Knowledge database

The FizziQ Junior application meets two objectives: - help cycle 3 students master through experience the basics of scientific reasoning using digital tools - assist teachers in the creation and conduct of investigation sessions in class. To achieve these objectives, FizziQ Junior uses the often unsuspected possibilities offered by tablets or smartphones, such as sensors, to create an innovative and useful tool in the classroom but also in educational continuity. FizziQ Junior has also been selected by the Edu-Up program of the Ministry of National Education, which finances the educational tools of the future. For the teacher FizziQ Junior is a way to identify, adapt or create scientific inquiry activities, then share them with their students, and correct their work on the tablets. Access to these functions is from the Teacher area. To access the Teacher space: from the main menu > move the cursor to the bottom right "Teacher mode For the student, or a group of students, FizziQ Junior is both an experimentation tool and a digital experiment notebook in which he will organize all the stages of his reasoning in the form of text, photos, drawings or measurements. Once his work is finished, he will export his work as a PDF document, or share it with his teacher for correction. Access to these functions is from the Student space.

In order for students to become familiar with the FizziQ Junior application and better understand how it works, we recommend that you carry out a first small experiment with them to teach this tool. We have prepared three little games that the students can try and which will introduce sessions on sound, movement or colours. This little playful time will allow them to get to grips with the application and better understand the philosophy of the investigation method. Launch the application, then in the menu that appears, press “I test my instruments”. Now press one of the icons, such as the icon entitled "The painter". Follow the instructions to play this little game that will test your ability to quickly identify colors around you. Press "Pause" and resume when you have finished the game. A tablet could easily be transformed into a very precise measuring instrument to conduct exciting investigative approaches with your students. We have studied the color but FizziQ Junior offers access to more than twenty different types of measurements. To discover them, return to the previous menu, and press the “Discover instruments” icon. You will then see the list of all the measurement tools available to your students to make new and enriching experiences.

To open the teacher space, you must activate Teacher mode with the button at the bottom right of the screen in the main menu. On first use, this menu is accessible to everyone, but the teacher can create a password to prevent students from entering this menu. After pressing the Teacher icon, the new screen offers the various features of the teacher space: the search for activities, the management of activities, the teacher locker and the tablet settings. La main à la pâte and the educational community have created many activities that teachers can use directly or modify to suit their needs. These activities can be found by pressing “Find an activity. This feature requires internet access. Select an activity based on its name. We then view the details of the activity, its author, and a link to the complete resource that describes the activity. To access this resource, you press the link and it appears on the screen. Please note that these features require internet access. From this window you can download the activity to modify it or transfer it to the students. Press Download activity at the bottom, this activity then appears in a menu similar to the student's workbook. The teacher can then modify the activity, add text, photos or measurements, but also add steps to facilitate student reasoning. I suggest you press PAUSE and download an activity to your tablet, then modify it with the editing tools. Once these items have been added, the activity can be shared by tapping the Share icon in the drop-down menu. There are several ways to share an activity. If the teacher does not have internet access or prefers not to use a QR code, the teacher can place the activity in the student's locker. He will find in his student space the activity that he can follow. If the teacher does not have internet but still wants to communicate a QR Code to their class, they can create a QR Code that does not require internet by using the "Text Only QR Code" option. Images, drawings or measurements will not be included in the activity. Finally, if the students have internet access, the teacher can create a text and image QR Code. The activity will be transferred in its entirety anonymously and securely to our servers, and a QR Code will be created which will allow students to retrieve this activity from the database. This code can be used for one month and only code holders can access the information. For this sequence we are going to add a photo to your activity, then you are going to create a "text and image" QR Code, you will send this QR Code to your email address by pressing the share icon at the bottom right. You can also take a photo of this QR Code. Now we will check that a student can read the QR Code, return to the student menu and scan the QR Code from your email on another device. You will then see the activity you created appear. There is also the possibility for the student to share his notebook with the teacher. While we are in the Students menu, we are going to share the notebook we created during the first sequence, and place it in the teacher's locker. To do this, press Share my work, then Put a notebook in the teacher's notebook, then select the notebook. After validation it appears in red. Now go back to the teacher menu and press open my locker. We then see the student document. Open this document, the teacher then has the option of adding comments to the notebook, then returning the notebook to the student by leaving the document. The student will see the annotated notebook appear in his notebooks and will be able to modify it. A final option is the settings menu. This menu allows you to consult the sensors available on the tablet, to calibrate certain instruments such as the sound or the compass, to create passwords, or to personalize the tablet. We advise you to look at these different options and consult the instructions for use on the site www.fizziq.org if you want to know more .

