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American Journal of Physics

The Physics Teacher»
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SECTION LISTING

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
EDITORIAL
FIGURING PHYSICS
PAPERS
TRICK OF THE TRADE
IPHYSICSLABS
FERMI QUESTIONS
PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
YOUTUBE PHYSICS
LITTLE GEMS
FOR THE NEW TEACHER
WEBSIGHTS
BOOK REVIEWS

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2012

Volume 50

Issue 5 | May 2012 | pp. 260-318

Issue 4 | Apr 2012 | pp. 198-254

Issue 3 | Mar 2012 | pp. 132-190

Issue 2 | Feb 2012 | pp. 68-126

Issue 1 | Jan 2012 | pp. 6-62

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May 2012

Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 260-318

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Mousetrap cars

Daniel Ludwigsen

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 260

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Wg	Physics of toys
02.70.Bf	Finite-difference methods
01.50.Kw	Techniques of testing

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iBIackBox?

Jonathan Hall

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 260

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99.10.Np	Editorial note
01.50.Lc	Laboratory computer use
06.20.-f	Metrology
45.50.-j	Dynamics and kinematics of a particle and a system of particles

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Presenting g

John M. Clement

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 260

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01.50.Kw	Techniques of testing
04.80.Cc	Experimental tests of gravitational theories
06.20.Jr	Determination of fundamental constants

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The third man

Paul Winther Andersen

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 261

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Abstract Unavailable

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99.10.Np	Editorial note
05.70.Ce	Thermodynamic functions and equations of state

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Response to Andersen

Harvey S. Leff

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 261

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99.10.Np	Editorial note
01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.65.+g	History of science
05.90.+m	Other topics in statistical physics, thermodynamics, and nonlinear dynamical systems (restricted to new topics in section 05)

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Correction: William Jumper, “Modeling the Mousetrap Car,” Phys. Teach. 50, 137–142 (March 2012).

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 261

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99.10.Np	Editorial note
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus

EDITORIAL

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Thank You to Our 2011–2012 Referees

Karl Mamola

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 262

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99.10.Np

Editorial note

FIGURING PHYSICS

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NEW WIRE RESISTANCE

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 264

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
84.37.+q	Measurements in electric variables (including voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, inductance, impedance, and admittance, etc.)

PAPERS

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The Shadow Knows: Inferring the Density Distribution of a Nonuniform Medium from its Standing Wave Pattern

Philippe Binder and Ian Cunnyngham

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 266

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In a recent note in this journal,¹ Gluck presents a beautiful demonstration of the standing wave generated by a strip of material with linearly varying width (a trapezoid). As expected, the resulting wave envelope (and its shadow) showed a varying wavelength—smaller as the strip width gets larger.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
02.30.Zz	Inverse problems

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The Physics of a Simple Camera Stabilizer

Albert A. Bartlett

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 268

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Approximately 50,000 people ran and walked down the street past my home in the 33rd annual running of the 10-km Bolder Boulder footrace on the morning of Memorial Day, May 30, 2011.^1,2 In addition to the serious runners, there were many individuals dressed in all manner of amusing festival costumes; some were jogging and some were walking. Early in the race I noticed a man who was jogging while using his right hand to hold a vertical wooden pole that was about three meters long and perhaps three centimeters in diameter. On the upper end of the pole, above the heads of the other runners, was a small video camera that was pointed forward to photograph the runners who were ahead of the jogger. At the lower end of the vertical pole were fastened several blocks of wood.

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01.50.-i

Educational aids

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Teaching Quantum Nonlocality

Art Hobson

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 270

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Nonlocality arises from the unified “all or nothing” interactions of a spatially extended field quantum such as a photon or an electron.² In the double-slit experiment with light, for example, each photon comes through both slits and arrives at the viewing screen as an extended but unified energy bundle or “field quantum.” When the photon interacts (randomly²) with the screen, field quantization requires it to alter its state instantaneously rather than gradually. Thus if the photon is absorbed, it must vanish or “collapse” nonlocally and instantaneously across a macroscopic portion of the screen, even across many kilometers in the case of interference patterns of light from a small distant star. The interaction instantly transfers the photons energy to a single atom of the screen. But a quantized field can contain any whole number of “excitations” (particles such as photons or electrons). If a single field quantum contains, say, two excitations, then generally the unified all-or-nothing character of quanta implies that any interaction of one excitation must also instantaneously affect the other excitation, regardless of the distance between them. The particles are then said to be “entangled” (see the “Background” section for a more precise definition of this term). Particles can become entangled by being created together in a single microscopic process, or by interacting with each other. Quantum entanglement is at least as fundamental as quantum uncertainty but is seldom mentioned in physics courses, although it has received broad attention recently in a wonderful book by Louisa Gilder.³ A recent paper in this journal presents entanglement in a manner that is useful for high school and college physics teachers.⁴ This paper builds on that presentation and looks at a different, more intuitive entanglement experiment that should be accessible to both scientists and nonscientists.

