New
New
Lesson 6 of 16
  • Year 10

Data logging

I can design a control system to log data over time

Lesson 6 of 16
New
New
  • Year 10

Data logging

I can design a control system to log data over time

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Data is a piece of information which can be stored and used by a computer program. This could be numbers or words.
  2. Different types of data can be collected from a control system, such as temperature, light levels or moisture levels.
  3. A variable is a piece of data stored in a computer’s memory which can be accessed and changed.
  4. Data logging is a collection of data over time.
  5. Feedback is a signal that is sent back in a loop, depending upon a condition.

Keywords

  • Data - a piece of information which can be stored and used by a computer program

  • Variable - a piece of data stored in a computer’s memory which can be accessed and changed

  • Feedback - a signal that is sent back in a loop, depending upon a condition

Common misconception

A variable is a set piece of data that can not change once collected.

A variable is a named piece of data stored in a computer’s memory, accessed and changed by a computer program.


To help you plan your year 10 design and technology lesson on: Data logging, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Open the tinkercad file and familiarise yourself with the variables before sharing with the pupils.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Access to tinkercad.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Motors can work with direct current (DC) or (AC).

Correct Answer: alternating current

Q2.
Servo motors are suitable for applications where precise control of the position, speed, and torque is needed, such as ...

electric vehicles.
Correct answer: robotic arms.
fans.
Correct answer: CNC machines.

Q3.
True or false? Current flows through the coil when the coil is vertical to the magnetic field.

true
Correct answer: false

Q4.
The casing that hold the magnets in a DC motor is called the ...

coil.
Correct answer: yoke.
axle
contacts.

Q5.
How could you control the speed of a DC motor?

Correct answer: using a gearbox
using a smaller motor
Correct answer: using a resistor
using capacitor

Q6.
Which type of motor has a closed-loop system and is a control circuit with a feedback mechanism?

DC motor
AC motor
Correct answer: servo motor

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
A variable is a named piece of stored in a computer’s memory, accessed and changed by a computer program.

Correct Answer: data

Q2.
Identify the input components.

LED
Correct answer: thermistor
motor
Correct answer: switch

Q3.
What are the three connections on a soil moisture sensor?

positive - signal - ground
negative - feedback- ground
Correct answer: positive - feedback - ground
positive - feedback - negative

Q4.
What is feedback?

Correct answer: a signal that is sent back in a loop, depending upon a condition
a piece of information which can be stored and used by a computer program
a piece of data stored in a computer’s memory which can be accessed and changed