Browse - The Physics Teacher

Stopping distances in car braking can be an intriguing topic in physics teaching. It illustrates some basic principles of physics, and sheds valuable light on students' attitude towards aggressive driving. Due to safety considerations, it can be difficult to make experiments with actual car braking.

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01.50.My

Demonstration experiments and apparatus

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Stolen Base Physics

David Kagan

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 269

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Few plays in baseball are as consistently close and exciting as the stolen base.¹ While there are several studies of sprinting,^2–4 the art of base stealing is much more nuanced. This article describes the motion of the base-stealing runner using a very basic kinematic model. The model will be compared to some data from a Major League game. The predictions of the model show consistency with the skills needed for effective base stealing.

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
45.40.Cc	Rigid body and gyroscope motion

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The Wiimote on the Playground

Michael Erickson, Romulo Ochoa, and Cris Ochoa

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 272

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In 2010, the Wiimote was upgraded with three-axis gyroscopes that can measure rotational velocities up to 2000 deg/s. The improved remote is referred to as the Wii MotionPlus. We present experiments that use the gyroscope's capabilities and compare data acquired in lab settings with those obtained in playground environments. Van Hook et al.¹ and Taylor et al.² make good cases of the benefits of using the playground as a laboratory. We expand on the experiences they describe.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
06.30.Gv	Velocity, acceleration, and rotation

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Times Have Changed: Some Physics Teacher Stories

Charles H. Holbrow

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 276

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i

Educational aids

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A Summer Math and Physics Program for High School Students: Student Performance and Lessons Learned in the Second Year

Nicholas Timme, Michael Baird, Jake Bennett, Jason Fry, Lance Garrison, and Adam Maltese

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 280

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For the past two years, the Foundations in Physics and Mathematics (FPM) summer program has been held at Indiana University in order to fulfill two goals: provide additional physics and mathematics instruction at the high school level, and provide physics graduate students with experience and autonomy in designing curricula and teaching courses. In this paper we will detail changes made to the program for its second year and the motivation for these changes, as well as implications for future iterations of the program. We gauge the impact of the changes on student performance using pre-/post-test scores, student evaluations, and anecdotal evidence. These data show that the program has a positive impact on student knowledge and this impact was greater in magnitude in the second year of the program. We attribute this improvement primarily to the inclusion of more inquiry-driven activities. All activities, worksheets, and lesson plans used in the program are available online.¹

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01.40.G-	Curricula and evaluation
01.50.-i	Educational aids

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Physics Teacher SOS: Supporting New Teachers Without Pushing an Agenda

Dean Baird

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 286

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Few workshops for teachers focus primarily on instruction methods for basic high school physics. In Northern California, Physics Teacher SOS (PTSOS) has gained popularity doing just that. PTSOS workshops are directed toward early-career science teachers, though veterans are welcome too. The program is not influenced by scientific supply companies, government institutions, or power utilities. Support is entirely private, enough so that tuition is free.

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.-d	Education

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Pressure Beneath the Surface of a Fluid: Measuring the Correct Depth

Richard P. McCall

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 288

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Systematic errors can cause measurements to deviate from the actual value of the quantity being measured. Faulty equipment (such as a meterstick that is not marked correctly), inaccurate calibration of measuring devices (such as a scale to measure mass that has not been properly zeroed), and improper use of equipment by the experimenter (such as misinterpreting the range of a voltmeter) are all examples of systematic errors. Some systematic errors are constant, whereas others are proportional to some quantity that changes in the experiment (whether that quantity is being measured or not). Systematic errors in a variety of laboratory exercises have been described in articles in The Physics Teacher.^1–8

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
06.20.Dk	Measurement and error theory
06.30.-k	Measurements common to several branches of physics and astronomy
68.03.-g	Gas-liquid and vacuum-liquid interfaces

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The Inverse-Square Law with Data Loggers

Alan Bates

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 290

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The inverse-square law for the intensity of light received at a distance from a light source has been verified using various experimental techniques.¹ Typical measurements involve a manual variation of the distance between a light source and a light sensor, usually by sliding the sensor or source along a bench, measuring the source-sensor distance and the received light intensity at each value of distance. In this experiment, motion and light sensors,² with data-logging software, are used to simultaneously measure the light source-sensor distance and the light intensity falling on the light sensor.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
06.30.Bp	Spatial dimensions (e.g., position, lengths, volume, angles, and displacements)
01.50.ht	Instructional computer use

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Summer Session: A Time for Innovation