The student can upload an activity that has been prepared by the teacher. This activity can be downloaded in two ways: either as a QR code or placed in the student's locker. 1. Download an activity as a QR code To download an activity available in the form of a QR code, from the Students menu, select "I am starting an activity", then "I am downloading an activity", then with the camera, aim at the QR code of the activity. When the QR code is recognized, the frame turns green, press "Start this activity". The experiment book opens including the questions displayed in gray. If the QR code cannot be recognized, see the section: Problems: the QR code of the activity is not recognized 2. Open an activity placed in the student's locker To open an activity available in the student's locker, press "The activity is in my locker", then select the activity. download an activity available in the form of a QR code, from the Students menu, select "I am starting an activity", then "I am downloading an activity", then with the camera, aim at the QR code of the activity. When the QR code is recognized, the frame turns green, press "Start this activity". The experiment book opens including the questions displayed in gray.

To create a new notebook, from the main menu, press the Students icon, then select "I create a new notebook". To modify an existing notebook, from the main menu, press the Students icon, then select "I open one of my notebooks". - If the notebook is displayed in red, it means that it has been placed in the teacher's locker. To remove it from the teacher's locker, press down on the notebook, then remove the chair from the locker. - If the notebook is displayed in green, it indicates that it has been corrected by the teacher and returned to the student.

In the upper box, the student or group of students adds their name, the date and the authors of the document. He can also add a photo by tapping the icon. To add items to their notebook, the student presses the PLUS sign at the place they deem most relevant. He can add text, a photo, a drawing or a measurement. The elements, or observation cards, text, photo, drawing or measurements, can be moved in the workbook by drag and drop: long press on the observation card, then while keeping it pressed, move this map in the desired location. If mistakes have been made, you can delete an entry by dragging it to the left (swipe left), and by pressing on a text you can also modify it. A move or deletion can be canceled by pressing the green Go Back icon that appears at the bottom left of the notebook. To modify an image, press twice quickly on the image, we then enter the drawing module in which the image can be modified. At the top right of the workbook there is a drop-down menu bar. It contains several tools to manage the notebook: - the magnifying glass, which provides an overview of the document - help for students to complete the document, the star in the drop-down menu. This aid gives advice to the student on how to better organize and complete his workbook. - the exit button to close the workbook and save it. Student work is constantly saved as they complete their notebook. Even if he quits the application or if the tablet turns off, his work will be preserved.

To add text, press the MORE button in the section where you want to add the text box, then press "Text". write the desired comment then press "I validate". the text is then added at the end of the section. To add a drawing, press the MORE button in the section where the drawing should be added, then press "Drawing". A new window opens in which the student can create the drawing he wants. to add this drawing to the notebook, press the Notebook Plus icon. To add a photo, press the MORE button in the section where the photo should be added, then press "Photo". A new window opens with the camera screen. To take a photo and add it to the notebook, press the Notebook Plus icon. To use the front camera, tap the Smiley icon.

Students can share the workbook either by placing it in the teacher's locker or as a PDF document that can be sent by email or any other form of communication present in the tablet. the smartphone. To put a notebook in the teacher's locker, from the main Student menu, press "I share my work", then "Put a notebook in your teacher's locker", then select the document. After confirmation, the document appears in red in the list of student notebooks and appears in the teacher's locker. To share a notebook in PDF form, from the Student's main menu, press "I share my work", then "share a document in PDF form", then select the document. After confirmation, the document is prepared and then displayed on the screen. To export it, press the Share icon at the bottom right, then select the type of sharing chosen.

The student can add measurements using the different measuring instruments available in the tablet or smartphone. To add a measurement, in the Notebook, press the MORE icon in the section to which you want to add a measurement. Then press "Measurements". Then select the instrument you want to use. To add the measurement to the notebook, press the Notebook Plus icon.

