AAPT Logo
TPT Logo
 
   
 
Search Issue | RSS Feeds RSS
Previous Issue Next Issue

Feb 2003

Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 68-128

back to top
RSS Feeds

More on Educational Reform

William K. Rule

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 68 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation

Author Response

Eugenia Etkina and Alan Van Heuvelen

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 68 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
back to top
RSS Feeds

Correction: “Algebraic Treatment of Two-Slit Interference” [Phys. Teach. 40 (7), 402–404 (2002)]

Michael I. Sobel

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 69

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
42.25.Hz Interference
99.10.Cd Errata
back to top
RSS Feeds

Meet Your New President, Charles H. Holbrow

Vic Mansfield

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 70

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.60.+q Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries
back to top
RSS Feeds

Sharing Experiences

Charles H. Holbrow

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 71

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.55.+b General physics
back to top
RSS Feeds

Boiling Point

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 72

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
back to top
RSS Feeds

More Diamagnetism Demonstrations

Chris Conery, L. F. Goodrich, and T. C. Stauffer

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 74 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Inspired by, among others, Charles Sawicki's description of an inexpensive diamagnetic levitation apparatus,1 we built two such devices for classroom use and for educational outreach at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colo. With a slightly different setup, the same demonstration can be done horizontally on an overhead projector.
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus

Temperature-Driven Convection

Richard J. Bohan and Guy Vandegrift

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 76

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Warm air aloft is stable. This explains the lack of strong winds in a warm front and how nighttime radiative cooling can lead to motionless air that can trap smog. The stability of stratospheric air can be attributed to the fact that it is heated from above as ultraviolet radiation strikes the ozone layer. On the other hand, fluid heated from below is unstable and can lead to Bernard convection cells. This explains the generally turbulent nature of the troposphere, which receives a significant fraction of its heat directly from the Earth's warmer surface. The instability of cold fluid aloft explains the violent nature of a cold front, as well as the motion of Earth's magma, which is driven by radioactive heating deep within the Earth's mantle.1 This paper describes how both effects can be demonstrated using four standard beakers, ice, and a bit of food coloring.
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
44.25.+f Natural convection
47.27.T- Turbulent transport processes

A Background to Background Radiation

Christopher G. Deacon

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 78

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
The study of radiation at the introductory college level usually includes experiments to determine the half-life of a radioactive isotope and also a study of the absorption of nuclear radiation by metal foils. These experiments are straightforward to do using a Geiger-Müller tube and scaler, and allow for the determination of well-known constants. The underlying theory behind these experiments is also easy to understand, but fails to take into account background radiation that will be present, regardless of the source being used. The purpose of this article is to show how students can measure the effect of background radiation on these experiments by modifying the standard textbook theory.
Show PACS
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.ht Instructional computer use
23.40.-s β decay; double β decay; electron and muon capture

Physics in the Art Museum

Daniel A. Dale and Brenae L. Bailey

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 82 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Parisian artist Paul Signac met the impressionists Claude Monet and Georges Seurat in 1884. Their influence spurred his work in pointillism (or, where the juxtaposition of small dots of color in conjunction with the limited resolving power of the human eye lead to the impression of color coalescence).1–4 To stimulate a cross-disciplinary appreciation of science and art, we used the University of Wyoming Art Museum's Signac painting “Barques de Pêche à Marseilles” (see Fig. 1) to explore diffraction theory and the anatomical limitations to our vision during an optics exercise done in the museum.
Show PACS
42.25.Fx Diffraction and scattering
42.66.Ne Color vision: color detection, adaptation, and discrimination

Simple Uncertainty-Principle Experiment

Charles A. Sawicki

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 84

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Recent discussions in TPT have considered the pros and cons of an early introduction of students to modern physics.1–4 In this regard, appropriate experiments with classical waves can help students understand some important but counterintuitive aspects of modern physics. I recently taught a summer course that introduced high school seniors who had graduated with some background in physics and algebra to aspects of quantum physics and relativity. In this paper I'll describe a simple experiment I used to introduce these students to uncertainty principles in quantum physics.
Show PACS
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
06.30.Ft Time and frequency
43.60.+d Acoustic signal processing

