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Feb 2001

Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 68-127

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A conceptual approach to teaching equations

Robin Jordan

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 68

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.55.+b General physics
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.40.Fk Research in physics education

Relativity and inertia

Robert P. Bauman

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 68

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Abstract Unavailable
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45.20.D- Newtonian mechanics
03.30.+p Special relativity

Concerning the electromotive force (or emf)

Normand Legault and Dominique Peschard

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 69

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Abstract Unavailable
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41.20.Cv Electrostatics; Poisson and Laplace equations, boundary-value problems
07.68.+m Photography, photographic instruments; xerography
84.37.+q Measurements in electric variables (including voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, inductance, impedance, and admittance, etc.)

Tokar’s question: Surface tension vs buoyancy

Paul J. Dolan, Jr. and Charles W. Smith

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 69

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Abstract Unavailable
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41.20.Cv Electrostatics; Poisson and Laplace equations, boundary-value problems
68.03.Cd Surface tension and related phenomena
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Meet your new president: John Hubisz

Karen L. Johnston, Professor Emerita

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 72

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Karen Johnston introduces the 2001 AAPT President, John L. Hubisz of North Carolina State University.
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01.10.Hx Physics organizational activities
01.55.+b General physics
01.40.-d Education
01.65.+g History of science
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For love of teaching

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 73

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What is it that turns otherwise reasonable individuals into physics teachers? I really don’t know, but after listening to colleagues’ stories over the years, I see that many of us came into the profession via rather unique routes — a mathematical physicist who failed algegra, a graphic artist who sought better answers, a novice biology teacher required to teach physics who stuck with it — and each one of us has a story to tell.
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01.55.+b General physics
01.40.-d Education
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Spring-loaded dart guns

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 74

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b General physics
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Water-drop projector

Gorazd Planinsic

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 76

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This simple experiment involves observation of microorganisms in a drop of pond water. The explanation of the image formation in the paraxial region is given using geometrical optics.
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42.79.Kr Display devices, liquid-crystal devices
42.15.-i Geometrical optics
87.64.M- Optical microscopy
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus

Induction or hysteresis: That is the cooktop question

Baki Brahmia and George Horton

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 80

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For many years one of us has cooked on an induction cooktop and been impressed by its efficiency, cleanliness, and responsiveness. The commercial name “induction” cooktop suggests that we have here an application of Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction since the cooktop produces an oscillating magnetic field.
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41.20.Gz Magnetostatics; magnetic shielding, magnetic induction, boundary-value problems
76.60.Es Relaxation effects
75.60.Ej Magnetization curves, hysteresis, Barkhausen and related effects
07.20.Hy Furnaces; heaters

How dense is a black hole?

Michael C. Lo Presto and Rima Meroueh

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 84

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Since the discussion of black holes in introductory astronomy is usually preceded by a discussion of white dwarfs and neutron stars, increasing density is usually a recurring theme. Objects are often assumed to have to be of tremendous densities to become black holes. This is true for lower mass, smaller black holes, but calculating the required densities of larger mass black holes shows that this is not always the case. In fact, supermassive black holes, like those at the center of galaxies, can have a very low density.
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04.70.-s Physics of black holes
97.60.Lf Black holes
98.35.Jk Galactic center, bar, circumnuclear matter, and bulge (including black hole and distance measurements)
98.62.Js Galactic nuclei (including black holes), circumnuclear matter, and bulges

Measuring g with a joystick pendulum

T. J. Bensky

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 88 | Cited 1 time

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A method for experimentally measuring g, the Earth’s gravitational acceleration, is presented. This method uses a computer joystick and computer as the primary measuring device. If a computer is available, it costs almost nothing to implement, and can be adapted for use as a high school or undergraduate lab exercise, or as a lecture demonstration.
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91.10.Pp Geodetic techniques; gravimetric measurements and instruments
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus

Analysis of Slinky levitation

Mark Graham

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 90

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The lower end of a falling weak spring will appear motionless for one-quarter period upon being released. This phenomenon is illustrated by holding a Slinky™ and dropping it.
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45.40.Cc Rigid body and gyroscope motion

Where is the sky?

Ariel Cohen and Igal Galili

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 92 | Cited 1 time

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This paper discusses the origin of the concept of sky. It is shown to emerge from one’s experience of the visual perception of nonluminous objects observed in∕through the atmosphere during the daytime. The physical concept of visibility in the atmospheric environment underpins the perception of a flattened sky dome constructed by our mind. In addition, the Moon illusion receives a plausible explanation and both topics become appropriate for a conceptually oriented introduction course in physics and∕or astronomy.
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92.60.Ta Electromagnetic wave propagation
96.20.Dt Features, landmarks, mineralogy, and petrology
96.60.Tf Solar electromagnetic emission
42.66.Si Psychophysics of vision, visual perception; binocular vision

