Extracting Data From Video: Vernier Video Physics
Unlike probes which extract data directly from the environment, video might be described as offering a representation of the environment from which data might then be extracted. This might sound a little strange, but consider an example. In the preparation of teachers, a video might be created of a teacher engaging students in a lesson and an expert might later use this representation as data in critiquing the quality of the teacher’s activities. The expert is extracting data from the video representation because it was probably inconvenient or possibly distracting for the expert to be in the actual classroom. This example would probably not surprise most educators, but there are other uses of video that provide data on topics you might not anticipate and in ways that might surprise you.
Video Physics is the name of a $2.99 app from Vernier for use on the iPad or iPhone. The phrase, video physics, is not unique to this specific app and you can learn more about the general concept by doing a search for the phrase on the Internet. What the app does is offer anyone the opportunity to do some very authentic explorations at a very reasonable price.
The Vernier Video Physics app provides a way to explore the trajectory and velocity of objects from a video. Think - a ball rolling down an incline, basketball shot from the free throw line, or, in the case of our own example, a truck driving in front of your house. Would you know how to determine how fast the truck was moving from a 2 second video clip? How the process works is quite interesting and access to the inexpensive app encourages you to ask more question about the motion of objects in the world around you and the physics and mathematical principles explaining properties of motion. We hope the short video demonstration helps you understand how the software works and encourages your thinking other ways in which the software might be used.
Video Physics tutorial [video
Be patient if nothing appears in this space - a video file is downloading in the background. This video requires the Apple Quicktime plugin (download). The video shows the app and a forward button that is part of the video itself does not function.