Interfacing the Apple II to Physics Experiements

Abstract

Acquiring data from an experiment takes time and skill. Time is required to run the experiment in order to gather the quantity of data to make the correlations meaningful. Skill is required to insure the quality of the data. If either is forfeited for whatever reason, the experiment could be meaningless. To insure that the data is both of the quantity and quality desired, the scientist must methodically repeat readings without any bias. Today, with the lowering costs and increase in knowledge about computers, tasks such as controlling experiments can be easily achieved. Interfacing the computer to scientific experiments allows the digital circuitry to gather data without forfeiting either the quantity or quality needed for precise calculations. Based on the book, "Electronics for Physics Experiments" by John W. Snider and Joseph Priest, experiments were chosen and performed. These experiments dealt both with temperature and thermal measurement. The later experiments interfaced the computer with the temperature sensitive transducer. It was found that the book explained the subject matter well and was easy to follow. The book was shown to be an excellent resource and aid to any person with a limited knowledge of computer interfacing.