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Set up and display sensor data

Learn how to set up a sensor, collect and analyze data, and save an experiment. If you are new to Capstone, start here!

In this tutorial, we're going to use a Wireless Temperature Sensor to measure the temperature of a cup of water. If you don't have a Wireless Temperature Sensor, you can still follow the steps in this tutorial to collect data with a different sensor.

Set up the experiment

Note

The sensor connection instructions in this section are written for PASCO Wireless Sensors. See Connect a sensor to Capstone if you are using a PASPORT or Science Workshop sensor.

  1. Start Capstone, then select Hardware Setup in the Tools palette.

  2. Click the Sensor Data menu and select Continuous Sampling.

  3. Turn on the sensor by pressing the power button until the lights turn on.

  4. From the list of Available Wireless Devices, select the sensor that matches the device ID printed on your sensor.
  5. Click Hardware Setup again to close the Hardware Setup panel.
  6. Measurements are pre-selected on the graph's x-axis and y-axis. To display a different measurement on a given axis, click the measurement name on the axis, then select a measurement from the list.

Collect data

Record a run of data and view the results on the Graph display.

  1. Click Record to begin recording data.
  2. Perform your experiment.
  3. Click Stop when finished collecting data.
  4. Adjust the viewing area of the graph by dragging the axes. You can also click the Scale-to-Fit tool to automatically scale the graph.

Add a note

Add a note to a data point to add context to the graph.

  1. Click a data point to add a note. A selection of tools appears.
  2. Click the Annotation tool to add an annotation to that point.
  3. Select the Enter Note box, then use your keyboard to type a note.

  4. Click outside of the text box when finished. The note will appear on the graph.

    Tip

    Reposition the annotation by dragging the edge of the text box.

Find data coordinates

Determine the coordinates of a data point and the difference between two points on the graph.

  1. Click a data point to analyze.
  2. Click the Coordinates tool. A box displaying the coordinates appears.
  3. Click the coordinates box, then click the Delta tool. A second coordinates box appears.
  4. Drag the second coordinates box to a new location to determine the difference between the two points. Boxes showing the difference in y and the difference in x appears.

Collect a second run

Record a second data run and compare it to the first run.

  1. Click Record to begin recording a second data run. The first data run is hidden.
  2. Remove the Temperature Sensor probe from the water and set it on the table.
  3. After several minutes, click Stop to end recording data.
  4. To make the first run visible again, go to the toolbar and click the down arrow next to the Select Run tool. Select Run #1 in the menu to switch to the first run or Select All to plot both runs at once.

Fit the data to a line

Add a linear fit to a selection of the data to find the slope and y-intercept.

  1. Make Run #2 the active run by clicking it in the graph legend.
  2. Go to the toolbar and select the Highlight Data tool.
  3. Drag the highlighter box over the portion of the plot you want to analyze. Use the handles on the edges of the highlighter to resize it as needed.

  4. Click the down arrow next to the Curve Fit tool, then select Linear: mt + b to fit a line to the selection. A line appears with a box displaying the slope (m), y-intercept (b), and error values.

    Tip

    Drag the axes to see a projection of the linear fit.

Change the units of the Time axis

Change the units of the Time measurement from seconds to minutes to make the data easier to read. Click (s) on the x-axis, then select min from the list.

Save the data

Save your experiment file to share with others.

  1. Go to File > Save Experiment As, or click Save at the top of the screen.
  2. Create a name for your file, then save it on your computer.

Next steps

Now that you've gone over the basics of collecting data in Capstone, here are some suggestions to learn more about Capstone: