#$&*
Phy 121
Your 'timer program' report has been received. Scroll down through the document to see any comments I might have inserted, and my final comment at the end.
** TIMER program_labelMessages **
** **
one hour
** **
Copy this document, from this point on, into a text editor (e.g., Notepad; preferably
NOT into a word processor or html editor, e.g., NOT into Word or FrontPage).
DO NOT COPY THE LINES ABOVE THIS ONE. JUST FILL THOSE LINES IN WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR
RESULTS AT THE END OF THIS FORM.
Follow the instructions, fill in your data and the results of your analysis in the given
format.
Regularly save your document to your computer as you work.
When you have completed your work:
Highlight the contents of the text editor, and copy and paste those contents into the
indicated box at the end of this form.
Click the Submit button and save your form confirmation.
This experiment is self-explanatory. Student report time of completion ranging from 10
minutes to 1 hour, with 30 minutes being the most typical.
Downloading and/or running the TIMER program
If you have a Macintosh computer the preferred timer.exe program might not work (it will
if your computer has a Windows emulator), but the alternative Java applet should work
just fine.
timer.exe
The program timer.exe should be downloaded to your hard drive and/or flash drive so you
have access to it whenever you need it.
There is an alternative Java applet (see the heading timer java applet below) , but the
.exe option is preferable. It is worth 15 minutes of effort to get the program working
on your hard drive, after which you will have it and won't need Internet access to run
it. It will start up instantly, it runs in a small window, and it has the ability to
file your data. However if you can't get it working in 15 minutes with the instructions
given below, just move on the the Java version.
To use the Windows version:
If you are using a Windows PC, or a Mac with Windows emulator, first take a few seconds
to run the program q a prelim. As soon as the form opens on your screen, you can close
it. Nothing needs to be submitted. The first thing this program does is to create the
c:\vhmthphy folder on your hard drive. As an alternative you can also create a
c:\vhmthphy folder.
The timer.exe program opens in a small window and can be run side-by-side with other
windows applications on your computer (just size the second window so it leaves room for
the Timer program).
Run the program now. If it fails to work then try the following, in order:
If you got the Run-time Error 76, it can be corrected by the step given earlier. That
instruction is repeated below:
Run the program q a prelim. As soon as the form opens on your screen, you can close it.
Nothing needs to be submitted. The first thing this program does is to create the
c:\vhmthphy folder on your hard drive. As an alternative you can manually create this
folder.
If this doesn't work, follow the link COMDLG32 to access simple instructions for fixing
the problem. Then run timer.exe .
To use the Java version:
Windows users:
The Java applet does require that the Java Runtime Environment be installed. Almost
every Apple computer, and most Windows computers, will have this environment installed.
If your computer will not run the Java applet, the installation is simple and quick. If
you search under 'Java Runtime Environment', using any search engine, you will find
information on the Java Runtime Environment and on the installation. You should satisfy
yourself that you are downloading from a verifiable, trusted source.
Mac users:
Apple supplies their own version of Java. Use the Software Update feature (available on
the Apple menu) to check that you have the most up-to-date version of Java for your Mac.
should check the Apple site for the Software Update feature (available on the Apple
menu) to check that you have the most up-to-date version of Java for your Mac.
The Java Applet at the link Timer-Java will work fine for the current experiment, and
will do just about everything the timer.exe program will do. The Java applet has a few
more or less minor inconveniences and one that's not quite as minor:
You can't put the Java applet on your hard drive or flash drive, so you have to pull it
off the Web every time you want to use it.
The applet won't file your data. However it will let you copy and paste your data into
a text editor.
If your machine doesn't run Java applets, you would have to set it up to do so (just
search the web under 'Java Runtime Environment', which is free and installs easily).
This software is pretty standard, and is already installed on most machines.
Operating the TIMER program
It is easy to operate the Timer program. All you have to do is click on the button
labeled Click to Time Event.
Click that button about 10 times and describe what you see.
I see sequential numbers on the left for each click and the duration between clicks on
the right.
#$&*
Now click on Initialize Counter, which will clear all the data from the timer window.
