Vernier's Rotary Motion Sensor lets you monitor angular motion precisely and easily, and it is direction sensitive. You can use it to collect angular displacement, angular velocity, and angular acceleration data. Typical experiments include measuring moments of inertia, torque, pendula, and Atwood's machine experiments. Even though we call it a Rotary Motion Sensor, it can also be used to measure linear position to a fraction of a millimeter.

The Rotary Motion sensor is not supported by LabQuest App 1.0. Support will be added in LabQuest App version 1.1, to be released in Spring 2008. After this update, the sensor will Auto ID when used by a LabQuest in stand-alone mode. Logger Pro 3.6 does not support any Rotary Motion sensor connected to a LabQuest. Full compatibility with the Rotary Motion Sensor requires LabQuest App 1.1 and Logger Pro 3.6.1, scheduled for release in the summer of 2008.

When used with LabPro, this Rotary Motion Sensor does not Auto ID, but it may be used with any version of Logger Pro.

Older version is also still available.

Typical Experiments include:

Here's a great example of the use of the sensor and the Rotary Motion Accessory Kit to determine the moment of inertia: This photograph shows an aluminum disk from the kit placed horizontally on the Rotary Motion Sensor. A thread is attached to the pulley that holds the aluminum disk. A weight on the end of the thread falls and applies a torque that causes the disk to undergo angular acceleration. Angular position and velocity data are collected as a function of time. (See the Logger Pro graph below.) A linear fit on the angular velocity vs. time graph allows you to determine that angular acceleration, which is used to calculate the moment of inertia.

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