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01.40.ek	Secondary school
03.65.Ud	Entanglement and quantum nonlocality (e.g. EPR paradox, Bell's inequalities, GHZ states, etc.)
42.65.Lm	Parametric down conversion and production of entangled photons
03.67.Bg	Entanglement production and manipulation
03.67.-a	Quantum information

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Removing the Mystery of Entropy and Thermodynamics — Part V

Harvey S. Leff

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 274

Online Publication Date: Apr 2012

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
05.70.Ce	Thermodynamic functions and equations of state

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Using Phun to Study “Perpetual Motion” Machines

Jaroslav Koreš

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 278

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The concept of “perpetual motion” has a long history. The Indian astronomer and mathematician Bhaskara II (12th century) was the first person to describe a perpetual motion (PM) machine.¹ An example of a 13th- century PM machine is shown in Fig. 1. Although the law of conservation of energy clearly implies the impossibility of PM construction, over the centuries numerous proposals for PM have been made, involving ever more elements of modern science in their construction. It is possible to test a variety of PM machines in the classroom using a program called Phun² or its commercial version Algodoo.³ The programs are designed to simulate physical processes and we can easily simulate mechanical machines using them. They provide an intuitive graphical environment controlled with a mouse; a programming language is not needed. This paper describes simulations of four different (supposed) PM machines.⁴

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01.50.ht

Instructional computer use

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About the International System of Units (SI) Part VII. Numerical issues, unit conversions, and basic handling of data

Gordon J. Aubrecht, II, Anthony P. French, and Mario Iona

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 280

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
06.20.Dk	Measurement and error theory

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Fizz-ball Fizzics

Murray Moinester, Lars Gerland, Gérard Liger-Belair, and Aharon Ocherashvili

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 284

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We describe the fluid dynamics principles governing the up-down oscillatory cycling of a bubble- covered, low-density, low-mass ball of material (referred to henceforth as a “fizz-ball”) immersed inside a glass of bubbling (super-saturated) carbonated liquid. The bubbles serve to desaturate the liquid of excess CO₂. The fizz-ball acts as a catalyst to speed up this process.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
47.55.D-	Drops and bubbles

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Minds-On Audio-Guided Activities (MAGA): More Than Hearing and Better Than Seeing

James Brian Hancock, II and Marco Fornari

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 288

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Minds-On Audio-Guided Activities (MAGA) are podcast-delivered instruction designed to facilitate learning through all-body experiments. Instruction by MAGA has undergone preliminary testing in an introductory physics course at Central Michigan University. Topics are currently focused on mechanics and range from discovering the differences between distance and displacement to momentum to the Coriolis effect (see Table I). MAGA instruction emphasizes physical activity, encouraging learners to engage their bodies and minds simultaneously. It targets a combination of learning styles, stimulating group discussion by using technology familiar to the learners. MAGA should be used as either an introductory activity or as a supplemental experience for students, compared with creating an entire class around MAGA-style instruction. Average learning gain¹ for the trial semesters shows certain MAGA-covered topics are more effective than others. Oral interviews designed to probe the effectiveness of MAGA as well as student attitudes indicate that MAGA may foster longer-term retention of concepts.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.Kw	Techniques of testing
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies

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Moment of Inertia of a Ping-Pong Ball

Xian-Sheng Cao

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 292

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This note describes how to theoretically calculate and experimentally measure the moment of inertia of a Ping-Pong® ball. The theoretical calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental measurements that can be reproduced in an introductory physics laboratory.

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.-d	Education
45.00.00	Classical mechanics of discrete systems

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Simple Activities to Improve Students' Understanding of Microscopic Friction

Edgar de Guzman Corpuz and N. Sanjay Rebello

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 293

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We are currently on the verge of several breakthroughs in nanoscience and technology, and we need to prepare our citizenry to be scientifically literate about the microscopic world. Previous research¹ shows that students' mental models of friction at the atomic level are significantly influenced by their macroscopic ideas. Most students see friction at the microscopic scale as due to the meshing of bumps and valleys and rubbing of atoms. Furthermore, for most students, what is true macroscopically should also be true microscopically. Friction provides a very good context for making students aware of the disparity between the macroscopic and microscopic worlds. In the proceeding sections we will present a series of activities that teachers can use to refine students' ideas of friction at the microscopic level. Several teaching interviews² were conducted to develop and validate these activities and to establish the concepts/ideas that students adopt as they go through each of the activities.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
46.55.+d	Tribology and mechanical contacts
01.40.-d	Education

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A Collaboration Between University and High School in Preparing Physics Teachers: Chicago State University's Teacher Immersion Institute

Mel S. Sabella, Andrea G. Van Duzor, Jennie Passehl, and Kara Weisenburger

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 296

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Because of the diverse character of colleges and universities throughout the United States, it is naive to believe that a one-size-fits-all model of teacher preparation aligns with specific resources and student population needs. Exploring innovative models that challenge traditional programs is now being encouraged by organizations such as the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Physical Society. Chicago State University (CSU) is now exploring exciting changes to its physics teacher preparation program by utilizing the expertise of Chicago Area teachers and early teaching experiences for students interested in, but not yet committed to, the physics teaching profession.