Linking physics, humanities, and social sciences

Belinda Carstens-Wickham

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 98

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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville won funding from the federal interagency competition, Leadership Opportunity in Science and Humanities Education, which supported interdisciplinary courses combining the natural sciences and the humanities. The author analyzes her experiences developing a very successful and popular interdisciplinary course, entitled “The Atomic Era,” which features a unique combination of physics, sociology and German studies taught jointly by a physicist, a sociologist, and a Germanist. The objectives of the course, the laboratories and demonstrations, instructional goals, !!assignments, organization, testing, student and faculty assessment, expenses, and the special challenges of coordinating three faculty members and a wide variety of topics and perspectives are addressed and analyzed.
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01.55.+b General physics
01.75.+m Science and society
01.90.+g Other topics of general interest (restricted to new topics in section 01)
01.40.Di Course design and evaluation

Playing around with achromatic pairs

R. G. Jordan

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 102

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While trying to come up with some “different” questions about lenses that have some connection with students’ everyday experiences, I started thinking about chromatic aberration and the method of correction using achromatic pairs of lenses. Although most current introductory physics textbooks provide few (if any) quantitative details on achromatic lenses, I show that the analysis is not only very straightforward, but it can help reinforce understanding of some of the essential concepts appropriate to lenses and can offer plenty of opportunity for variety. Consequently, instructors searching for alternative areas to explore and challenge their students may wish to pose questions, set as!!signments or research papers, etc., in this general area and feel confident that they fall well within the capabilities of most students.
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42.15.-i Geometrical optics
42.79.Bh Lenses, prisms and mirrors

Fourteen things you can do with a stick

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 106

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Some years back, Dick Zitto and I were teaching a week of mechanics to elementary school teachers in Canton, Ohio, city school system. Our mandate was to use simple materials and to be interesting. To start the session, I decided to have a discussion, partly prompted and partly free association on the ways one might use a stick to study physical phenomena.
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01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
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The water knot

Martin Gardner

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 107

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This physics trick uses a plastic bottle with three holes punched near the bottom. When the bottle is filled with water, three streams emerge from the holes.
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01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b General physics
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Springbok: The physics of jumping

Robert J. Dufresne, William J. Gerace, and William J. Leonard

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 109

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The physics of jumping is explored for a simple spring-loaded toy. The toy is easy to make and easy to analyze using an elementary Hooke’s law model. Possible uses in introductory physics are described. Conceptual and pedagogical issues are discussed
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01.50.Wg Physics of toys
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A toy airplane for projectile-motion experiments

Jeffrey Wetherhold

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 116

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While toy hunting at a local department store, I came upon a reasonably priced, interesting toy airplane that flies in a circle and drops a toy bomb. With some modifications this toy can be used in an exciting and highly motivating projectile-motion experiment with good results.
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01.50.Wg Physics of toys
45.40.Gj Ballistics (projectiles; rockets)
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Bringing extra-solar planets into the introductory physics classroom

Edward E. Prather and Timothy F. Slater

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 120 | Cited 2 times

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This paper describes a teaching activity for students using Doppler shifts of starlight to detect extra-solar planets.
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01.55.+b General physics
97.82.Cp Photometric and spectroscopic detection; coronographic detection; interferometric detection
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
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Color mixing via polarization

A. Alan Middleton and Samuel Sampere

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 123 | Cited 1 time

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The investigation of light and vision are central to physics and important to building an understanding of technology. We describe an arrangement for a demonstration challenge that requires knowledge of polarization and color theory to predict the outcome. By rotating a single polarizer, the color of a ball varies from red through yellow to green.
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01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
42.25.Ja Polarization
42.66.Ne Color vision: color detection, adaptation, and discrimination
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Four hearts

Wojciech Dindorf

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 125 | Cited 1 time

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This article describes a trick with four paper hearts hanging in a doorway and the way they are oriented.
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01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
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A new outreach website by APS

Andrew Graham

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 126

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Abstract Unavailable
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89.20.Hh World Wide Web, Internet
01.55.+b General physics
01.40.-d Education
01.78.+p Science and government (funding, politics, etc.)

Women in science and engineering

Andrew Graham

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 126

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Abstract Unavailable
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89.20.Hh World Wide Web, Internet
01.55.+b General physics
01.40.-d Education
01.78.+p Science and government (funding, politics, etc.)

Physics education research website

Andrew Graham

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 126

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Abstract Unavailable
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89.20.Hh World Wide Web, Internet
01.55.+b General physics
01.40.-d Education
01.78.+p Science and government (funding, politics, etc.)

FirstGov: A new one-stop access website for the U.S. government—Edited press release

Andrew Graham

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 126

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Abstract Unavailable
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89.20.Hh World Wide Web, Internet
01.55.+b General physics
01.40.-d Education
01.78.+p Science and government (funding, politics, etc.)

Websites—General interest

Andrew Graham

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 126

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Abstract Unavailable
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89.20.Hh World Wide Web, Internet
01.55.+b General physics
01.40.-d Education
01.78.+p Science and government (funding, politics, etc.)
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Maxwell’s Conundrum: A Serious but Not Ponderous Book About Relativity, by Walter Scheider

Tim Lynch, Reviewer

The Physics Teacher -- February 2001 -- Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 127

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.30.Vv Book reviews
03.30.+p Special relativity
01.40.E- Science in school
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