Digital video and Vernier force plates as low-setup measurement tools for dance motion¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 1 study (1 design), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The course uses two measurement tools: digital video cameras, from which position vs. time data are extracted by hand against a calibrated background, and "force plates from Vernier Software & Technology that are similar to bathroom scales but read force vs. time at 50 readings/second", recorded with a handheld interface. Two plates, one under each foot, provide a safer jumping target and require only adding two data columns.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Calibrated background or meter stick in the video field-of-view
• zeroing the force plates before each run
• Vernier interface and LoggerPro software

Constraints¶

• Video data are extracted by hand frame-by-frame using a ruler on a computer screen

Target Learners¶

• non-science-major undergraduates

Target Learning Goals¶

• measuring force and motion
• data analysis skills

Claims¶

• Overlaying mass times calculated acceleration with net force from force plates provides a compelling visual connection to Newton's Second Law [+W]
• Two-force-plate recording revealed individual left-right impulse asymmetries in student jumps while total takeoff and landing impulses remained comparable [+W]
• Student video analysis of vertical jumps yields a free-fall acceleration estimate close to the local value of g [+W]

Related Elements¶

Examples¶

• Measure and Graph Data
• Conclude with a choreography-and-analysis final project in place of a final exam
• Teach video analysis by hand, in real time, without automation layers for non-science majors

Key Sources¶

• Barber, R. P., Jr., Popalisky, D. J., Hacking, R., & Chiapella, K. (2007). Newton's 2nd Law and the Physics of Dance. arXiv:0706.2717. doi:10.48550/arXiv.0706.2717