La main à la pâte and the educational community have created many activities that teachers can use directly or modify to suit their needs. In the Teacher area, press "Find an activity". This function requires internet access. Select an activity to view it. This displays the details of the activity, its author, and a link to the full resource that describes the activity. To see the file for this resource, click on the link. Please note that these features require internet access. To download the activity and edit it or share it with students. Press Download activity at the bottom, this activity then appears in the activity book, similar to the student's workbook.

In the Teachers area, the teacher can create or modify an activity that will be shared with the students, either as a QR code or placed in the student's locker. To create a new activity, in the Teacher area, press "Manage my activities", then "Create an activity". We then fill in the name of the activity, then we add text, drawings, photos or measurements as for the student notebook. the teacher can also add new Stages, an option which is not possible in the student workbook. the steps make it possible to structure the notebook and lead the student's reasoning. To modify an activity, in the Teacher area, press "Manage my activities", then "Create an activity". We then fill in the name of the activity, then we add text, drawings, photos or measurements as for the student notebook. The teacher can also add new Steps, an option that is not possible in the student workbook. the steps make it possible to structure the notebook and lead the student's reasoning.

There are several ways to share an activity with your students: - place the activity in the student's locker on the tablet - share the activity as a QR code that does not require internet - share activity as QR code using internet access Place the activity in the student's locker If the teacher does not have internet access or prefers not to use a QR code, the teacher can place the activity in the student's locker. He will find in his student space the activity that he can follow. To place the activity in the student's locker: in the Teacher menu > Share an activity > select the file > Add to student's locker The activity is then accessible by the student in his locker. Sharing an activity by QR code that does not require internet If internet access is not available or if the activity is simple and has only text or steps, the teacher can share the activity as a QR code without internet. If the activity includes text, it can nevertheless be converted into a QR code without internet but only the text will be integrated. To generate a QR code without internet for the activity: in the Teacher menu > Share an activity > select the file > QR code without internet The QR code appears on the screen. It can be shared as an image by email or any other means of communication by pressing the Share button at the bottom right. Students can add the activity by scanning the QR code directly from the Student area Sharing an activity by QR code that does not require internet If internet access is available and the activity has images, the teacher can create a QR code with the internet. In this case the information is stored on our servers and is accessible by a key only which is integrated in the QR code. Before the QR code can be created, the teacher must certify that the information contained in the activity is strictly for teaching purposes and does not contain inappropriate content for students. To generate a QR code with internet: in the Teacher menu > Share an activity > select the file > QR code with internet The QR code appears on the screen. It can be shared as an image by email or any other means of communication by pressing the Share button at the bottom right. Students can add the activity by scanning the QR code directly from the Student area

Not all smartphones and tablets have the same sensors. To find out the list of sensors accessible to the user from FizziQ Junior: From the Teacher area > Modify parameters > List of sensors

Some measuring instruments need to be recalibrated regularly for various reasons: - The compass may be sensitive to stray magnetic fields and distorted orientation. - Tablet microphones are all different. If you want all tablets to have the same sound sensitivity, you can calibrate the microphone. To calibrate an instrument: from the Teacher space > Modify the parameters > Calibration > choose the instrument to calibrate

Access to the Teacher space can be protected by a password. To create a password: from the Teacher area > Change settings > Teacher password The password will be requested each time you agree to the Teacher space. If the password is lost, it can be reset with the backup password: FizziQ2022

The compass uses the magnetometer of the mobile phone or smartphone to determine the angle of the device with magnetic north. The magnetometer measures the direction of the earth's magnetic field but is very sensitive to interference from ferromagnetic metals found in some electronic devices or metal objects such as iron or steel. In this case, the magnetometer has difficulty separating the component of the magnetic field due to the earth from that of the object which creates a disturbance. The magnetometer may then become out of adjustment. To calibrate the compass, you can do a very simple manipulation of the laptop which is detected by the magnetometer. It then goes into calibration mode and recalibrates itself using the manipulation of the laptop to precisely determine the direction of the earth's magnetic field. The manipulation consists of making a full rotation, successively in the three axes, of the smartphone. Following these rotations, the magnetometer is recalibrated and the compass is then again ready to be used. This manipulation can be performed for all applications that use a magnetometer. In FizziQ, you can do this calibration from the Settings > Calibration and calibration > Orientation menu.

FizziQ uses the sensors of mobile phones or tablets to perform scinetifuqes measurements on the real world. The types of sensors found in a smartphone vary by device, but virtually all of them include an accelerometer, camera, microphone, GPS, magnetometer, and gyroscope. From these sensors, fizziQ is able to calculate more than 50 types of data to study sound waves, light, color, movement, magnetic field, position, and even study the kinematics of moving objects.< /p> The information produced by these sensors can be recorded by the application, and analyzed in the form of graphs or data tables.

The smartphone camera is used to calculate the luminance of the luminous flux that is emitted or reflected by objects that are in its field. Luminance is proportional to light intensity but, unlike illuminance measurement, does not take into account the area of the light source. This is the visual experience of light intensity. The local luminance calculates the luminance of the central pixels of the image captured by the camera. Global luminance calculates the average luminance across all pixels in the camera image. In FizziQ, the luminance is calculated as the average of the red, green and blue components detected by the smartphone camera over the whole image and related to the calibration value. The measurement is updated at a frequency of approximately 10 Hz. ATTENTION: the smartphone constantly adjusts its light sensors so that the image is the best possible, it is therefore necessary to calibrate the instrument, which makes it possible to set the image acquisition parameters and therefore to to be able to compare the luminance you observe with the initial luminance.

Absorbance measures the ability of a medium to absorb light passing through it. This measurement is used in spectrometry to measure the concentrations of chemicals. Absorbance is the decimal logarithm of the ratio between the reference light intensity and the transmitted light intensity. Absorbance is a dimensionless relative data. The meter should be calibrated using the CAL button, which will set the reference light intensity. The Reset button cancels the calibration. Your smartphone can't be compared to a laboratory spectrometer that allows you to perform high-precision measurements, but it still allows you to perform some exciting light experiments.,

The English scientist Thomas Young was the first to discover that three monochromatic colors, red, green and blue are enough to obtain by addition all the sensations of color. Our retina is also made up of detectors called cones which have specific sensitivities to each of these colors. A digital camera works in a similar way. Attached to the sensor is a network of small red, green and blue color filters called a Bayer filter. This filter allows wavelengths around 460 nm (blue), 550 nm (green) and 640 nm (red) to pass. For more details on how the FizziQ colorimeter works, see our article: How does the colorimeter work Attention: the cameras of smartphones and tablets constantly adjust the settings so that the image is always clear and that the colors are well represented, but this can affect the measurements if we compare the spectra of different objects. It is therefore recommended to press the CALIB button to fix the parameters of your device when you want to compare different colors.

The colorimeter is a tool that analyzes colored samples. FizziQ uses the photographic detector present in your mobile to calculate different parameters that characterize the color reflected or transmitted by the objects you are analyzing. Color is a physical phenomenon that is difficult to study. Everyone perceives colors differently. Cellphone photo sensors have different sensitivities at certain wavelengths and results are not always comparable for different cellphones. The Color screen gives a lot of information about the color of the center of the image: - a sample of the color perceived by the sensor and its common name, - the spectrum in % of the maximum value of the red, green and blue components that make up this color, - the tint on the HSV scale, and the intensity of this tint.

The accelerometer measures the intensity of all the forces exerted on a mobile phone or tablet and expresses them in the form of an acceleration. If we shake a mobile and therefore apply forces to it, we see the measurement increase or decrease rapidly. If we keep your mobile stationary, we see that the accelerometer displays a value of approximately 9.8 m/s2. This acceleration results from the force exerted to keep the mobile stationary and counter the force of weightlessness. The accelerometer is a small electronic component made using MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) technology. How it works is described in our blog on the subject. The accelerometer of a smartphone is very precise. The measurement accuracy is less than 0.01 m/s2, and the data update frequency is more than 100 hertz, that is, 100 data is calculated per second. Some smartphones provide access to another measure of acceleration: linear acceleration. This measurement is in fact the combined result of two sensors: the accelerometer with g, and the magnetometer. This subtracts the gravity component from the measurement. Linear acceleration is thus a measurement that only reflects the acceleration created by the user without gravitation, as if you were in weightlessness! This measurement is very useful for games where only the movement of the user matters.