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01.40.J-	Teacher training
01.50.-i	Educational aids

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Online Prelectures: An Alternative to Textbook Reading Assignments

Homeyra R. Sadaghiani

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 301

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To engage students in a more meaningful discussion of course material and prompt their higher thinking skills, most instructors expect students to read the course textbook for initial exposure to the course content before class. However, as many instructors are aware, most students do not read their textbook throughout the quarter.^1,2 At California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) we have adopted web-based multimedia learning modules (MLMs) as prelecture assignments to help students to prepare for the class activities. The MLMs place lecture contents into the hands and control of the learners; similar to “flipped”³ or “inverted”⁴ classroom approaches, this method allows students to receive key course content outside of class and apply and analyze the content actively during class. In addition to initial exposure to basic principle, the MLMs provide additional worked examples that cannot be thoroughly covered in class.

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01.50.H-	Computers in education
01.40.Di	Course design and evaluation

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On the Definition of Mass in Mechanics: Why Is It So Difficult?

Ricardo Lopes Coelho

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 304

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In spite of the concerted efforts of physicists, philosophers, mathematicians, and logicians, no final clarification of the concept of mass has been reached. So concludes Jammer in his book on the history of the concept.¹ The Nobel laureate Wilczek called our attention to the problem in his papers on the concepts of the fundamental equation of dynamics.² In 2005, Roche wrote a paper whose title asks the question “What is mass?”³ Hecht sums up the situation in textbooks in the title of his article “There Is No Really Good Definition of Mass.”⁴ Where the difficulty in defining mass in classical mechanics lies is the question addressed in the present paper. Before dealing with this topic, it is important to make explicit what the problem consists of, since sometimes people think that there is no problem with mass at all.

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
45.05.+x	General theory of classical mechanics of discrete systems

TRICK OF THE TRADE

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iPad & weightlessness

Taoufik Nadji

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 307

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
45.40.-f	Dynamics and kinematics of rigid bodies

IPHYSICSLABS

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Determining the speed of sound with stereo headphones

Patrik Vogt and Jochen Kuhn

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 308

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In this example we describe how the speed of sound can be determined using simple stereo headphones (ear buds) and sound analysis freeware.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
43.58.Dj	Sound velocity
43.38.-p	Transduction; acoustical devices for the generation and reproduction of sound
43.10.Sv	Education in acoustics, tutorial papers of interest to acoustics educators

FERMI QUESTIONS

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Fermi Questions

Larry Weinstein, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 310

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.-d	Education

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“New” High School Physics Teachers

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 310

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.-d	Education
01.50.-i	Educational aids

PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

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Amicable separation

Boris Korsunsky, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 311

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.-d	Education

YOUTUBE PHYSICS

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Youtube Physics

Diane Riendeau, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 312

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Heat and temperature cannot be seen by the naked eye.¹ But they can be visualized now using an affordable infrared (IR) camera. For those who do not have access to an IR camera, recorded videos of energy transformation or heat transfer may still be useful classroom demonstrations. These five YouTube videos present a set of IR imaging experiments that teach the concepts of heat capacity, conduction, radiation, convection, and latent heat. Each of these videos raises an interesting question that can bring inquiry to a deeper level. For more information about these experiments (and others), visit energy.concord.org/ir.

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
01.40.-d	Education
89.20.-a	Interdisciplinary applications of physics

LITTLE GEMS

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Another way to experiment with images formed by lenses

Gordon R. Gore

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 314

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
42.79.Bh	Lenses, prisms and mirrors

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Alternating-current demonstration using Christmas tree lights

John Carlson

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 315

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My

Demonstration experiments and apparatus

FOR THE NEW TEACHER

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People get ready, there's a train a-comin'

Patricia Blanton, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- May 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 5, pp. 316

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At a recent conference, I heard Francis Ellerle, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, speak about the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). As I listened to the proposal based on the research work in the newly released Framework for K-12 Science Education, the first line of the Curtis Mayfield song “People Get Ready” kept running through my mind. I kept wondering how many teachers are ready to “get on board” the “train” that's coming.

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