Science is the study of the physical world by systematic observations and experiments. Proper science education is essential for cultivating a society where reasoning and logical thinking prevails and not superstition and irrational beliefs. Science education is also essential for training enough technicians, engineers and scientists for the economy of the modern world. It is widely accepted that personal experience in the form of experiments and observations, either carried out by students or performed as demonstrations by teachers, are essential to the pedagogy of science. However, almost everywhere science is mostly taught from the text books without giving importance to experiments, partly due to lack of equipment. As a result, most of the students fail to correlate their classroom experience to problems encountered in daily life. To some extent this can be corrected by learning science based on exploration and experimenting.
The advent of personal computers and their easy availability has opened up a new path for making laboratory equipment. Addition of some hardware to an ordinary computer can convert it in to a science laboratory. Performing quick measurements with good accuracy enables one to study a wide range of phenomena. Science experiments generally involve measuring/controlling physical parameters like temperature, pressure, velocity, acceleration, force, voltage, current etc. If the measured physical property is changing rapidly, the measurements need to be automated and a computer becomes a useful tool. For example, understanding the variation of AC mains voltage with time requires measuring it after every millisecond.
The ability to perform experiments with reasonable accuracy also opens up the possibility of research oriented science education. Students can compare the experimental data with mathematical models and examine the fundamental laws governing various phenomena. Research scientists do the same with highly sophisticated equipment. The expEYES ( expEriments for Young Engineers & Scientists) kit is designed to support a wide range of experiments, from school to post graduate level. It also acts as a test equipment for electronics engineers and hobbyists. The simple and open architecture of expEYES allows the users to develop new experiments, without getting into the details of electronics or computer programming. This User’s manual describes expEYES-17 along with several experiments, there is also a Programmer’s manual available.