Learning LabVIEW in Introductory Physics Labs

LabVIEW is a graphical programming language, commonly used in physics and engineering research. ELVIS stands for Electronics Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite. It is designed to replace all of the instruments commonly found on an electronics lab bench. Vernier Instruments sells adaptors which allow the Vernier sensors to be hooked into a breadboard, and controlled via a LabVIEW Virtual Instrument (VI.) While basic VI's exist for running the sensors through LabVIEW, more sophisticated VI's are necessary for plotting one quantity versus another. Introducing LabVIEW and ELVIS in the introductory physics laboratory course is useful for physics and engineering majors who will be ready to use the equipment more extensively in upper-level courses.