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American Journal of Physics

The Physics Teacher»
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FIGURING PHYSICS
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Jan 2005

Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 4-59

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Coat Hanger

Martin Gardner

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 4

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My

Demonstration experiments and apparatus

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“Tossing on a Rotating Space Station”—Graphically

Walter Scheider

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 4

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
01.50.Lc	Laboratory computer use

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Re: “Tossing on a Rotating Space Station,” Phys. Teach. 42, 423–426 (Oct. 2004)

Ron Albrecht

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 5

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
01.50.Lc	Laboratory computer use

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Author's Reply

Mark Paetkau

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 5

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i

Educational aids

GUEST EDITORIAL

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Physics First?

Leon M. Lederman

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 6 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.E-	Science in school
01.40.Di	Course design and evaluation

FIGURING PHYSICS

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Black-Shiny Cookware

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 8

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Qb	Laboratory course design, organization, and evaluation
01.50.Kw	Techniques of testing

PAPERS

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A Primer on Work-Energy Relationships for Introductory Physics

Carl E. Mungan

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 10 | Cited 10 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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There has been and continues to be considerable discussion in the educational community about different ways of relating the concepts of work and energy in introductory physics.¹ The present article reviews a consistent and streamlined treatment of the subject, drawing particular attention to aspects seldom covered in textbooks. The paper is intended to clarify the central equations for introductory courses and to put the wider literature in context. It is specifically designed to tie closely in terminology and order of presentation to standard texts, so that it complements rather than supplants them. In brief, the key point is that there are two major categories of work, center-of-mass work and particle work.² After an overview of these two approaches, I illustrate them with a couple of instructive examples that can be used in group problem-solving sessions in class.

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01.40.J-	Teacher training
01.50.Qb	Laboratory course design, organization, and evaluation
01.50.Kw	Techniques of testing

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Wheatstone's Bridge

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 18

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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The arrangement of four resistors, a source of emf, and a galvanometer, known as Wheatstone's bridge, has been in existence for more than 170 years. The only other piece of apparatus with its staying power is Atwood's machine. Now that it has reached mature status, it seems only fitting to describe its origin, analysis, circuit topology, and past and future uses.

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01.60.+q	Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries
01.50.-i	Educational aids

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The Ping-Pong Cannon: A Closer Look

Richard W. Peterson, Benjamin N. Pulford, and Keith R. Stein

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 22 | Cited 6 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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This paper describes the use of laser pulse photography, optical timing, and pulsed Schlieren to look more closely at the dynamics of a popular lecture demonstration—the so-called “Ping-Pong cannon” or “vacuum bazooka.”^1,2 These optical diagnostic techniques are applied to two types of cannons and lead to greater knowledge of the kinematics of the accelerating ball, along with some details of the exit mechanism and subsequent target interactions.

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.Qb	Laboratory course design, organization, and evaluation

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A Simple Laboratory Experiment to Measure e∕k

Fred Inman

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 27

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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The measurement of fundamental constants is common practice in instructional laboratories. A number of the equipment manufacturers have developed apparatus for such applications, e.g., the determination of e by the Millikan oil drop method or the determination of the speed of light with fiber optics. Other experiments determine not a single constant, but a combination of constants, e.g., e∕m by electron beam deflection in a magnetic field or h∕e by the photoelectric effect. About 30 years ago Carl E. Miller and I¹ proposed a method of measuring e∕k, the ratio of the electron charge to Boltzmann's constant, that was reasonably simple but not necessarily inexpensive because it involved the use of a sensitive electrometer. In recent years, however, inexpensive digital multimeters (DMM), many costing less than $30, have found their way into the physics laboratory. The purpose of this paper is to suggest the use of two DMMs, one operating as a voltmeter and the other as an ammeter, in a simple circuit involving a junction transistor and a variable potential source. Even the potential source can be quite simple, a 1.5-V battery and a 1-kΩ potentiometer, as shown in Fig. 1. If available, a variable dc power supply replacing the battery and potentiometer would be more convenient.

