Acceleration

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1 What is acceleration?
2 Logging Acceleration
3 Create a new Microbit project
4 Add the Datalogger extension
5 Start the data log
Challenge
Quiz

1 - What is acceleration?

Acceleration is a fancy word for how fast something speeds up or slows down.
If you go from standing still to running, you’ve accelerated.
If a car brakes quickly — that’s acceleration too (but in reverse!).

The Micro:bit has a built-in accelerometer. That’s a sensor that can tell:

How fast it’s moving
If it’s shaking
If it’s being dropped

Today, we’re going to use that sensor to log how much movement the Micro:bit feels.

2 - Logging Acceleration

We’re going to make a program that logs acceleration every second.
You’ll shake or move your Micro:bit, and it will record how strong the movement is.

At the end, you’ll be able to see when big shakes happened — just like a black box in a car or a motion sensor in a fitness tracker.

3 - Create a new Microbit project

To get started create a new Microbit project.

makecode.microbit.org

4 - Add the Datalogger extension

To access the blocks we need to program the LED strip, you need to add the datalogger extension to your project.

5 - Start the data log

Drag out the block:
🧱 set column (acceleration)
Place it inside the on start block

This will make it easier to read your data.

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Copyright Notice
This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.

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Acceleration

Teacher Class Feed

1 - What is acceleration?

Send your work to your teacher

2 - Logging Acceleration

Send your work to your teacher

3 - Create a new Microbit project

Send your work to your teacher

4 - Add the Datalogger extension

Send your work to your teacher

5 - Start the data log

Send your work to your teacher

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