Monty Mola

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 292

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Summer is almost here (at least for those of us who teach semesters). Many of us are taking a well-deserved break to spend time with our families, conduct research, travel, and myriad other activities. Some of us, however, will be teaching summer school. For those of us lucky enough to be teaching this summer, we have one suggestion: Be bold! Summer is the ideal time to try something new with your teaching. We have known for some time that alternative pedagogies and engaging teaching strategies can be more effective than traditional lectures as student learning environments.¹ However, even with headlines in The Washington Post proclaiming that the lecture is dead,² inroads of physics education research-based curricula have been slow to diffuse into the classrooms for the greater population of college physics instructors.³ Many instructors of traditional physics courses see the use of research-based instructional strategies (RBIS) as desirable but risky and time consuming.³ Assuming a traditional physics course structure, both the where and the when each component takes place can also limit the types of engaging pedagogies used.⁴

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.Di	Course design and evaluation
01.40.Fk	Research in physics education
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies

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Measuring the Speed of Sound Using Only a Computer

Mo Bin

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 295

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In high school, velocity is usually calculated by measuring distance and the corresponding time to cover that distance. But sound travels rapidly, covering about one meter in three milliseconds. This challenge can be met by using only a computer and an external microphone. A fixed frequency (1000 Hz) is fed into the computer's speaker and the external microphone monitors this wave train close to the speaker. Then the microphone is moved about a meter further away. This produces a waveform shift that, when compared to the original wave train recording, gives a precise measure of the number of wavelengths shifted. The flight time is this number times the period. Thus, the velocity of sound is calculated by dividing the distance the microphone was moved by this flight time.

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01.50.Lc	Laboratory computer use
43.38.Kb	Microphones and their calibration
43.58.Dj	Sound velocity

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A Closer Look at Teachers' Assessment of Math Preparation

Susan White

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 297

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As we saw in the April issue, over 70% of high school physics teachers believe that their students' math background is at least adequate for the course. However, a very different picture emerges when we take a closer look. In the figure at right, we have separated private schools and public schools by socioeconomic status (SES). Although the majority of teachers at both public and private schools described their students as adequately prepared for physics in terms of their math backgrounds, teachers at private schools were significantly more likely to describe their students as very well prepared (23% versus 11%) and significantly less likely to describe their students as inadequately prepared (19% versus 32%). Furthermore, teachers at public schools where students were “worse off” economically¹ were more likely to find their students inadequately prepared than teachers at other public schools. Have a great summer; we will see you in the fall with more data. Susan White is Research Manager in the Statistical Research Center at the American Institute of Physics; she directs the Nationwide Survey of High School Physics Teachers. If you have any questions, please contact Susan at swhite@aip.org.

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.G-	Curricula and evaluation

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A Simple Inexpensive Procedure for Illustrating Some Principles of Tomography

Ivan G. Darvey

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 298

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The experiment proposed here illustrates some concepts of tomography via a qualitative determination of the relative concentration of various dilutions of food dye without a priori knowledge of the concentration of each dye mixture. This is performed in a manner analogous to computed tomography (CT) scans. In order to determine the relative concentrations of dye in containers, observations are made of the transmitted light through various combinations of the containers.

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
82.80.-d	Chemical analysis and related physical methods of analysis

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The Orbit of Water Droplets Around Charged Rod

Andrew Ferstl and Andrew Burns

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 300

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The motion of charges around a centrally charged object is often compared to gravitational orbits (such as satellites around planets). Recently, a video¹ taken by astronaut Don Pettit onboard the International Space Station shows water droplets orbiting a charged knitting needle. Here we attempt to model this motion and estimate the charges on the objects involved in this system.

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01.50.F-	Audio and visual aids
47.55.D-	Drops and bubbles
95.10.Eg	Orbit determination and improvement

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Identification and Calculation of the Three-Dimensional Orbit of an Asteroid

Vincent Pereira, Justin Millan, and Emerick Martin

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 303

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Asteroids are clumps of rock, the sizes of which range from less than a kilometer to a few hundred kilometers in diameter. They are generally found in the unusually large gap between Mars and Jupiter. There are probably more than 40,000 asteroids in this gap called the “asteroid belt.” In this paper we describe our efforts in confirming the identity of an asteroid and then calculating its three-dimensional orbit around the Sun, given the six elements of orbit.

