Atwood machine automation using Arduino and LabVIEW

The Atwood machine is an apparatus used in physics experiments to visualize the concept of Newton’s Second Law of Motion. However, the data collection on the Atwood machine, which is still done manually using a stopwatch, may cause errors and can be time-consuming. To improve the efficiency and accuracy of the experiment, this research developed Atwood machine automation using Arduino Uno microcontroller. The automation enables automatic release of weights and automatic data collection through a graphical user interface developed using LabVIEW. The experiment using the automated machine obtained satisfactory results in verifying the earth’s gravitational acceleration. Therefore, this machine can be used in physics learning, especially in physics experiment. The automation also enables remote utilization through internet connection, thus allowing easier and wider access for users.