Resumen de Exploring Illumination and the Inverse-Square Law with Arduino

Robert De La Cruz, Angela M. Kelly

• The integration of physics principles, engineering, and computer programming is often a challenging goal in pre-college classrooms. In late 2022, the U.S. Department of Education launched an initiative, Raise the Bar: STEM Excellence for All Students, to promote equitable, high-quality STEM education.1 This initiative was in response to constrained postsecondary STEM achievement that may arise from limited pre-college learning opportunities and enrollment patterns.2 One way to broaden STEM opportunities and increase students’ interest in these disciplines is to implement integrated activities that incorporate physics concepts, engineering, and computer science.3 This approach is consistent with the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards4 and the American Society for Engineering Education’s Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning.5 The goal of this unit is for students to explore the inverse-square law as it relates to the physical properties of light propagation by designing and building an illuminance-distance sensor.