Abstract:

The Brazilian curriculum directives to higher education for Engineering and Physical Sciences have been introduced experimentation laboratories classes for phenomenological observations of theories and models, considered essential in the development of teaching and learning process. In distance education theses directives takes on a colossal challenge, because the experimentation labs become very expansive since we consider that the labs must be available in each associated center or hub around the large country. In this way, this article presents a possible solution to this obstacle with an introduction of portable experimental laboratories in several fields of engineering and physical sciences, by using mobile current processors as tablets or smartphones devices. Besides its low cost, the mobile devices give the opportunity to excellent experimentations and the results can be analyzed by graphical interfaces, increasing the dissemination and popularization of scientific and technological knowledgement. The article presents a proposal to a pocket lab for experiments in fluid mechanics by mean a mobile application that includes load sensors adapted. This mobile application has a code that allows the understanding of phenomenology, experimental procedure of the measures, observations carried out and others possible treatments. The article concludes with a nice expectation in order to another experiments might be included in a large virtual laboratory science and engineering, specially designed to attend both the courses in distance education and in the secondary school of the region.

Keywords:

Pocket Labs, Distance Education, Mobile application, Fluid mechanics.