Acceleration in smartphones or tablets is measured by a small electronic component called a MEMS, that is, a small integrated circuit in which we have mechanical parts and electronic parts completely integrated. The first MEMS were developed in the 1970s. The MEMS circuit calculates acceleration by measuring changes in the capacitance of a capacitor with one electrode attached to the smartphone and the other attached to a spring system. When an acceleration in the particular direction is applied, this electrode will move and the capacitance between the plates and ground will change. This capacitance variation will be measured, processed and it will correspond to the acceleration. You can read more about how the accelerometer works in our blog: Why does a stationary accelerometer show 9.8 m/s²?

Linear acceleration measures the variation in speed of the mobile phone in the terrestrial frame of reference along the three axes X, Y and Z. It is measured in m/s². The value is therefore zero (along all axes) when the phone is stationary. This measurement is in fact the combined result of two measurements: absolute absolute acceleration, also called acceleration with g, and weightlessness which is given by the magnetometer. This subtracts the gravity component from the measurement. Linear acceleration is thus a measurement that only reflects the acceleration created by the user without gravitation, as if you were in weightlessness! This measurement is very useful for games where only the movement of the user matters. You can find more details on the difference between linear and absolute acceleration in our article on the subject: What is the difference between linear acceleration and absolute acceleration?

A gyroscope is an instrument that measures the orientation of an object in space. Gyroscopes are essential for the navigation of aircraft or satellites and allows them to detect whether they are pointing up, down or sideways. Usually, a gyroscope consists of a wheel or disk that spins around another disk or axis. The rotation of the disks measures both the orientation of the gyroscope itself and the speed at which it spins in one direction or the other. In a smartphone, the gyroscope is a small electronic component based on MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) technology. Most smartphones have gyroscopes that determine the rotation speed of the mobile on itself in all directions. This use is important for video games but also to determine the exact position of the phone in coordination with the accelerometer and the magnetometer. In the school setting, the gyroscope makes it possible to carry out experiments on force and centripetal acceleration or on the rectilinear movement. Facial rotation is the rotation of the mobile relative to the z axis, which is perpendicular to the face of the smartphone. Longitudinal rotation is the rotation around the y axis which is the length of your laptop. Rotational speed is usually measured in rpm, which means rotation per minute.

A theodolite is an optical instrument, measuring angles in both horizontal and vertical planes. It is used to measure a triangulation, i.e. the angles of a triangle. It is an essential instrument in geodesy, cartography, topography, engineering and archeology. The FizziQ theodolite uses a smartphone camera to take sightings and measure precisely: - the azimuth, i.e. the angle in the horizontal plane between the direction of an object and magnetic north - elevation, i.e. the angle in the vertical plane between the direction of an object and the horizontal The theodolite can be used in class to measure the height of a building, or to make triangulation measurements.

The GPS, or Global Positioning System, is used to calculate the position of an object on the earth. The system works by receiving information from satellites that revolve around the earth. By measuring the reception values of a signal emitted by different satellites, the GPS chip present in a smartphone can calculate by triangulation the location of the smartphone and its altitude. FizziQ allows you to take many measurements using GPS: - the latitude and the longitude which allow to give the location of the smartphone on the terrestrial globe. These measurements are expressed in FizziQ in millidegrees - speed which is deduced from variations in latitude and longitude over time and expressed in m/s - the altitude of the mobile which is expressed in meters - the accuracy of the location measurement, expressed in meters. Accuracy gives a measure of the margin of error of GPS. An Accuracy of 10 meters indicates that the position is accurate to within 10 meters. The GPS system works by receiving information from satellites that orbit the earth. For the accuracy to be optimal, the GPS must receive information from at least four satellites. The signal has difficulty passing through obstacles such as walls or trees. To improve the accuracy of the measurements, it is necessary to be in open ground, with no obstacle between the mobile phone and the sky.

