O-Level Physics Data Logger & Sensor Playbook
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)30 Nov 2025, 00:00 Z
Reviewed by
Chee Wei Jie
Academic Advisor (Physics)
TL;DR
SEAB’s 2026 O-Level Physics syllabus says Paper 3 candidates are expected to be “familiar with the use of data-loggers” and Planning may include them (Apparatus list, 6091 2026 syllabus PDF).
Practise with smartphone sensors, school-issue interfaces (Vernier, PASCO, Fourier), and browser simulations so MMO/PDO habits transfer straight into the practical.
Always log units, sampling intervals, and start/end conditions; download raw CSVs for graphing drills.
Keep the full Paper 3 practical roadmap in our O-Level Physics Experiments hub.
1 | Core sensors mapped to Paper 3 experiment families
| Skill strand | Experiment context | Sensor / tool | Home-friendly option | Pro tip |
| Mechanics MMO | Timing free-fall, pendulum, trolley + light gate | Vernier Photogate, PASCO Smart Timer | PhyPhox “Acoustic Stopwatch”, Physics Toolbox Suite “Pendulum” | Record at least 10 oscillations; export CSV to cross-check average period. |
| Mechanics PDO | Velocity-time tracking | Vernier Go Direct Motion, PASCO Sparkvue Motion | iPhone/Android video at 240 fps + Tracker video analysis | Calibrate distance using a known marker; note frame interval in tables. |
