New App + New Features

New App + New Features

New App: Physics Toolbox Color Detector
Capture any color instantly!
 
Another fundamental tool has been added to the Physics Toolbox family. Soon, we'll be adding in an automatic hex/HSV/RGB color converter. Currently, this app is only available as a stand-alone, but will be incorporated into Physics Toolbox Suite in the near future.

Color detectors can be useful in a number of ways that go beyond capturing hex codes:
 
CHEMISTRY: Convert hex codes to HSV to derive the Lambert-Beer law in chemistry.
Try this lab from Science on Stage Europe: "How Deep Is Your Blue? - Coloured Chemistry with Smartphones"
 
PHYSICS: Observe colored flowers or candies under monochromatic light, and use the detector to objectively record the colors of the objects as they appear under different lights. 
Note: Students who observe multicolored candies under red light, for example, tend to refer to the red candies as "white" in contrast to the other candies that appear black.
 
BIOLOGY: Observe the changes in a fall foliage by observing a standard leave across a period of time.
 

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New Feature: Physics Toolbox Roller Coaster
Quickly and easily manage data collected at an amusement park.

The stand-alone Physics Toolbox Roller Coaster has seen a new face-lift, based on feedback from our users. The app now includes timed (or unlimited) data reording, the ability to save files, and the ability to re-load saved files. Look for these features embeded into Physics Toolbox Suite in the near future as well.
 
Get more resources, including activities ideas, lesson plans, and even a rubric at our recent April blog posting.

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Quick Lab Idea
Two phones + two slightly different tones = beats
 
No tuning forks on hand? No problem! Using two phones and the Tone Generator app (either the stand-alone or within Physics Toolbox Suite), produce two frequencies that are just a few Hertz different from one another. What do you hear? Why? Modify one of the frequencies so that the difference in Hertz is slightly more or less. How does this influence what you hear?
 
Here are some additional great resources to learn about superposition of waves, constructive/destructive interference, and beats:
PhET Simulations: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/physics/sound-and-waves
Physics Classroom: physicsclassroom.com/class/sound/Lesson-3/Interference-and-Beats

Have Physics Toolbox Apps been useful to you? We'd love to get your feedback on this quick 5-minute survey.
 
Have a great story to share about how you are using Physics Toolbox Apps? We'd love to feature you and your ideas in our newsletter or on our website! Drop us a message at any time to share your story.