Earlier this school year, the Lake Forest High School science department received a foundation grant for new high speed cameras. The new cameras have been in the classrooms for over six months now, so I decided to sit down with physics teacher Mr. Matt Wilen, the person who wrote the grant proposal, to discuss the impact they have have made on the learning environment.

First, give us some information about the cameras. What can they do differently than a normal camera?

“We received a total of three Sony RX100 V high speed cameras at the beginning of the year. They can shoot video at 960 frames per second, but they operate and look like normal cameras.”  

How do you currently use the cameras in the classroom?

“We can use these cameras to slow down footage of collisions, falling objects, and other moving things during our labs. For example, we used the cameras during the egg drop project to analyze the impact of the eggs as they hit the ground. In addition, we can use the slow motion footage to calculate gravitational forces on falling objects and accelerations of moving objects.”

How will the science department continue to incorporate these cameras into the curriculum?

“I think the cameras will continue to be used in some of our labs with moving objects, like the annual egg drop, but I also see the cameras expanding into other subjects. They could possibly be used in chemistry to analyze chemical reactions. I often times use the cameras with my robotics class to look at frictional forces that are being applied on the robots. Overall, the cameras are a useful tool and are not just limited to the physics classroom.”