The microphone is used to capture the data characterizing a sound wave. The amount of information that is recorded by FizziQ on the sound signal is extremely important since Fizziq captures more than 44,000 pieces of data per second (sampling at 44,000 Hertz). From this information, FizziQ will deduce synthetic data that characterizes the sound wave: - The loudness which describes the loudness of a sound. It is expressed in decibels, or dB. This measurement is useful for analyzing variations in simple or complex sounds or making measurements of the speed of sound or echolocation. - The noise level which gives an averaged measure of loudness and is also expressed in decibels. This indicator allows you to analyze the intensity of ambient noise such as a busy road or the volume of a classroom. - The frequency of a signal which corresponds to the number of repetitions per second of the elementary pattern that composes it. It is measured in hertz, denoted Hz. In FizziQ, the frequency meter gives the fundamental frequency of the periodic signal, that is to say its first order harmonic. The harmonics of a musical sound are integer multiples of this first harmonic. The frequency meter is used to analyze the harmonic sounds of musical instruments and to do scale analyses. - The frequency spectrum which details all the frequencies that compose it. This tool thus makes it possible to precisely describe the characteristics of a sound. Frequencies are expressed in hertz, denoted Hz. The spectrum is used to understand the different frequencies that make up a sound. Finally, we can also analyze the shape of a sound wave thanks to the oscillogram. An oscillogram gives a temporal representation of a signal by measuring the variations of its intensity (or amplitude) over time. Both periodic and non-periodic signals can be represented by an oscillogram, but only those that exhibit periodicity will have a stable representation over time. The oscillogram gives a view equivalent to that which one could have with an oscilloscope connected to a microphone.

The frequency of a signal corresponds to the number of repetitions per second of the elementary pattern that composes it. It is expressed in hertz, denoted Hz. There are several types of sounds: pure sounds which are composed of only one frequency and complex sounds composed of several frequencies. Among the complex sounds, most musical sounds are harmonic sounds, that is to say that the frequencies that make up the sound are multiples of a single frequency called the fundamental frequency. FizziQ calculates the fundamental frequency of the sound signal. To calculate the fundamental frequency in FizziQ, we use the YIN algorithm, created by Alain de Cheveigne from Ircam-CNRS, and Hideki Kawahara from Wakayama University. this algorithm is fast and uses the signal autocorrelation method. In FizziQ the fundamental frequency is calculated at the frequency of 10 hertz. For specific applications such as the analysis of the Doppler effect, the frequency can be accelerated up to 40 hertz. To do this, go to Settings > Sampling > Fine frequency sampling

A large number of protocols are available on the site www.fizziq.org in the Activities tab. All of these activities were created by science educators. In partnership with Trapèze.digital, the La main à la pâte foundation regularly develops new educational resources for primary and secondary school teachers to use FizziQ in the classroom. These resources detail the activities that can be carried out in class by highlighting an active and experimental approach to science in accordance with the pedagogical principles of La main à la pâte. Many publishers such as Belin, Magnard, Hatier also offer activities in school books using FizziQ to conduct experimentation sessions. Finally, on social networks, we find FizziQ protocols with the hashtag #fizziqlab. The community is encouraged to share its protocols so that other teachers, in France but also abroad and in developing countries, can use smartphones as educational tools.

Here are different activities on the move that use the accelerometer of smartphones or tablets: - gravity calculation - the relationship between rotational speed and centripetal acceleration< /u> - rectilinear and uniform movement < /p> - creating a pedometer - conservation of energy for a pendulum < /p> To learn more about how an accelerometer works: - Why does a stationary accelerometer display 9.8 m/s²?which explains how an accelerometer works - What is the difference between linear acceleration and absolute acceleration? which details the difference between linear acceleration (also called acceleration without g) and absolute acceleration (also called acceleration with g)

Here are different movement activities that use the gyroscope of smartphones or tablets: - the relationship between rotational speed and centripetal acceleration< /u> - rectilinear and uniform movement < /p> - conservation of energy for a pendulum < /p>

Here are different science activities on the frequency and period of a sound that can be done with a smartphone or tablet: - diapasons - vowels - the notes and the scale - harmonic and non-harmonic sounds - what is the timbre of an instrument - what is white noise?

Here are different ways to calculate the speed of sound using a smartphone or tablet: - sound speed calculation