Modern Physics demonstrations with DIY Smartphone Spectrometers

TL;DR

This paper presents DIY smartphone spectrometers as accessible tools for teaching wave optics, spectroscopy, and quantum concepts through demonstrations and web-based spectral analysis, suitable for high school education.

Contribution

It introduces a cost-effective DIY spectrometer using smartphones and a web platform, enabling interactive physics demonstrations for educational purposes.

Findings

Effective for teaching wave optics and spectroscopy

Engages students with hands-on inquiry-based learning

Accessible in high school classroom settings

Abstract

Smartphones are widely available and used extensively by students worldwide. These phones often come equipped with high-quality cameras that can be combined with basic optical elements to build a cost-effective DIY spectrometer. Here, we discuss a series of demonstrations and pedagogical exercises, accompanied by our DIY diffractive spectrometer that uses a free web platform for instant spectral analysis. Specifically, these demonstrations can be used to encourage hands-on and inquiry-based learning of wave optics, broadband vs discrete light emission, quantization, Heisenberg's energy-time uncertainty relation, and the use of spectroscopy in day-to-day life. Hence, these simple tools can be readily deployed in high school classrooms to communicate the practices of science.