Pocket Labs: Doing Physics with Your Smartphone Sensors

In this concise panel episode Philip and Shauna walk listeners through how the sensors already in their smartphones can become a portable physics lab. We explain what common sensors do (accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, magnetometer), demonstrate three short experiments you can try in under ten minutes each, and share simple data-collection and analysis tips that respect listeners' limited time. The goal is practical: give teachers, students, and curious adults immediate activities that illuminate core physics concepts—motion, waves, and fields—without special equipment. We also discuss classroom and at-home adaptations for different age groups and skill levels, plus app recommendations and quick troubleshooting. By the end of the episode listeners will have concrete, safe experiments they can run today and a clear path from raw sensor readings to intuitive physics insight.