Changing a Sensor's Sample Rate

Using DataStudio TIP OF THE MONTH -- May 2003

Have you ever needed a sensor to take measurements more frequently to capture rapid changes like the force during a collision? Or perhaps less frequently because measurements lasted the whole class period? In this tip, you'll learn more about a sensor's sample rate and how to change it in DataStudio.

Sample Rates Whether you're collecting data from a traditional alcohol thermometer or from a PASCO Temperature Sensor, it's important to take measurements quickly enough to capture the phenomenon of interest, yet slowly enough to not overwhelm your (or your computer's) ability to record and analyze the measurements. By default DataStudio automatically collects measurements from a sensor at regular time intervals, specified in the software by the sensor's sample rate. For example, we can see on this graph that two temperature data points have been recorded every second: In this case the Temperature Sensor's sample rate is 2 samples per second, or 2 Hz (Hertz). DataStudio sets a default sample rate for each sensor that is appropriate for many typical applications of that sensor. For example, the default sample rate of a Temperature Sensor is 2 Hz, while the default sample rate for an EKG Sensor is a much faster 200 Hz, since changes in the electrical activity of the heart occur much more rapidly than typical temperature changes. However, you may want to perform an experiment which requires a faster or slower sample rate than the default. Discover how to change the sample rate by clicking on the link below which corresponds to your line of sensors.

Next, learn how to change the sample rate of a PASPORT or ScienceWorkshop sensor.