Beyond Labz

The Experiment View is where the collisions experiments are performed. Set up an experiment by dragging the selected objects to the motion area and positioning them as appropriate. The experiment is started by clicking on the Start button or if a Force is attached, by clicking on the Force button. The essential features of the Experiment View are described in order starting from the upper left hand corner of the lab and proceeding counter-clockwise.

• Back. This button will take you back to the portal homepage. 

• Transfer Tray. Items selected in the Stockroom are put on the Transfer Tray on the far left side of the experiment window. Those items can be dragged down into the motion area to setup experiments or dragged from the motion area back to the tray to change experiments. Clicking the Clear button returns all items back to the Transfer Tray from the motion area. Items on the Transfer Tray do not necessarily have to be placed in the motion area. Instead, the Transfer Tray can be used as a temporary storage location while investigating different experimental configurations. 

• Time Control. This menu is used to display the time elapsed since starting the experiment. The time can be modified to elapse faster or slower than actual time by clicking on the + or – buttons and can be adjusted at any point during the experiment. 

• Experimental Control Panel. The Experiment Control panel is used to start and stop the experiment or apply the force that has been attached to the focal object. When there is an initial velocity set for an object in the experiment, clicking Start will apply that initial velocity. If the plunger is attached to the ball, clicking the Force button will start the experiment by applying the force. If a plunger is attached, it can only be hit once. The magnitude of the force applied by the plunger can be set in the Parameters menu. The Clear button returns the items to the Transfer Tray and resets values to their default initial conditions. The Reset button leaves the items in the motion area, but resets the experimental variables back to their state before the most recent experiment.

• Clear Lab. This button is used to return all items to the stockroom.

• Save Lab. This button is used to save the exact lab state that the experiment window and parameters are currently set to. Once clicked, it will save the preset under the "Presets" tab under the "My Saved Labs" heading at the top.

• Presets. The presets tab is where you can find predesigned experiments created by Beyond Labz as well as presets you've created will be under the "My Saved Labs" heading at the top. 

• Lab Book. The lab book is used to record procedures and observations while performing experiments in the virtual laboratory. Data from the experiments can also be saved as links in the lab book where it can then be copied and pasted into an external spreadsheet program for further analysis. See the Lab Book section for more detail on using the lab book.

• Stockroom. Clicking on the stockroom window brings the user to the Stockroom tab. Within the stockroom tab you'll find objects, gravity, frictions, or forces can be selected and placed on the Transfer Tray. 

• Parameters. The Parameters tab is used to change the various experimental variables. Variables can only be changed before starting an experiment or when an experiment is paused and not while an experiment is in progress. More details on using the Parameters menu are given below.

• Live Data. The current position, velocity, acceleration, and momentum components are displayed in the Live Data area. The data is displayed in the coordinate system specified by the Coordinate View buttons. The check boxes to the left of each column are used to select the data that will be saved during recording.

• Trails. This button will allow you to see the path of an object within the experiment window by drawing a temporary trail tracking the exact movement.

• Save Data. This button will begin recording the experiment data you perform, if the experiment is paused or stops the data recording will automatically stop also. When the recording is complete a data table will be saved to your lab book containing the experiment data. 

• Graph Data. This button will open the graphing section where you can select the checkbox to decide which graphs you will save to your lab book when the save button is clicked.

• Units. When clicked, this button will take you to the parameters tab where you will be able to change any of the units displayed. Simply click through the options until you find the desired units. 

• Coordinate View Buttons. The Cartesian coordinate button switches the grid in the motion area to a standard x-y grid, and the data display is in Cartesian coordinates. When the Total button is also selected, the total speed and acceleration are displayed and are not divided up into the x and y components. The Polar coordinate button switches the grid to a polar coordinate system, and the data display contains r, θ, v_r, ω, a_r, α , p_r, and p_θ. When the Total button is selected, the totals are displayed for r, θ, v, a, and p and are not divided up into r and θ components.

• Camera. When this camera icon is clicked it will save an image of your current lab window to your Lab Book. 

Controlling Time

The Time Control area is used to display the time elapsed since starting the experiment. The time can be modified to elapse faster or slower than actual time by clicking on the + or – buttons and can be adjusted at any point during the experiment.

Saving Data

The Save Data button is used to save the selected data in the display area to the lab book for later analysis. Data is saved as data tables and can be accessed by opening your lab book. To save a graph to your lab book, click the "Graph Data" button and then select "Save" under the graphs heading. The variables that will be recorded are selected by clicking on the individual boxes below the Save Data button in the Live Data tab. Click the Save Data button either before starting the experiment to collect all of the data or at any period during the experiment to collect a certain range of data. The saving process will continue automatically until the Pause button is clicked or the experiment stops. Recording can also be stopped by clicking on the Stop button. If the data set becomes too large, then new data tables will be automatically created. The lab book must be open for data to be saved. Note that the Acceleration rate governs the density of points saved to the lab book. At the default rate, several data points are collected per second.

Parameters 

The Parameters menu gives the user control over specific settings for objects and other variables in the experiment such as the magnitude of gravity, ball material and properties and the plunger magnitude. The parameters are divided into six groups that include objects, friction, forces, gravity, and the motion area scaling. Each is context sensitive and only contains the parameters for those items that have been selected from the stockroom and placed on the Transfer Tray. Nearly every variable in the menu can be changed or updated using a slider to change variables from their minimum to maximum settings or by entering a number directly into the text box. It should be noted that initial velocities are entered as a total velocity and a direction or angle. Angles are measured from the x-axis where +x is 0°, +y is 90°, -x is 180°, and –y is 270°. Units for the variables correspond to the units defined in the Units area. Given below is a brief description of the variables that can be adjusted for each item listed in the palette.

• Single Ball. Selecting the material controls the friction coefficient of the ball. The diameter, mass, and initial velocity can also be selected as well as the mass distribution as a uniform solid or ring.

• Plunger. Users can define the force or magnitude of the impact and the angle. Angles are measured from the x-axis where +x is 0°, +y is 90°, -x is 180°, and –y is 270°.

• Gravity. The gravity can be defined by selecting the equivalent gravity of one of the solar system bodies, entering the magnitude of g directly, or by entering the number of earth g’s. The parameters are the same regardless of the type of gravity selected.

• Scaling. The scale of the motion area is usually set automatically and changes as objects go past the edge of the area; however, the scale can be set manually and fixed or allowed to auto scale. Note that the motion area is not square, so in order to fix the aspect ratio the x- and y-axis values are constrained.