BYOE: The fidget car - An apparatus for small-group learning in systems and controls

Abstract

We present the Fidget Car - a one degree-of-freedom car driven by a DC motor - for use in small group laboratory exercises or classroom-based small group learning activities of 10-40 minutes in length. These activities can be directed towards a number of STEM courses, ranging from undergraduate mathematics or introductory engineering to systems and controls classes in electrical and mechanical engineering. The motivation for developing these activities is to enable students to develop intuition regarding core systems and controls concepts prior to or integrated with presentation of mathematical concepts and analysis techniques: the activities are designed to enable students to "visualize" the mathematics of systems. We provide an overview of the Fidget Car design, a materials list, example activities and use cases for the Fidget Car, and a pointer to a Google site archiving materials for reproducing and using the Fidget Car. We illustrate approaches for data acquisition and analysis that incorporate only a smartphone, a laptop, and open-source physics software, enabling activities to be conducted in a classroom setting.