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
95.10.Jk	Astrometry and reference systems
96.25.-f	Planetology of comets and small bodies
96.30.Ys	Asteroids, meteoroids

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Deeper Insight into Fluorescence—Excitation of Molecules by Light

M. Farooq Wahab and Gordon R. Gore

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 306

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In a recent issue of TPT, Gordon Gore¹ made interesting observations about the red or yellow fluorescence when laser beams are passed through olive oil. With the excellent visuals contained in that article, we present a pictorial explanation of the questions that were raised in Ref 1.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
33.50.Dq	Fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra
33.80.-b	Photon interactions with molecules

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Fermi Questions

Larry Weinstein, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 308

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i

Educational aids

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Why We All Need Call Waiting on Our Phones

Jack Higbie

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 309

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Have you ever noticed that you can go all day without a single call on your phone and then suddenly you get two calls at once? This is actually not as uncommon as it sounds and there is a mathematical reason for why we should expect it to happen, believe it or not.

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
02.50.Cw	Probability theory

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Helicopter Toy and Lift Estimation

Said Shakerin

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 310

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A$1 plastic helicopter toy (called a Wacky Whirler) can be used to demonstrate lift. Students can make basic measurements of the toy, use reasonable assumptions and, with the lift formula, estimate the lift, and verify that it is sufficient to overcome the toy's weight.

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01.50.Wg	Physics of toys
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
47.85.Gj	Aerodynamics

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USAYPT Holds Annual February Tournament

Greg Jacobs

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 311

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests
07.20.-n	Thermal instruments and apparatus
43.58.-e	Acoustical measurements and instrumentation

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Acoustic measurements of bouncing balls and the determination of gravitational acceleration

Oliver Schwarz, Patrik Vogt, and Jochen Kuhn

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 312

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Interesting experiments can be performed and fundamental physical relationships can be explored with so-called Super Balls or bouncy balls. An example is the determination of gravity g in an experiment. The basic idea behind this was described by Pape¹ and Sprockhoff²: The initial and final heights and the complete duration of all the bounces are measured for a certain number of bounces by the ball. On the basis of this data, the acceleration of gravity can be approximately calculated if air drag on the ball is neglected. However, in practice, it becomes clear that measuring the height of the last bounce in the process is problematic. The person performing the experiment either has to make a good estimation of its height or film the bounce in front of a measuring stick. The method is based on the important assumption that each of the individual bounces of the ball loses the same percentage of mechanical energy; the coefficient of restitution k therefore remains the same.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
06.30.Bp	Spatial dimensions (e.g., position, lengths, volume, angles, and displacements)
06.30.Gv	Velocity, acceleration, and rotation
43.58.-e	Acoustical measurements and instrumentation

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The Double Vision

Boris Korsunsky, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 314

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i

Educational aids

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“Practical” Applications and the Current War

Diane Riendeau, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 315

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.ff	Films; electronic video devices
01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
45.20.df	Momentum conservation
45.40.Gj	Ballistics (projectiles; rockets)

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Thermionic effect generates negative charge: A demonstration experiment

Alessio Ganci and Salvatore Ganci

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 316

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
79.40.+z	Thermionic emission
84.47.+w	Vacuum tubes

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Exam writing via a “Problem Grid”

W. Brian Lane

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 317

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies

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Benjamin Franklin and Electrostatics, by Robert A. Morse, www.compadre.org/psrc/Franklin/

Dan MacIsaac, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 318

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
41.20.Cv	Electrostatics; Poisson and Laplace equations, boundary-value problems
89.20.Hh	World Wide Web, Internet
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies

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Two new publications from the National Academies Press:

Dan MacIsaac, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 318

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.Fk	Research in physics education
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.40.Di	Course design and evaluation

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Summer Professional Development Activities for Physics Teachers compiled by PTEC, www.ptec.org/pd/

Dan MacIsaac, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 318

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
89.20.Hh	World Wide Web, Internet

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OSA Complementary Optics Tutorials for researchers, professionals, students, and faculty, www.opticsinfobase.org/aop/journal/aop/tutorials.cfm

Dan MacIsaac, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 318

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
42.00.00	Optics

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MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Cracking the Einstein Code: Relativity and the Birth of Black Hole Physics: Fulvio Melia

John L. Hubisz, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 319

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.30.Vv	Book reviews
04.20.-q	Classical general relativity
04.70.-s	Physics of black holes
04.25.D-	Numerical relativity

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MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Why You Hear What You Hear: An Experiential Approach to Sound, Music, and Psychoacoustics: Eric J. Heller

John L. Hubisz, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2013 -- Volume 51, Issue 5, pp. 319

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.30.Vv	Book reviews
01.50.-i	Educational aids
43.75.-z	Music and musical instruments
43.10.Sv	Education in acoustics, tutorial papers of interest to acoustics educators