Viewing waveforms with Measure 

 

Measure waveforms from either sound through the microphone or from DC and AC voltages using additional hardware. You can observe these waves on a oscilloscope-like interface in the Measure Activity.

• Watch waveforms in frequency domain (like a spectrum analyzer).
• Log data at a specified time interval, and then draw a graph of the logged data.
• Place the XO near an animal making sounds, such as the sounds of birds, and observe their waveforms. Which of these bird calls are high frequency sounds, which are low frequency ones?
• Adjust the frequency sliders accordingly. Whistle into the microphone and compare the loudness and frequency of whistles by observing the waveforms.
• Turn the sensitivity slider up to the maximum and observe ambient noise, like in a quiet room and compare to the sounds near a noisy road.
• Measure the voltage of an AA size pencil cell battery (if you have additional external hardware). What settings do you use for a battery, AC or DC?
• Log temperature using a temperature sensor at one hour intervals. When in the day is it the hottest? The coldest?

What am I learning?

You are learning to view and interpret measurements, which helps you to understand data.

Why is this important?

Observations about water, bugs, leaves, or trees can help you see patterns in the natural world around you. Predicting patterns in nature is an aspect of studying science.