Table of Contents

Preface

1 Smartphones and Their Optical Sensors

1.1 History and Current Utilization in Education

1.2 Smartphone Camera

     1.2.1 Optical sensor

     1.2.2 Adaptive optical system

1.3 Using the Smartphone Camera in Experiments

References

2 Experimental Data Analysis

2.1 Experiments and Measurement Error

     2.1.1 General physics experimental procedure

     2.1.2 The experimental measurements

     2.1.3 Errors in measurements

2.2 Numerical/Parameter Estimation

     2.2.1 Estimation of a direct measurement

     2.2.2 Estimation of a relationship

2.3 Model Testing

References

3 Law of Reflection

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Smartphone Experiment (Alec Cook and Ryan Pappafotis, 2015)

     3.2.1 General strategy

     3.2.2 Materials

     3.2.3 Experimental setup

     3.2.4 Experimental results

4 Law of Refraction

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Smartphone Experiment (Alec Cook and Ryan Pappafotis, 2015)

     4.2.1 General strategy

     4.2.2 Materials

     4.2.3 Experimental setup

     4.2.4 Experimental results

5 Image Formation

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Smartphone Experiment (Michael Biddle and Robert Dawson, 2015; Yoong Sheng Phang, 2021)

     5.2.1 General strategy

     5.2.2 Materials

     5.2.3 Experimental setup

     5.2.4 Experimental results

References

6 Linear Polarization

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Smartphone Experiment (Sungjae Cho and Aojie Xue, 2019)

     6.2.1 General strategy

     6.2.2 Materials

     6.2.3 Experimental setup

     6.2.4 Experimental results

7 Fresnel Equations

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Smartphone Experiment (Graham McKinnon, 2020)

     7.2.1 General strategy

     7.2.2 Materials

     7.2.3 Experimental setup

     7.2.4 Preliminary results

8 Brewster’s Angle

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Smartphone Experiment (Robert Bull and Daniel Desena, 2019)

     8.2.1 General strategy

     8.2.2 Materials

     8.2.3 Experimental setup

     8.2.4 Experimental results

Reference

9 Optical Rotation

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Smartphone Experiment (Nicholas Kruegler, 2020)

     9.2.1 General strategy

     9.2.2 Materials

     9.2.3 Experimental setup

     9.2.4 Experimental results

References

10 Thin Film Interference

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Smartphone Experiment (Nicolas Lohner and Austin Baeckeroot, 2017)

     10.2.1 General strategy

     10.2.2 Materials

     10.2.3 Experimental setup

     10.2.4 Experimental results

11 Wedge Interference

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Smartphone Experiment (Graham McKinnon and Nicholas Brosnahan, 2020)

     11.2.1 General strategy

     11.2.2 Materials

     11.2.3 Experimental setup

     11.2.4 Experimental results

12 Diffraction from Gratings

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Smartphone Experiment I: Diffraction from an iPhone Screen (Zach Eidex and Clayton Oetting, 2018)

     12.2.1 General strategy

     12.2.2 Materials

     12.2.3 Experimental setup

     12.2.4 Experimental results

12.3 Smartphone Experiment II: Diffraction from a Grating and a Hair (Nick Brosnahan, 2020)

     12.3.1 General Strategy

     12.3.2 Materials

     12.3.3 Experimental setup

     12.3.4 Experimental results

References

13 Structural Coloration of Butterfly Wings and Peacock Feathers

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Smartphone Experiment I: Diffraction in a Box—Scale Spacing of Morpho Butterfly Wings (Mary Lalak and Paul Brackman, 2014)

     13.2.1 General strategy

     13.2.2 Materials

     13.2.3 Experimental setup

     13.2.4 Experimental results

13.3 Smartphone Experiment II: Barbule Spacing of Peacock Feathers (Caroline Doctor and Yuta Hagiya, 2019)

     13.3.1 General strategy

     13.3.2 Materials

     13.3.3 Experimental setup

     13.3.4 Experimental results

References

14 Optical Rangefinder Based on Gaussian Beam of Lasers

14.1 Introduction

14.2 Smartphone Experiment I: A Two-laser Optical Rangefinder (Elizabeth McMillan and Jacob Squires, 2014)

     14.2.1 General strategy

     14.2.2 Materials

     14.2.3 Experimental setup

     14.2.4 Experimental results

14.3 Smartphone Experiment II: Estimating the Beam Waist Parameter with a Single Laser (Joo Sung and Connor Skehan, 2015)

