Dalhousie
University
Dr. Barry Paton
LabVIEW
Enhanced
Learning
in the
Classroom, Dorms and Labs
Role of a University Teacher
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Expert lecturer
Tutorial leader
Problem Solver
Class Administrator
Builder of Labs, King TA
Quiz Maker, Marker and Adjudicator
WEB Guru
Not all students want to ‘make your day’.
Students need to
hear it in the classroom
see it demonstrated
and do it in the lab.
Effective Learning
Evolution of Technology
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1962 Thin Film Transistor
Operational Amplifiers
70’s Digital Electronics
80’s Microprocessor revolution
90 Graphical User Interface
91 LabVIEW moves to Windows
96 LabVIEW Student Edition
98 Internet Instrumentation
00 Vision, Smart Sensors, Remote Panels
National Instruments Today
Gives the educator all the tools to measure, analyze
and present data is a scientific manner.
This allows students to spend more time
making real measurements and testing
theory with actual measurements.
It is exploration science
and engineering!
Freshman Level
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Transition from high school to university
Eye opening demonstrations
Calculations lead to a one number answer
Measurement leads to a single parameter
Labs teach concepts, errors & measurements
Classroom Demos
Infrared Imaging
LabVIEW Empowered Labs
Hitachi Oscilloscope
Virtual Oscilloscope
Real Oscilloscope Experiment
Harmonic Analysis
Digital Compass
Sophomore Level
• Each person does the same experiment
Ø dynamic learning environment
• Graphing & Spreadsheet Physics
Ø slope, trends, bumps, dips
• Functions f(x,t) , f(x,y)
• ODE (div, curl)
Sopohomore PreLabs
Sopohomore Real Labs
Remote Analysis of Hook’s Law
PV Curve for Balloon
Pressure (kPa)
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
50
Balloon Radius (cm)
Hook’s Law
Force = - k x
100
150
Junior Level
• Experimental Design
• Presentation of scientific data
• High level of abstraction F(x,y,z)
Ø Hamiltonian, wavefunction, partition function
• Simulation (circuit simulation)
• Software Tools (Matlab, Maple & LabVIEW)
• Library & Web
Determine the Diameter
of an Optical Fibre
Experiment
Index of Refraction
Data for Optical Fiber
7.00E-01
6.00E-01
Theory
Intesity (arbitrary units)
5.00E-01
4.00E-01
3.00E-01
2.00E-01
1.00E-01
0.00E+00
-0.18
-0.16
-0.14
-0.12
-0.1
-0.08
-0.06
-0.04
-0.02
0
-1.00E-01
L (m)
<-Data
GPS Challenge
• To track the movement of a car
• using GPS and display it on a map
Marconi GPS Receiver
GPS Version 2.2
Senior Level
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Honing research skills
When theory and experiments collide
Extracting signals from noise
High precision experiments, Copious data files
Senior research project
Learn how to be efficient
Fibre Optic Periscope
Virtual Laser Lab
Physics Department
Home of the Virtual Laser Lab and the Remote Lab