Here's a great way to generate data for physics or math lessons, or to improve sports performance, that will let everyone have fun . Borrow a radar gun from your local police station, or get one from Amazon, and use it to record speeds of various student activities. We obtained one from the R.C.M.P. Detachment in Fairview, Alberta, who were kind enough to loan it to us for several days. We used it to record the speed of floor hockey slapshots, and it worked very well. Sitting behind a net protected the person using the device, and every shot, regardless of angle or speed, registered on the machine, even through the net. The device gives an instantaneous readout in km/h; results can be recorded as fast as the students can shoot. The gun we used was about the same size and weight as a cordless drill, and used two rechargeable batteries, which were included with the device. Possible uses for the radar gun might include: Creating scatterplot data for Math 9 ... record slapshot speed vs height. Creating measurements for conversion to miles per hour or metres per second. Analyzing sports performance ... for example, the speed of a golf swing or 100 m dash runner. Generating survey data ... record the speed of vehicles passing the school. Generating speed data for kinematics unit in Physics 20 . With a little imagination, there are lots more ideas you could come up with to make use of this device. Our thanks to Cpl. Steve Wright of the Fairview R.C.M.P. for making the radar gun available, and to Ms. Sylvie Morice for arranging for the loan, and allowing us to photograph the fun! Resources