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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
APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS
TRICK OF THE TRADE
FROM OUR FILES
PHYSICS CHALLENGES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
FOR THE NEW TEACHER
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Volume 41

Issue 9 | Dec 2003 | pp. 508-554

Issue 8 | Nov 2003 | pp. 444-504

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Nov 2003

Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 444-504

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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On Physical Push-ups

Richard Summers

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 444

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.55.+b	General physics
01.40.-d	Education

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Overheating Motor Demo

Steve Dail

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 444

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My

Demonstration experiments and apparatus

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Overtime on Galilean Physics

Paul G. Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 444

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.55.+b	General physics
01.40.Di	Course design and evaluation

EDITORIAL

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Guest Editorial

Chuck Robertson, American Association of Physics Teachers, Treasurer

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 446 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.30.Xx	Publications in electronic media
01.40.-d	Education

FIGURING PHYSICS

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Submerged Cube and Sphere

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 448

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My

Demonstration experiments and apparatus

PAPERS

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Irreversible Adiabatic Compression of an Ideal Gas

Carl E. Mungan

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 450 | Cited 8 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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Consider the following problem.¹ A frictionless, massive piston partitions an insulated box vertically into two parts. The upper compartment is evacuated, while the lower contains an equilibrated ideal gas. A weight is suddenly placed on the piston. How much is the gas compressed when equilibrium is again restored, neglecting the heat capacity of the cylinder and piston?

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51.30.+i	Thermodynamic properties, equations of state
05.70.Ce	Thermodynamic functions and equations of state

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Monday Night Football: Physics Decides Controversial Call

Gregory A. DiLisi and Richard Rarick

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 454

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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This article describes the vector analysis of the projection of a three-dimensional event onto a two-dimensional surface. Specifically, the analysis examines a controversial call of a videotaped football play and the observational error created by the camera's projection of that play onto the football field.

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01.40.G-	Curricula and evaluation
02.40.Dr	Euclidean and projective geometries
06.30.Bp	Spatial dimensions (e.g., position, lengths, volume, angles, and displacements)

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A Triple Rainbow?

Archibald W. Hendry

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 460

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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It's a good question — is there such a thing as a triple rainbow? No doubt we've all admired spectacular rainbows, including some double rainbows. I must also admit that most times when I'm out watering the yard on a sunny day, I cannot help myself from trying to trace out the primary and secondary circular bows in the spray. But a triple rainbow?

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42.25.Gy	Edge and boundary effects; reflection and refraction
42.15.Dp	Wave fronts and ray tracing

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The Hydraulic Analogy for Electric Current

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 464 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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About 1900 the British scientist Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940) described a hydraulic analogue for electrical circuits that was widely used in the first half of the century and is still with us. Although some physics teachers object to the use of analogy in their presentations, the hydraulic analogue has become firmly fixed in our consciousness, and it is interesting to see how some older textbooks used it. The mechanical model of the emf is a bit strained, but the other models are easy to accept as analogues.

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01.40.G-	Curricula and evaluation
82.47.Cb	Lead-acid, nickel-metal hydride and other batteries
01.65.+g	History of science

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Tycho Brahe's Stjerneborg

Harry Manos

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 469

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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Uraniborg and Stjerneborg are where Tycho Brahe lived, worked, and made many of his famous observations. Most of his original instruments have been destroyed, but replicas have been constructed according to Brahe's original plans, and two instruments still exist that are believed to have been built by Brahe.

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01.65.+g	History of science
01.60.+q	Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries
95.55.-n	Astronomical and space-research instrumentation

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Statistics of Measurements of Automobile Fuel Efficiency

Albert A. Bartlett

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 472

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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In these days, with the growing need to worry about petroleum and the efficiency of our automobiles, there should be an increased interest, especially among physics students, in the miles per gallon (MPG) of cars. There should also be interest in the accuracy of single and multiple measurements of the MPG of a car. These topics are covered here in this report of a series of measurements that span 16 years.