Click the mouse as fast as you can until the TIMER window fills up. Be sure you get at
least 20 time intervals.
If you miss a click, try again. Keep trying until you get at least 20 intervals without
a missed or delayed click.
Copy your data starting in the next line:
1 258.625 258.625
2 258.8281 .203125
3 259.0156 .1875
4 259.1719 .15625
5 259.3438 .171875
6 259.5 .15625
7 259.6563 .15625
8 259.8438 .1875
9 260.0156 .171875
10 260.1875 .171875
11 260.3438 .15625
12 260.5156 .171875
13 260.6719 .15625
14 260.8594 .1875
15 261.0313 .171875
16 261.1875 .15625
17 261.375 .1875
18 261.5469 .171875
19 261.7188 .171875
20 261.875 .15625
21 262.0313 .15625
22 262.2031 .171875
23 262.375 .171875
#$&*
You got at least 20 time intervals. Based on your data what was the average of the
first 20 time intervals? Note that you could get this average by averaging the first 20
intervals. My first few intervals were .15625, .15625, .1875, .171875, etc; I could
just add up the first 20 intervals and divide by 20 to get the average. However there
is an easier and quicker way to get the result, so use the easier way if you can.
Give your result, number only, in the first line, and starting in the second line
explain how you got it.
My result is 0.1703125. I manually added the individual durations on a calculator and
divided by 20. Since thats alot of key strokes prone to human error, I copy and paste
into excel remove numbers I didn't want and average. The result was the same as my
calculator result.
#$&*
@&
Good but it would have been easier to subtract the clock time in line 1 from the clock time in line 21, then divide by 20.
*@
When I did this activity the first few lines of my data were as follows:
event number clock time time interval
1 11.67188 11.67188
2 11.875 0.203125
3 12.0625 0.1875
4 12.20313 0.140625
5 12.375 0.171875
6 12.54688 0.171875
7 12.73438 0.1875
8 12.92188 0.1875
9 13.10938 0.1875
10 13.28125 0.171875
11 13.4375 0.15625
It looks like the same intervals keep popping up. For example .1875 seconds occurs 5
times out of the first 10 intervals, .171875 seconds occurs three times, and .203125
seconds, .140625 seconds and .15625 seconds each occur once.
A frequency distribution for my time intervals would be as follows:
time interval frequency
,140625 1
.15625 1
.171875 3
.1875 5
.203125 1
What different time intervals did you observe in your first 20 intervals, and how many
times did each occur? List below the different time intervals you observed and the
number of times each occurred. List from the shortest to the longest interval, and use
a comma between the time interval and its frequency. For example my data above would be
listed at
.140625, 1
.1565, 1
.171875, 3
.1875, 5
.203125, 1
Your list should be in exactly this format, with no other symbols or characters.
.15625, 8
.171875, 7
.1875, 4
.203125, 1
#$&*
You may make any comments or ask any question about the process so far in the box below
#$&*
On the 10 intervals I've shown you, do you really think I managed to get a time of .1875
seconds, accurate to 4 significant figures, on half of the intervals? If you do, I'm
grateful for your confidence but I'm just not that good. No human being has that much
neurological and muscular control.
So why do you think the TIMER program reported that time so frequently? Why weren't
there times like .1830 seconds, or .1769 seconds? Does this mean that the TIMER program
is flawed? Does that mean it's useless?
I do not know why the timer program groups times and reports them so frequently. I'm
interested to read further and see what the facts are.
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Here are a few more lines of data, with an added column showing the difference between
each time interval and the next.
clock time time interval difference from one time interval to next
9 13.10938 0.1875 -0.01563
10 13.28125 0.171875 -0.01563
11 13.4375 0.15625 0.03125
12 13.625 0.1875 -0.01563
13 13.79688 0.171875 0.015625
14 13.98438 0.1875 0.015625
15 14.1875 0.203125 -0.03125
16 14.35938 0.171875 -0.01563
17 14.51563 0.15625 0.03125
Take a good look at that last column and tell us what you see in those numbers, and what
this tells you about the TIMER program
Some times are shorter or longer than the previous time.
