Abstract
The essential part of experimenting in physics is a correct statistical and graphical data processing, including the determination of a physical constant or a parameter from the fit. Moreover, graphs in physics serve for immediate evaluation of the reliability of a measurement and its errors and to decide whether the theory (model function) and experimental results correspond to each other.
Graphs are a common way for the presentation of experimental results. We bring the opportunity for experimenting in those topics where an experiment is not usually performed (e.g. because of the lack of equipment, too complicated or dangerous experiment).
Within the integrated e-learning strategy we assume students’ performance of a remotely controlled experiment, which includes just observation and then the recording and downloading of experimental values. We put the emphasis on the subsequent processing of data, with the use of MS-Excel-like software.
For example: concerning the photoelectric effect students have to fit 5 experimental points with a line (excluding the frequencies bellow the threshold) in order to verify the Einstein’s formula and to determine the Planck constant and the work function. Concening radioactivity and common ways how to protect ourselves against ionizing radiation, students may reveal the importance of the number of measurements and the convergence of mean values to a certain curve that may be compared with the model function, considering the errorbars.
The main advantage of a remote laboratory experiment on radioactivity is the acccess to a large statistical set of values measured in the non-stop automatized measurement mode. Moreover, the Poisson distribution may be compared with the data from the monitoring of the background.
The integrated e-learning strategy is worth introducing the common scientific ways of processing of experimental data.