The Doppler Effect of a Sound Source Moving in a Circle

Marcelo M. F. Saba and Rafael Antônio da S. Rosa

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 89 | Cited 4 times

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
When I first heard about an experiment that illustrates the Doppler effect by twirling a buzzer around one's head,1 I was intrigued and wondered if this experiment would work or not. In fact, it works because you usually do not place both ears exactly in the center of the circle; this would be very difficult indeed. When the source moves in a circle, the distance from the center is always constant, and there is no approaching or receding velocity at all. Holding a microphone in the same hand that holds the string that is attached to the buzzer easily shows this simple fact. No Doppler effect is observed. Although several qualitative demonstrations and experiments of the Doppler effect have been published,1,2 only a very few quantitative experiments are found in the literature.3 Having devised a new method to quantify the Doppler effect, described in a previous article,4 we thought it would be a good physics and geometry exercise to calculate and measure the frequency variations when the microphone is placed on the circular path of the buzzer.
Show PACS
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
43.58.+z Acoustical measurements and instrumentation
45.40.-f Dynamics and kinematics of rigid bodies

What to Say About the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to Your Introductory Physics Class

Bernard J. Feldman

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 92 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Having just taught my introductory physics class about the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, I realized that this topic is fascinating both to the students and to me. I always show the video and it never fails to elicit numerous questions from the class. However, its treatment in most introductory physics textbooks is either at best inadequate or at worst misleading. By chance, I also recently heard a talk from the project manager of a proposed new bridge across the Mississippi River at St. Louis. The issues that led to the failure of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge played a major role in the design of this new bridge. These two events have led me to think about the physics of bridge oscillations and to write this paper, which is in large part an abridged version of the 1991 American Journal of Physics article by Billah and Scanlan,1 but it is clear to me that the content of that article has not permeated the physics community.
Show PACS
46.40.-f Vibrations and mechanical waves

Analyzing Collisions in Terms of Newton's Laws

John L. Roeder

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 97

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Although the principle of momentum conservation is a consequence of Newton's second and third laws of motion, as recognized by Newton himself,1 this principle is typically applied in analyzing collisions as if it is a separate concept of its own. This year I sought to integrate my treatment of collisions with my coverage of Newton's laws by asking students to calculate the effect on the motion of two particles due to the forces they exerted for a specified time interval on each other. For example, “A 50-kg crate slides across the ice at 3 m∕s and collides with a 25-kg crate at rest. During the collision process the 50-kg crate exerts a 500 N time-averaged force on the 25 kg for 0.1 s. What are the accelerations of the crates during the collision, and what are their velocities after the collision? What are the momenta of the crates before and after collision?”
Show PACS
45.50.Tn Collisions
45.20.D- Newtonian mechanics

Lifetimes of Incandescent Bulbs

V. J. Menon and D. C. Agrawal

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 100 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
An article by Leff1 on incandescent bulbs has been very successful in illuminating the minds of not only physics students but also teachers. It has also prompted many articles that explore various aspects of incandescent lamps.2–9 An interesting topic discussed by Leff concerns lifetime statistics of bulbs by drawing analogy from radioactive decay of nuclei. Leff obtained an empirical formula for the survival probability of commercial bulbs and also hinted at the approximate equality of the half-life, the average life, and the most probable life of the same. While teaching this topic over the past few years, we found that the students were confused about the precise link between the survival and decay probabilities, and were also unable to derive the said equality of different lives as this problem was left in Ref. 1 as an exercise. The aim of this paper is to clarify these ideas.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
42.72.Bj Visible and ultraviolet sources

“Feel” the Difference Between Series and Parallel Circuits

Dean Livelybrooks

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 102

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
We all have our favorite curricular materials for teaching about current and voltage, and how they differ in series and parallel circuits. RealTime Physics Module 3: Electric Circuits,1 which addresses research about student difficulties with circuits noted by McDermott and Shaffer,2 is used at the University of Oregon, for example. This paper describes exercises in which students use a Genecon generator3 to supply power to series and parallel combinations of lightbulbs. They are able to “feel” the difference in how the generator is turned in producing equal power to the circuits.
Show PACS
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
84.30.-r Electronic circuits

A Physics Teacher in Europe

Duane S. Nickell

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 104 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Last summer, I had the good fortune of winning a fellowship to take a scientific tour of Europe.1 My goal was to learn more about the people whose work I have studied and taught throughout my professional career — scientists like Galileo, Newton, and Einstein, whose work has revealed the beauty, grandeur, and comprehensibility of the universe. Below, I list and describe some of the highlights of my trip. The four cities listed are among those commonly visited by tourists.
Show PACS
01.75.+m Science and society
01.65.+g History of science

