Understanding the data that sensors provide is surely the reason for bothering to collect it! You can download csv files for all the graphs here to import into Excel or other software. Do use the topics/ keywords to find what you need.
primary IT: graphs & spreadsheets
How data handling in science topics can be helped by using an IT tool called a spreadsheet program. Explained, with examples (from ‘IT in primary science’ by Roger Frost).
primary IT: branching databases
A ‘branching database is a must-try activity for sorting items and classifying animals.
latent heat – salty ice
When it is icy they put salt onto the roads to melt the ice. What the salt does is to depress, or reduce, the freezing point of water. The result is that the ice...
effect of temperature on rate of reaction
If you were a chemical manufacturer you would certainly be interested in finding ways to increase the rate of production. One way is to do the reaction at a higher temperature, and in this...
data on the planets
Datasets (files) like the one below are useful in science. There is data to analyse by drawing graphs. The file below is in a ‘CSV’ format. Open it in your spreadsheet or Datalogging Insight program...
tip for graphing with Excel
Sometimes you need to graph several variables one after the other – for example, in this weather database, we plotted the daily maximum temperature against time. For clarity, we plotted just 10 days.Next we...
data on the periodic table
Datasets (files) like the one below are useful in science. There is data to analyse by drawing graphs. The file below is in a ‘CSV’ format. Open it in your spreadsheet or Datalogging Insight program...
data on pupil heights and weights
Datasets (files) like the one below are useful in science. They have data to analyse by drawing graphs. The file below is in a ‘CSV’ format. Open it in your spreadsheet or Datalogging Insight program...
data on breakfast cereals
Datasets (files) like the one below are useful in science. They have data to analyse by drawing graphs. The file below is in a ‘CSV’ format. Open this one in your spreadsheet or Datalogging Insight...
monitor fermentation in a compost heap
Is mown grass in the compost heap really dead? When you cut the grass you remove its source of vital materials and the cut leaf ‘dies’. But when you feel a pile of cut...
exothermic reaction of plaster of Paris in water
Plaster of Paris is white powder you mix with water and pour into a mould. You can make models with it while hospitals use it on broken limbs. When you mix it with water...
freezing a bun or bread roll
We scientists do the strangest of things. We wanted to see the temperature changes when you freeze and thaw things. So we took a ‘bun’ (a bread roll), placed temperature sensors in and around...
cart rolling down a slope
A cart rolling down a hill certainly has energy which in turn affects its speed. But how does this speed change when you start the car off from a different point on the hill....
pendulum swings or bobbing masses
We used a turn (or position) sensor connected to the computer and recorded the swings of a pendulum made of a metal rod and a weight. We tried again this time connecting the sensor...
heating ice
You would think that when you heat up ice that it gets warmer bit by bit. And maybe that the more you heat it the hotter it gets. Well it’s not like that. We...
a cooling curve
I expect that when something cools, it will get cooler in a plodding kind of way. That’s true, but when something changes state, the cooling is not so steady.The graph below shows how liquid...
keep the house warm
We need to keep our homes warm in cold weather. We also need to do this as economically as possible. There are several ways to insulate your home and keep the heat in, and...
day and night light & temperature
What time does it get light in the morning? When does it get dark? Is the central heating working? I just had to know, so I took my data logging equipment and started to...
add the milk to tea now or later?
The dilemma is this: the telephone range as I was making tea. Should I add the milk now or 5 minutes later, after I took the call? One way of answering this is to...
checking a TV remote controller
An infrared remote control unit sends messages, using infrared ‘light’ to recorders and televisions. Point a remote controller at a light sensor and it may be able to pick up the signal. This likely works...
pH data on souring milk
The label on my milk bottle tells me how long the milk will ‘last’ at different temperatures. What do they measure to make this assessment? Is it the pH? I summoned patience, collected a glass...
why we use IT in science teaching (1994)
Scientists need to measure and communicate, to handle information and model ideas. In essence, they need to process information. Young scientists have similar needs. When they write, draw graphs, do maths and make measurements,...
preparing for science year (2001)
Fast forward to the future in Science Year Feature by Roger Frost for The Guardian (2001) Aiming for a world-record, Science Year kicked off on Friday 7th Sept as pupils across the land engaged...
lots of graphs and results
Here are screenshots from experiments we’ve tried over the years. You may find a worksheet for the experiment by searching for the topic or by trawling here. You can download the files for many of...
video and data analysis tool – Coach Studio
Update – Coach 7 was available in 2018. In 2008 I wrote: Coach 6 Studio provides a learning environment where you or students can work with models or create models of your own. It...
software that works with most data-loggers: ‘Insight’
Here is some excellent software that can collect and analyse data and it now works with a huge number of different brands. Called Insight and known to thousands of science teachers, this has grown...
Insight iLOG VideoLab for all kinds of data
How much of the software used on computers in the 1990s is still being used on them today? One favourite, called Datalogging Insight, lives on today (2016) Insight is a family of primary and...
about the ‘sid’ file format
Q. What is SID? A. It’s a standard file format that every data logging manufacturer is encouraged to support. The results of data logging experiments can be better shared in the ‘SID’ format. This...
data logging software choices
The sensors and equipment you buy for school requires software made for it. There IS a generic program, called Insight (below). which works with lots of different manufacturer’s kit. It has the advantage of...
