The effect of data acquisition-probeware and digital video analysis on accurate graphical representation of kinetics in a high school physics class

The effects of two types of microcomputer-based methods on the ability of high school physics students to accurately graph kinetics using distance, velocity and acceleration versus time graphs were studied. Student graphing skills were evaluated before, during and after they used data acquisition-probeware (DAP) and digital video analysis (DVA) to investigate a variety of one-dimensional motions. Half of the students, placed in random groups, first investigated these motions with DAP and later with DVA. The other half of the students investigated the same motions with the same equipment but in the reverse order. Both these strategies were found to be successful and complementary. There were indications student achievement was higher for velocity-time and acceleration-time graphs using the DVA method.