Enhancing Student Learning by Tapping into Physics They Already Know

Mark Vondracek

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 109 | Cited 4 times

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
This paper describes a teaching strategy in physics classes that encourages teachers at all levels to develop assignments and assessments that tap into events and situations that students experience everyday. The key to the strategy is to allow students to choose the situation and then develop their own explanation for what happens and why it happens using specific physics principles discussed in class. After doing assignments based on this strategy, students report better long-term understanding, increased confidence, more enjoyment from the class, and an increased sense that knowing some physics is worthwhile.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation

An Implementation of Physics by Inquiry in a Large-Enrollment Class

Rachel E. Scherr

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 113 | Cited 5 times

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
As physics instructors, we enjoy access to a variety of powerful instructional materials. Among them are classroom-tested inquiry-based laboratory curricula such as Physics by Inquiry1 and Workshop Physics.2 Unfortunately, such materials are often tested in conditions unattainable in introductory physics courses. In particular, the recommended instructor-student ratio tends to be larger than we can afford. This article describes an implementation of Physics by Inquiry in a liberal-arts physics class with 70 students and one instructor. I discuss the choices I made with the materials under these circumstances, describe the challenges that arose, and offer evidence that the course was fairly successful. Examples such as this one show that proven instructional materials can be put to good use even in circumstances that fall outside the tested conditions.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
back to top
RSS Feeds

Redesigned Air-Column Resonance Apparatus

Gurbax Singh and Erlend H. Graf, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 120 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
This paper describes a redesigned air-column resonance apparatus1 that offers several advantages over the traditional one.2 It does away with water or the long rod to vary the length of the air column. Instead a specially designed piston is moved inside a plastic or glass tube by external magnets to vary the length of the air column. Plastic tubes of various sizes are commercially available,3 but we salvaged one from an old commercial resonance apparatus. The tube has 2.85-cm inner and 3.15-cm outer diameter, respectively. The redesigned resonance apparatus can be operated in either the horizontal or the vertical position.
Show PACS
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
back to top
RSS Feeds

A Simple Diamagnetic Levitation Experiment

Ron Edge

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 122 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
41.20.Gz Magnetostatics; magnetic shielding, magnetic induction, boundary-value problems
back to top
RSS Feeds

From Our Files

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr., Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 123

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
84.32.Tt Capacitors
back to top
RSS Feeds

Shake and Bake

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 124

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus

Track and Field

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 124

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus

Current Affairs

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 124

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
back to top
RSS Feeds

Constructing Knowledge

Patricia Blanton, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 125 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Schools are expected to lay the foundation upon which knowledge can be built and equip students with the tools necessary to accomplish the construction. The role of the teacher in this building process is crucial to the type of structure the student can build. Whether you call it constructivism, discussion teaching, project-based learning, inquiry learning, or any of the other names given to the instructional strategies being suggested by education researchers, the key is getting students to become active participants in the process. While some students may be able to learn from eloquently delivered lectures and dynamic demonstrations, the majority of students cannot effectively retain and apply ideas communicated in this manner.
Show PACS
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
back to top
RSS Feeds

ExploreScience.com, http://www.explorescience.com

Fred Becchetti and Andrew Graham, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 127

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.F- Audio and visual aids

ExploreScience.com, NASA Discovery Mission Deep Impact, http://www.deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov and deepimpact.umd.edu

Elizabeth Warner and Andrew Graham, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 127

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.-i Educational aids

Intuitor.com, Why take Physics in High School?, http://www.intuitor.com/physics/physmain.html

William Tucci, Consultant and Andrew Graham, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 127

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.-i Educational aids
back to top
RSS Feeds

Approaching the “Outer Limits”: The Neptune File by Tom Standage

Frank Lock, Reviewer

The Physics Teacher -- February 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 128

Online Publication Date: Jan 2003

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
95.90.+v Historical astronomy and archaeoastronomy; and other topics in fundamental astronomy and astrophysics; instrumentation, techniques, and astronomical observations
01.30.Vv Book reviews
Close

Your Recent History Recent History Help

Recently Viewed

  1. Induced Current Measurement of Rod Vibrations
  2. To Be or Not To Be: The Question of the Atom: Boltzmann's Atom: The Great Debate that Launched a Rev...
  3. Peer Instruction: Results from a Range of Classrooms
  4. The Charm of Strange Quarks: Mysteries and Revolutions in Particle Physics, R. Michael Barnett, Henr...
  5. Color mixing via polarization

AAPT on:

close