PASCO TD-8579A COMPUTER-BASED THERMAL EXPANSION APPARATUS - Manual (Page 7)

Computer-based Thermal Expansion Apparatus 012-07599C
®
4
Experiment Setup
Calibration
The Thermistor Sensor and Rotary Motion Sensor are both factory-calibrated and do not require additional
calibration. However, if you wish to calibrate the Thermistor Sensor, you may do so. For calibration instruc-
tions, see the DataStudio (version 1.5.2 or later) online help.
Software Setup
Use the provided Thermal Expansion Setup diskette for setting up your experiment in DataStudio (v. 1.5.2 or
later). The Thermal Expansion Setup diskette includes the necessary sensor designation, pre-defined variables,
equations, etc., that you will need to run the experiment with the PASCO Thermal Expansion Apparatus (the
experiment on pages 5 to 6 of this manual).
Note: You must have DataStudio version 1.5.2 or later to run the setup diskette. PASCO provides a setup
diskette for either MacIntosh or Windows operating systems.
The following paragraphs describe the setup information contained in the setup diskette.
Sample Rate: The default sample rate for both the Rotary Motion and Thermistor Sensors is 5 Hertz
(Hz). If you want to change the sample rate, click on the sensor icon in the Experiment Setup window.
In the Sensor Properties dialog, use the plus and minus buttons to increase or decrease the sample rate.
Measurement units: The setup will give you temperature readings in degrees Celsius. If you also want to
view resistance measurements, go to the Experiment Setup window and doubleclick on the Thermistor
Sensor icon. In the Sensor Properties dialog, click on the Measurement tab and click to place a check in
the Resistance box.
Equation Setup: To view the pre-defined equations for temperature, position, etc., double click on the
appropriate Calculator icon in the Data List. The setup diskette includes the following equations:
Delta T = max(x) - min (x) (deg C), where delta T represents the change in temperature, max (x)
represents the maximum temperature achieved and min(x) represents the temperature at the initial start
time.
Position = x*radius (mm), where position is the linear position of the rod, x is the angular position in
radians, of the Rotary Motion Sensor, and the rotary pin radius is 1.327 mm.
Delta X = max(x) - min(x), where max(x) represents the longest position attained and min(x) represents
the initial position of the rod. The initial position is always zero.
Note: The position is calculated from the rotational change of the Rotary Motion Sensor pin. As the rod
expands, it pushes against the pin and causes the pin to rotate. From the radius of the pin and the amount of
angular rotation relative to the pin's zero position, the Rotary Motion Sensor determines the linear change in
length (L) for the rod.
1) Insert the Thermal Expansion Setup diskette into your disk drive and open DataStudio. The Experiment
Setup window opens and shows the Rotary Motion Sensor icon and Thermistor Sensor icons. If your sensors
are connected to the thermal apparatus and ScienceWorkshop interface, and you have a heat source running
through the metal rod, you are ready to begin collecting data.