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American Journal of Physics

The Physics Teacher»
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SECTION LISTING

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
CORRECTIONS
EDITORIAL
FIGURING PHYSICS
PAPERS
APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS
TRICK OF THE TRADE
FROM OUR FILES
PHYSICS CHALLENGES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
FOR THE NEW TEACHER
WEBSIGHTS
BOOK REVIEWS
IN MY OPINION

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Issue 9 | Dec 2003 | pp. 508-554

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Sep 2003

Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 316-376

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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“Work Reworked”—Reworked

Robert Weinstock

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 316 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.E-	Science in school
01.55.+b	General physics

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Bell in a Bell Jar — I

David Gavenda

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 316 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
43.10.Sv	Education in acoustics, tutorial papers of interest to acoustics educators

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Bell in a Bell Jar — II

Burt Brody

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 317

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
43.10.Sv	Education in acoustics, tutorial papers of interest to acoustics educators

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Bell in a Bell Jar — III

Clifford Swartz

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 317 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
43.10.Sv	Education in acoustics, tutorial papers of interest to acoustics educators

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Sun Pillars and Ice Crystals

Alan J. DeWeerd

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 318

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
42.68.Ge	Effects of clouds and water; ice crystal phenomena

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Grazing Incidence Reflection and X-ray Images

Jay M. Pasachoff

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 318

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.55.+b	General physics
41.50.+h	X-ray beams and x-ray optics

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Comments on Determination of Absolute Zero

Dean S. Edmonds, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 318

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My

Demonstration experiments and apparatus

CORRECTIONS

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Correction: “Some Simple Black-Hole Thermodynamics” [Phys. Teach. 41(5), 299–301 (2003)]

Michael C. LoPresto

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 319

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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04.70.Dy	Quantum aspects of black holes, evaporation, thermodynamics
97.60.Lf	Black holes
99.10.Cd	Errata

EDITORIAL

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Searching the Literature Made Simple(r)

Karl C. Mamola

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 320

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.30.Xx	Publications in electronic media
01.30.Tt	Bibliographies

FIGURING PHYSICS

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Lunar Gravity Lock

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 322

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.E-	Science in school
01.55.+b	General physics

PAPERS

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Physical Push-ups

Saffar Arjmandi, Joseph G. Brinkman, and Terrence P. Toepker

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 323 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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“Saffar, how many push-ups can you do in 10 seconds?” “I'll show you, T².” With that exchange, Saffar proceeded to do 15 push-ups as T² (Terrence Toepker) did the timing. “I think that the upper limit is set by physical principles and not by your strength.” Assuming that you cannot pull yourself down by grabbing the floor, the shortest time down is caused by gravity acting alone. A simple physics model for this situation could be a straight, uniform plank pivoted at one end that oscillates up and down due to an elastic reflecting impulse that occurs instantaneously at the down position, shown in Fig. 1(a).

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45.40.Cc	Rigid body and gyroscope motion
01.55.+b	General physics
01.50.-i	Educational aids

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Sliding on the Surface of a Rough Sphere

Carl E. Mungan

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 326 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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A well-known textbook problem treats the motion of a particle sliding frictionlessly on the surface of a sphere. An interesting variation is to consider what happens when kinetic friction is present.¹ This problem can be solved exactly.

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45.50.Dd	General motion
46.55.+d	Tribology and mechanical contacts

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The Vocabulary of Introductory Physics and Its Implications for Learning Physics

Salomon F. Itza-Ortiz, N. Sanjay Rebello, Dean A. Zollman, and Manuel Rodriguez-Achach

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 330 | Cited 6 times

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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In science new words might be “invented” to name or describe new processes, discoveries, or inventions. However, for the most part, the scientific vocabulary is formed from words we use throughout our lives in everyday language. When we begin studying science we learn new meanings of words we had previously used. Sometimes these new meanings may contradict everyday meanings or seem counterintuitive. We often learn words in association with objects and situations.¹ Due to these associations that students bring to class, they may not interpret the physics meaning correctly. This misinterpretation of language leads students to confusion that is sometimes classified as a misconception.^2–6 Research about the semantics used in physics textbooks^7–9 and the meaning of words has been done,^10–12 but the problem seems to go beyond semantics.⁸ The linguistic relativity hypothesis, sometimes referred to as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis,¹ says that “we see and hear and otherwise experience very largely as we do because the language habits of our community predispose certain choices of interpretation.” An upshot of this hypothesis is that language may not determine thought, but it certainly may influence thought.¹ We have to make students conscious of the fact that though the words may remain the same, their everyday meaning is no longer a figure of speech, but a technical meaning (physics meaning). That is, we need to change the way students may “think” about words. In spite of the close relationship between language and thought, most research does not address the semantics used in physics textbooks^7–9 and the meaning of words.^10–12 This study, however, will address that relationship.

