New Vernier Tools Demonstrate Key Engineering Concepts
Vernier
Software & Technology just launched the Vernier
Structures
& Materials Tester (VSMT) to help students in both high school
and college to understand key engineering concepts. The VSMT is a device
that will
help students who are designing, building and testing structures like
bridges to
understand how important load and stress levels are.
The VSMT is a device about 20 inches tall that has a
force
sensor that can measure up to 1,000 N (units of force) and a
displacement
sensor that can measure with a precision of 0.1 mm resolution. With
these two tools,
students can record maximum breaking loads as well as the
characteristics of
force and stress. There is also video analysis software in conjunction
with the
sensors that can help them visualize the exact moment when their
structures
bend and break.
"When I taught, bridge competitions were one of my
favorite
activities," said Vernier co-founder and former physics teacher David
Vernier. "However,
it was challenging to test all of the bridges and accurately apply force
in a
measured way. Now, students can use the Tester with sensors and
data-collection
devices to assess bridges and use the data to refine their designs."
The VSMT is accompanied by a tackle kit that has all
the
necessary aluminum plates, chains, rods and accessories to build bridges
and
structures of varying sizes and shapes.
The suggested price of the Vernier Structures &
Materials
Tester is $999.
For younger students — those in the fourth through
sixth
grades — Vernier has released a new lab book, "Investigating
Wind Energy," that
will guide them through inquiry-based investigations to learn
engineering
design methods. The lab book has 10 investigations and one culminating
project
where students can design, test and refine a wind turbine blade set that
converts wind energy to electrical energy.
The investigations and project are intended to help
students
explore quantitative current, potential difference, power and energy.
"These types of inquiry-based investigations engage
students
in scientific discovery at an earlier age and provide the foundation
they need
as they progress through STEM instruction," Vernier said.
The
suggested price of "Investigating
Wind Energy" is $25.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.