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01.55.+b	General physics
89.30.A-	Fossil fuels
89.40.Bb	Land transportation

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Checking Students' Symbolic Math on a Computer

Benjamin Crowell

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 478

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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This note describes an open-source computer program that allows students to check their answers to symbolic homework problems. Traditional introductory physics courses emphasize solving a problem to obtain a numerical result, but this skill is only weakly correlated with conceptual understanding.¹ We state the laws of physics in the language of algebra, but many students find it difficult to connect a purely symbolic equation with its interpretation; to them, an equation is nothing more than an algorithm for numerical computation.

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
02.70.Wz	Symbolic computation (computer algebra)
07.05.Bx	Computer systems: hardware, operating systems, computer languages, and utilities

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Series and Parallel Resistors and Capacitors

Ronald Brown

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 483 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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The equations used to calculate the equivalent resistance or capacitance for series and parallel connections of resistors or capacitors, respectively, are often found to be confusing by students. But they are as they are for exactly the same reason. A battery transfers an amount of charge from one surface to the other proportionately to the area of the surfaces and inversely with their separation.

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01.55.+b	General physics
84.30.Bv	Circuit theory
84.32.Tt	Capacitors
84.32.Ff	Conductors, resistors (including thermistors, varistors, and photoresistors)

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An Historico-Critical Account of Potential Energy: Is PE Really Real?

Eugene Hecht

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 486 | Cited 5 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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This paper critically explores the familiar concept of potential energy (PE), with the intent of addressing the issue of whether it is “real” or not. We begin with an historical account of the development of the idea of energy, examining the original motivations for the introduction of the notion of PE. This is followed by a sample of the arguments existing in the literature (from the 1880s through the 20th century) against the legitimacy of PE; that is, arguments maintaining that potential energy is not a real observable physical quantity. Today potential energy is so widely and unquestioningly accepted that it seems almost unthinkable that anyone ever seriously challenged its veracity. Using relativistic considerations it will be shown that PE is as real as mass is real. Nonetheless it will be argued that the concept of potential energy, however real, is actually superfluous.

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01.65.+g	History of science
45.20.-d	Formalisms in classical mechanics
01.70.+w	Philosophy of science
03.30.+p	Special relativity

APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS

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A Demonstration Apparatus for the Cartesian Diver

J. Güémez, C. Fiolhais, and M. Fiolhais

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 495 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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The Cartesian diver is a nice toy and an intriguing physics instrument.^1–6 Recently we reported an experimental study on the statics and dynamics of the Cartesian diver,⁷ using a specially designed apparatus that is much larger than the usual models. The Cartesian diver is an interesting example of the so-called “fold catastrophe,” the pressure being the control parameter,⁷ and this behavior is well observed in our apparatus.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.Wg	Physics of toys

TRICK OF THE TRADE

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Recharging the Battery Pack in a Camcorder

Samaroo Deonarine

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 497

Online Publication Date: Oct 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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A demonstration of moment of inertia [Phys. Teach. 15, 546 (Dec. 1977)]

Walter Q. Quint

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 498

Online Publication Date: Oct 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 Board Game

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 499

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.Fk

Research in physics education

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A Pit Pull

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 499

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.Fk

Research in physics education

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A Spring Fling

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 499

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.Fk	Research in physics education
45.50.Jf	Few- and many-body systems

FOR THE NEW TEACHER

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Maximizing the Workshop Experience: An Example from the PTRA Rural Initiatives Program

Teresa Burns

The Physics Teacher -- November 2003 -- Volume 41, Issue 8, pp. 500

Online Publication Date: Oct 2003

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Since the summer of 2001, the Rural Initiative of the Physics Teaching Resource Agents have led summer workshops for high school and middle school physics teachers at several universities nationwide. From the site at Coastal Carolina University where teachers learned about radioactivity and nuclear physics, assistant professor Teresa Burns describes how high school teacher Lucas Mullen was able to build a curriculum tied to South Carolina State Science Standards around the content he learned at the workshop. This is one example of how a workshop experience can lead to better teaching practices through exposure to content material and current accepted practices in physics education research.

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01.40.J-

Teacher training