Smartphone Based Labs for On-Line Physics Classes

In past two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities had to offer classes on-line. For many lab-based STEM courses, the impact was truly devastating. Various ad hoc solutions, such as the use of simulation software and/or hurriedly taped videos, cannot give students the same “truly experimental experience” that real labs can provide. I argue that introducing smartphone-based Introductory Physics Labs (SmartIPL) and Modern Optics Labs, could be a potential solution, which not only ensure that under the on-line instruction environment, the students can still experience the true experimental environment, but also could promote the critical thinking and innovation from students. I will give a few examples how different labs are designed for SmartIPL. The video instructions for SmartIPL can be found at the YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl09XbhyUTqP2BEX6C7nkaQ/videos. Showcases for various optics labs can also be obtained at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDNH_mEXvy-Rp98ri96EuLw as well as in a recent book[1]. These smartphone-based labs can stimulate more interest from the students, and, by including state of the art manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing, also improve their career training. They also can be used in K-12 education and disseminated via social media to promote public interest.



[1] Yiping Zhao and Yoong Sheng Phang, "Use of Smartphones in Optical Experimentation," SPIE Press (September 2022) (You can download this book free of charge)