Dashboard Videos

Dashboard Videos Alan D. Gleue, Chris Depcik, and Ted Peltier Citation: Phys. Teach. 50, 477 (2012); doi: 10.1119/1.4758148 View online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.4758148 View Table of Contents: http://tpt.aapt.org/resource/1/PHTEAH/v50/i8 Published by the American Association of Physics Teachers

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Dashboard Videos

Alan D. Gleue, Lawrence High School, Lawrence, KS Chris Depcik and Ted Peltier, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

L

ast school year, I had a web link emailed to me entitled “A Dashboard Physics Lesson.”1 The link, created and posted by Dale Basler on his Lab Out Loud blog, illustrates video of a car’s speedometer synchronized with video of the road. These two separate video streams are compiled into one video that students can watch and analyze. After seeing this website and video, I decided to create my own dashboard videos to show to my high school physics students. I have produced and synchronized 12 separate dashboard videos, each about 10 minutes in length, driving around the city of Lawrence, KS, and Douglas County, and posted them to a website.2 Each video reflects different types of driving: both positive and negative accelerations and constant speeds. As shown in Fig. 1, I was able to capture speed, distance, and miles per gallon from my dashboard instrumentation. By linking this with a stopwatch, each of these quantities can be graphed with respect to time. I anticipate and hope that teachers will find these useful in their own classrooms, i.e., having physics students watch the videos and create their own motion maps (distance-time, speedtime) for study. With a local grant obtained from my school district, I was able to purchase equipment to create these videos. I needed a webcam that would be pointed at the dashboard, a flip camera to record video of the road through my windshield (see Fig. 2), and a laptop computer to store, analyze, and synchronize the separate video streams. I used Adobe Premiere Pro video software to synchronize the video streams and Adobe Encore software to create the Flash videos posted on my website.3 Finally, I used Adobe Dreamweaver to create the website, with hosting by my school district. To create the videos, I had a colleague hold the laptop computer and watch the cameras while I concentrated on driving the vehicle. For these videos, I was driving a Honda 2010 Fit, my personal vehicle.4 Additionally, I employed a GPS sensor from Vernier Software and Technology on all the videos and used GPS data obtained from a Garmin 62st handheld GPS unit and MotionX, an iPhone GPS application, with some of the videos.5 I compiled all of the video streams, created the videos, and posted them to my website. To help complete the project, I was given additional financial and technical resources through an RET workshop with the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC) consortium at the University of Kansas.6 On my website, I offer more technical information about creating the videos and specifications of the car I was driving. On this link, any one of the 12 videos can be chosen with additional route information (see Fig. 3). Once the user has selected the video number, he/she can open and watch the Flash video, view the route on Google maps, and upload GPS data files for that video (see Fig. 4). DOI: 10.1119/1.4758148

Fig. 1. Webcam display of dashboard showing speed, distance, and miles per gallon information.

Fig. 2. Flip camera creating the video through the front windshield.

Fig. 3. Screen shot from my website, where users can obtain route information and open the video links.

Furthermore, my colleagues and I stepped through the Flash video to compile time, distance, speed, and miles per gallon with respect to time and stored these data tables in Excel,

The Physics Teacher ◆ Vol. 50, November 2012


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Fig. 4. Users can watch the Flash video or open up various files for each of the 12 videos.

Fig. 6. Complete distance-time graph for video one.

Fig. 7. Speed-time graph of video one between 150 and 225 s.

Fig. 5. By stepping through the Flash video, the user can collect speed, distance, and miles per gallon data with respect to time.

Logger Pro, and comma-separated formats (see Fig. 5) for teachers to access.7 Although there is a Flash video file for each of the 12 dashboard videos, we only created data tables for videos 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, and 11. For those videos without a data table, students can watch the video and create their own data tables if desired by the instructor. By creating data tables of speed, distance, and miles per gallon with respect to time, or by using our completed data tables, instructors can provide students with opportunities to create and analyze motion graphs.8 Students can find segments of the data and graph where I drove at constant speed, stopped, increased my speed, and decreased my speed, and then correlate these with the video. For example, in Fig. 6, I show the complete distance-time Logger Pro graph for video one. Students could find average speed of the complete trip or describe where along the graph the car was not moving. In Fig. 7, I display a partial speedtime Logger Pro graph. Instructors could have students describe the types of motion between 150 and 225 s or obtain slopes to find average accelerations. Additionally, one can find an area of a speed-time graph to determine the distance 478