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@&
Also there are only a couple of possible differences between the intervals.
*@
Now initialize the TIMER once more, and take a series of 10 relaxed breaths. Every time
you start to inhale, hit the TIMER button.
My results for the first 7 complete breaths are as follows:
series of relaxed breaths
event number clock time time interval difference between time interval and next
1 1569.734 1569.734
2 1582.75 13.01563 0.32812
3 1596.094 13.34375 3.90625
4 1613.344 17.25 2.70313
5 1633.297 19.95313 1.35937
6 1654.609 21.3125 4.23438
7 1680.156 25.54688 2.15625
8 1707.859 27.70313
I didn't go on because the time between my breaths kept increasing, and I was afraid if
I relaxed any more I might stop breathing altogether. It's going to take either more
statistical analysis to determine whether that's a real danger, or a little common
sense.
Report your results by just entering your time intervals, one to each line, in the box
below. If I was entering my results I would enter
13.01563
13.34375
17.25
19.95313
21.3125
etc.
Enter your results in the same format:
5.75
5.515625
5.546875
5.71875
5.5625
4.953125
5.65625
5.6875
6.046875
5.25
#$&*
If you have any comments please insert them here
#$&*
Most likely you did not observe the same exact time interval twice, and if you did it
did not happen nearly as often as when you did the fact clicks.
Why do you think this is exactly what we would expect?
It seems as though the timer is more accurate as the time intervals are greater.
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Which of the following statements do you think is the most accurate?
a. The TIMER program is capable of determining the time between two events accurately
to within about .1 second.
b. The TIMER program is capable of determining the time between two events accurately
to within about .01 second.
c. The TIMER program is capable of determining the time between two events accurately
to within about .001 second.
d. The TIMER program is capable of determining the time between two events accurately
to within about .0001 second.
Enter your answer and your reasoning below:
I think the timer program is most accurate at events 0.1 seconds apart. The fast
clicking is not repeatable as exact as it appears. The slow breathing at about 5 seconds
apart is probably accurate to 0.1 seconds.
#$&*
Note that the TIMER.exe program can save your data in a format that can be read by a
spreadsheet (the TIMER applet cannot do so). This will be very handy in the future, so
take a minute and do the following:
1. Click on the button at the lower right of the TIMER form, entitled Click to File
Data.
2. A box will pop up allowing you to include an identifying message. You should
generally choose to include such a message; for the data presently on your timer that
might be 'series of regular breaths time at beginning of inhalation' or something
similar. Type in whatever you think would serve as a good identifier for this data and
OK that box.
3. A typical Save As window will appear. Decide where to save your data and what to
call it, and proceed to save it. The program will save the file as a comma-delimited
text file.
4. Open your spreadsheet program (typically Excel) and choose File > Open. Browse to
the folder in which you just saved your data. Below the File Name line will be a File
Type line; set this either to Text Files or All Files so your file will appear. Open
it.
5. A series of windows will typically appear. In the first window make sure the file
type chosen is Delimited, the proceed to the next window.
6. In the second window you will see a series of checkboxes; check the one entitled
Comma, in order to select the comma-delimited file, then just click on Finish.
If you can't run the .exe program, you can't do Steps 1-3. However all you need to do
is copy the contents of the program to a text file, using copy-and-paste. Save that
text file, using any filename you wish. Then proceed with steps 4-6 above.
Your data should appear in your spreadsheet, and can be manipulated as in any
spreadsheet.
Copy a few lines of the data from your spreadsheet below:
breath timing exercise
event number clock time time interval
1 2204.563 2204.563
2 2210.313 5.75
3 2215.828 5.515625
4 2221.375 5.546875
#$&*
*#&!
&#Good responses on this lab exercise. See my notes and let me know if you have questions.
Revision isn't requested, but if you do choose to submit revisions, clarifications or questions, please insert them into a copy of this document, and mark your insertions with &&&& (please mark each insertion at the beginning and at the end).
Be sure to include the entire document, including my notes. &#