Talk:Distance activity debugging and calibration

Perhaps extend the project to other forms of measurement?

Perhaps extend the project to other forms of measurement? For example, the camera can be used to measure angular size, and thus distance. An XO at 30 m is still a couple of pixels wide (yes?). Any other object of known size, such as a person, can also be used. Also, distances perpendicular to line of sight can be measured by putting an xo, or other known object, next to the subject, and comparing lengths. A possible alternative to using the camera, is to use sightlines Image:Converging_lines_01.png on the screen. As you try different ways of measuring distance and length, you could compare them, recording how difficult and accurate they were. You might also write it up as a lesson plan, for kids around the world to try themselves (a little-a "activity"). And with distance, and the Stopwatch, you might also do velocity measurements. MitchellNCharity 17:36, 11 January 2008 (EST)

Feedback on results

It would help to know the conditions under which the measurements were made. Since the xo's chirp at each other, results in utter quiet and still air would be expected to be different than those in windy and otherwise noisy conditions. And as air temperature is known to be a factor in the measurements, recording the temp, and the temp setting told the Activity, would also help clarify what the results mean.

Including the raw data would let people explore their own questions. Like absolute and % error, as a function of distance.

Thanks for your work! A couple of us were planning to take xo's down to the MIT field for measurements, but it never quite happened. Or at least I missed it.

MitchellNCharity 17:43, 11 January 2008 (EST)

be able to plot a graph by inputting values in Measure

I really think that Measure should be able to plot a graph based on an array of input values. Say, for example values of distance measurement. --Arjs 00:21, 20 January 2008 (EST)