     14.3.1 General strategy

     14.3.2 Materials

     14.3.3 Experimental setup

     14.3.4 Experimental results

15 Monochromator

15.1 Introduction

15.2 Smartphone Experiment I: A Diffractive Monochromator (Nathan Neal, 2018)

     15.2.1 General strategy

     15.2.2 Materials

     15.2.3 Experimental setup

     15.2.4 Experimental results

15.3 Smartphone Experiment II: A Dispersive Monochromator (Myles Popa and Steven Handcock, 2016)

     15.3.1 General strategy

     15.3.2 Materials

     15.3.3 Experimental setup

     15.3.4 Experimental results

16 Optical Spectrometers

16.1 Introduction

16.2 Smartphone Experiment I: A Diffractive Emission Spectrometer (Helena Gien and David Pearson, 2016)

     16.2.1 General strategy

     16.2.2 Materials

     16.2.3 Experimental setup

     16.2.4 Experimental results

16.3 Smartphone Experiment II: Spectra of Different Combustion Sources (Ryan McArdle and Griffin Dangler, 2016)

     16.3.1 General strategy

     16.3.2 Materials

     16.3.3 Experimental setup

     16.3.4 Experimental results

Reference

17 Dispersion

17.1 Introduction

17.2 Smartphone Experiment (Eric Older and Mario Parra, 2018)

     17.2.1 General strategy

     17.2.2 Materials

     17.2.3 Experimental setup

     17.2.4 Experimental results

Reference

18 Beer’s Law

18.1 Introduction

18.2 Smartphone Experiment (Sean Krautheim and Emory Perry, 2018)

     18.2.1 General strategy

     18.2.2 Materials

     18.2.3 Experimental setup

     18.2.4 Experimental results

19 Optical Spectra of Incandescent Lightbulbs and LEDs

19.1 Introduction

19.2 Smartphone Experiment I: Spectral Radiance of an Incandescent Lightbulb (Tyler Christensen and Ryan Matuszak, 2017)

     19.2.1 General strategy

     19.2.2 Materials

     19.2.3 Experimental setup

     19.2.4 Experimental results

19.3 Smartphone Experiment II: Spectral Radiance of White LED Lightbulbs (Troy Crawford and Rachel Taylor, 2018)

     19.3.1 General strategy

     19.3.2 Materials

     19.3.3 Experimental setup

     19.3.4 Experimental results

References

20 Blackbody Radiation of the Sun

20.1 Introduction

20.2 Smartphone Experiment (Patrick Mullen and Connor Woods, 2015)

     20.2.1 General Strategy

     20.2.2 Materials

     20.2.3 Experimental setup

     20.2.4 Experimental results

References

21 Example Course Instructions for Smartphone-based Optical Labs

21.1 General Lab Instructions

     21.1.1 Important notices for students

     21.1.2 Lab materials

     21.1.3 Lab instructions

21.2 Polarization Labs

     21.2.1 Required lab materials

     21.2.2 Lab instruction

     21.2.3 Additional labs

21.3 Reflection Labs

     21.3.1 Required lab materials

     21.3.2 Lab instructions

     21.3.3 Additional labs

21.4 Interference Labs

     21.4.1 Required lab materials

     21.4.2 Lab instruction

     21.4.3 Additional labs

21.5 Diffraction Labs

     21.5.1 Required lab materials

     21.5.2 Lab instruction

21.6 Summary of Lab Results

Appendix I Materials Used in Labs

Appendix II Web Links and Smartphone Applications

Appendix III Introduction to ImageJ

III.1 Starting ImageJ

III.2 ImageJ Menu

III.3 ImageJ Toolbar

III.4 Image Analysis Example Using ImageJ

Reference

Appendix IV Connecting the Laser Diode

Preface

Since 2015, I have incorporated smartphone-based optics projects in my Introduction to Modern Optics classes at the University of Georgia. In addition to completing the required optics labs, students in this class are asked to work in pairs on an optics project using a smartphone. Each project involves the use of some cheap household materials, LEGO® blocks, or a 3D printer to design an apparatus incorporating a smartphone to demonstrate an optical principle or application. The total cost of each project is less than $30. The teams pick a topic for their project from a list provided by the instructor or propose a project idea themselves during the second week of class.

…

These smartphone-based optical projects and labs offer the following advantages:

1. To use hands-on smartphone-based experiments to enable a better understanding of basic optical concepts, especially for students who have difficulty with abstract thinking
2. To encourage students to learn improved data analysis and modeling techniques while conducting authentic scientific research and obtaining a more rigorous training in scientific report writing
3. To help students gain confidence in their ability to apply knowledge learned in the classroom to design a smartphone-based instrument or experiment
4. To motivate students to be creative designers through hands-on experience with modern technology used for practical applications
5. To improve students' problem-solving skills
6. To serve as a popular template for other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classes and extend the STEM education model to K-12 education and the general community

They also meet the five fundamental goals for introductory physics labs according to the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). In addition, these projects provide physics teachers an alternative to labs when the courses are taught remotely due to special circumstances, such as a pandemic.

…

We hope that this book can serve the following purposes: first, it may give some rough ideas about the versatility of smartphones in physics laboratories for education; second, it may serve as a guidebook for science teachers who want to incorporate these kinds of labs into their classroom or outside activities; third, it could provide inspiration for students or science hobbyists to design and construct their own labs; and finally, it could be a useful resource for parents who want to initiate a science journey for their child.

Yiping Zhao
August 2022
Athens, Georgia, USA