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01.40.G-	Curricula and evaluation
01.55.+b	General physics

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Maximizing Imparted Speed in Elastic Collisions

Hasan Fakhruddin

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 338

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Consider a particle of mass M traveling with speed V and colliding head on with a stationary particle of smaller mass m (see Fig. 1). The ratio m∕M = R. Let the collision be elastic. The speed v imparted to the second particle is given by¹

This can be written as

The imparted speed v approaches a maximum value of 2V as R → 0.² Thus for the two-particle system, maximum speed imparted to m is 2V.

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45.50.Dd

General motion

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Reconsidering Archimedes' Principle

Jeffrey Bierman and Eric Kincanon

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 340 | Cited 4 times

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Archimedes' principle as stated originally by Archimedes and in modern texts can lead to an incorrect prediction if the submerged object is in contact with a solid surface. In this paper we look experimentally at a submerged object and show that though the theoretical explanations of the principle are valid, the statement of the principle needs clarification.

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
47.85.Dh	Hydrodynamics, hydraulics, hydrostatics

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Fluid Flow with Logger Pro

Stephen J. Fairman, Joseph A. Johnson, and Thomas A. Walkiewicz

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 345 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Graphical analysis of experimental data that exhibit exponential behavior is typically postponed at many institutions until students are able to understand the theory underlying the concept of radioactive decay or of RC time constants in ac circuits. In 1960 Smithson and Pinkston¹ described a laboratory exercise that uses the flow of water from a vertical column through a long horizontal capillary tube as a source of data that models radioactive decay. Many institutions have used this experiment simply as an early introduction to exponential behavior without reference to radioactive decay or ac circuits. Greenslade² recently described a modification of this experiment to demonstrate the concept of secular equilibrium in radioactive decay. This paper presents results of similar experiments, but visual measurements are replaced in this work by data obtained with modern sensors interfaced to a computer. Experiments are described from simple exponential decay to an analogue of the complex interactions of three nuclides in a radioactive-series decay chain.

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
23.40.-s	β decay; double β decay; electron and muon capture
47.60.-i	Flow phenomena in quasi-one-dimensional systems
07.05.Hd	Data acquisition: hardware and software

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Devices to Illustrate Lissajous Figures

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 351 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Longtime readers of The Physics Teacher will have noted my interest in oscillations and waves.¹ In particular, Lissajous figures, which are the resultant of two simple harmonic motions at right angles to each other, have fascinated me since I first saw a device drawing them at Amherst College in 1957. In this paper I want to show some of the apparatus that has been developed to display Lissajous figures. There is more than antiquarian interest here; some of these can be reproduced fairly easily today.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
46.40.-f	Vibrations and mechanical waves

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Measuring Horsepower and Torque Curves of a Car

John Ross Buschert

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 355 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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We have developed a system to measure the motion of a car with very good precision. It requires a laptop computer and a standard sensor interface. The added parts are relatively simple and inexpensive, and can be connected to a variety of cars easily and quickly. Using this system, we are able to derive the horsepower and torque versus engine speed for any manual transmission car. Students enjoy the lab because it gives them an excuse to floor their car but it also produces remarkably good data.

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.ht	Instructional computer use

APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS

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Apparatus for Measuring Young's Modulus

Adam Niculescu and Russell Shumaker

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 364 | Cited 5 times

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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This paper describes a simple and inexpensive apparatus that measures the modulus of elasticity for metallic wires.¹ The apparatus has been designed so as to minimize the computations that in many instances prove to be a deterrent in the understanding of the physical concepts.

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
62.20.D-	Elasticity
07.10.-h	Mechanical instruments and equipment

TRICK OF THE TRADE

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Super Martian Hat

Rosemary Russ

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 368

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My

Demonstration experiments and apparatus

FROM OUR FILES

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WAVES FROM THE LUMBERYARD [Phys. Teach. 12, 366 (Sept. 1974)

Michael J. Bernstein

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 369

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My

Demonstration experiments and apparatus

PHYSICS CHALLENGES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

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The Road Rage

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 370

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.Fk	Research in physics education

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Riverdance

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 370

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.Fk	Research in physics education
01.50.-i	Educational aids

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The Flight of the Bumblebee

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 370

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.Fk	Research in physics education

FOR THE NEW TEACHER

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Beginning Your First Year

Ingrid Novodvorsky

The Physics Teacher -- September 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 6, pp. 371

Online Publication Date: Aug 2003

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This month's column was contributed by fellow teacher Ingrid Novodvorsky from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Her advice is timely for new teachers who will be entering the classroom for the first time this fall. I encourage other teachers to share their suggestions for managing the challenges that first-year instructors face.

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01.40.G-

Curricula and evaluation