Investigating electromagnetic induction through a microcomputer-based laboratory

Abstract

Microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) tools have been developed that interface with a great variety of computers. Students use these tools to gather physical data in real time that can later be manipulated and analysed. This new investigative method together with a high standard of precision enables students to investigate many principles of physics that have not previously been feasible. In this article we describe a MBL experiment designed for high-school students that analyses very accurately Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction, dealing with each variable separately while the others are kept constant.