Fig. 8. Area of our speed-time graph for video one.

traveled traveled andand compare compare thisthis withwith the the odometer odometer reading reading from from the thevideo videoand anddata datatable. table.In InFig. Fig.88the thearea areaof ofthe thespeed-time speed-time graph graphfor forvideo videoone oneisis21,205.6 21,205.6mph*s mph*sor or5.89 5.89miles. miles.The The odometer odometerreading readingat atthe theend endof ofthis thisvideo videoisis5.7 5.7miles, miles,which which compares comparesfavorably favorablywith withthe thearea areaon onthe thespeed-time speed-timegraph. graph. ItItisispossible possibleto touse usemiles milesper pergallon gallonas asthis thisfeature featureisisavailavailable ableon onthe thevideo. video.IIdid didinclude includemiles milesper pergallon gallondata datafor forvidvideos eos1, 1,2, 2,3, 3,7, 7,9, 9,10, 10,and and11, 11,and andititmight mightbe bepossible possibleto touse usethis this information informationin insome someway, way,too. too.Perhaps Perhapsthe thevolume volumeof ofgas gascan can be beestimated estimatedfrom fromthe themiles milesper pergallon gallonreadings, readings,and andan anaveraverage agemile mileper pergallon gallonand andcost costof offuel fuelfor forthe theentire entiretrip tripcould could



Fig. 9. Screen shot of GPS data from video one using Garmin's Basecamp software.

be calculated. Furthermore, GPS data for each video can be uploaded and used with Google Earth or Garmin’s Basecamp program.9 With Basecamp, students can view routes, play back the car’s motion, measure the distance between several positions, and other functions (see Fig. 9.) In Fig. 10, I display an elevation profile of video one. Instructors might find this information helpful, too. Students could compare the car’s miles per gallon readings or fuel consumption for driving uphill or downhill with readings on the level part of the road. I hope that physics teachers can use these videos as tools in their classrooms. I plan on using them in class to have students create and analyze motion maps and gain practice describing motion and using kinematic equations. I would welcome any comments and suggestions on how other physics teachers use these videos successfully.10 Acknowledgments To complete this project I received generous financial help from the Lawrence Schools Foundation (LSF, Lawrence, KS). The LSF awards Lawrence teachers grants to help them purchase equipment for classroom projects, and I appreciate the grant to purchase equipment and software necessary for this project. I would also like to thank our district’s IT staff for setting up my computer equipment and offering me answers to technical questions. I was also able to complete this project with financial assistance from the Center for Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC) at the University of Kansas. The director of the education arm of this consortium is Dr. Claudia Bode, and I was able to complete this video project through a workshop directed by Dr. Bode. Finally, I would like to offer a special thanks to Andrew Bricker and Tim Kuhlman, physics teachers at Lawrence High School. Both Andy and Tim helped in creating these videos, completing the data tables, and working out the problems.

Fig. 10. Elevation profile from GPS information using Garmin's Basecamp software.

References

1. “A Dashboard Physics Lesson,” Lab Out Loud, Science for the Classroom and Beyond, site created by and designed by Dale Basler, June 29, 2010, laboutloud.com/2010/06/adashboard-physics-lesson. 2. These dashboard videos can be found on my website, teachers.usd497.org/agleue/dashboard_videos_index_ page%20_spry.html>. 3. More information about the equipment and software I used to create the videos can be found on my dashboard video website (Ref. 2). 4. Vehicle specifications can be found on my dashboard video website (Ref. 2). 5. Additional information about the GPS devices and software used in the videos can be found on my dashboard video website (Ref. 2). 6. Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC), University of Kansas, www.cebc.ku.edu/education/HS-teachers. shtml. 7. I used Microsoft Excel, Version 2007, and Logger Pro software, available from Vernier Software and Technology, to create these data tables. 8. Information about motion maps can be found on various websites or in textbooks. One helpful source is the hyperphysics website (hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/mechanics/ motgraph.html#c1), created by C.R. Nave. 9. Basecamp, a free software program from Garmin, is found online at: www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/us/onthetrail/ basecamp. 10. Any ideas, suggestions, and comments can be sent to the author at [email protected]. Alan D. Gleue, Science Department, Lawrence High School, Lawrence, KS 66047; [email protected] Chris Depcik, Mechanical Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045; [email protected] Ted Peltier, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045; [email protected]



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