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01.50.Pa

Laboratory experiments and apparatus

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The Surprising Impact of Seat Location on Student Performance

Katherine K. Perkins and Carl E. Wieman

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 30 | Cited 7 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Every physics instructor knows that the most engaged and successful students tend to sit at the front of the class and the weakest students tend to sit at the back. However, it is normally assumed that this is merely an indication of the respective seat location preferences of weaker and stronger students. Here we present evidence suggesting that in fact this may be mixing up the cause and effect. It may be that the seat selection itself contributes to whether the student does well or poorly, rather than the other way around. While a number of studies have looked at the effect of seat location on students, the results are often inconclusive, and few, if any, have studied the effects in college classrooms with randomly assigned seats.¹ In this paper, we report on our observations of a large introductory physics course in which we randomly assigned students to particular seat locations at the beginning of the semester. Seat location during the first half of the semester had a noticeable impact on student success in the course, particularly in the top and bottom parts of the grade distribution. Students sitting in the back of the room for the first half of the term were nearly six times as likely to receive an F as students who started in the front of the room. A corresponding but less dramatic reversal was evident in the fractions of students receiving As. These effects were in spite of many unusual efforts to engage students at the back of the class and a front-to-back reversal of seat location halfway through the term. These results suggest there may be inherent detrimental effects of large physics lecture halls that need to be further explored.

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01.40.Di	Course design and evaluation
01.40.E-	Science in school

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Universe Interactive: Static Displays with Active Components

Michelle B. Larson

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 34

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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As the World Year of Physics (WYP) approaches, the AAPT WYP Committee would like to encourage everyone to consider ways to engage those around us in celebrating the science that makes us the proud geeks we are. The geek sentiment is my own, and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the committee. This paper offers simple and inexpensive astronomy-related ideas for a bulletin-board-type display. The particular ideas presented below are hands-on classroom activities that I've adapted for display purposes. The display is static in that once constructed it does not require a personal facilitator, but each component invites interaction. At the end of the paper I revisit the idea of building a sundial¹ as a highly visible and artistic way to engage students and communities in physics. The activities presented here are available for use when constructing your own display. In addition, these examples are meant to illustrate how instructional products might be modified for display purposes, and I encourage others to consider their favorite activities for an interactive display.

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01.50.Lc	Laboratory computer use
01.50.ht	Instructional computer use

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Speed of Sound Using Lissajous Figures

Richard E. Berg and Dieter R. Brill

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 36 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Demonstration of the speed of sound in air is a classic component of the general physics curriculum. This demonstration uses a sine wave from an audio oscillator and the same signal picked up by a movable microphone to produce Lissajous figures and determine the speed of sound.

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.Qb	Laboratory course design, organization, and evaluation

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Newton's Zeroth Law: Learning from Listening to Our Students

Rachel E. Scherr and Edward F. Redish

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 41 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Modern instructional advice encourages us to not just tell our students what we want them to know, but to listen to them carefully. This helps us to find out “where they are” in order to better understand what tasks to offer them that might help them learn the physics most effectively. Sometimes, listening to students and trying to understand their intuitions not only helps them, it helps us—giving us new insights into the physics we are teaching. We had such an experience in the fall of 2003 in our algebra-based physics class at the University of Maryland.

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01.40.Di	Course design and evaluation
01.50.Qb	Laboratory course design, organization, and evaluation

APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS

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Sand Diver

Alan J. Scott

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 48

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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A few years ago, I was preparing to teach a summer enrichment program for middle school students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. With swimming on the minds of most kids during the summer, I thought buoyancy would be a fun topic to discuss. An interesting way to introduce this concept is by discussing the beer-drinking balloonist who, in a lawn chair, floated to 11,000 feet above Los Angeles in 1997. However, I needed a hands-on project and was not about to go purchase some lawn chairs to duplicate this experiment. A simple submersible called the “Sand Diver” was designed and is now used as a hands-on activity for my introductory physics course.

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01.50.Pa

Laboratory experiments and apparatus

LITTLE GEMS

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Rolling Magnet

Wojciech Dindorf

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 51 | Cited 4 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus

FROM OUR FILES

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Two Electroscopes are Better Than One

Marvin Ohriner and Steve Machtinger

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 52

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus

PHYSICS CHALLENGES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

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Another Board Game (J1)

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 53

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.Wg	Physics of toys

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Neither Up Nor Down (J2)

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 53

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Pa

Laboratory experiments and apparatus

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No Spin Zone (J3)

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 53

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Kw	Techniques of testing
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus

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Wet Behind the Ears (J4)

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 53

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.Qb	Laboratory course design, organization, and evaluation

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Many readers sent us the correct solutions

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 54

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
01.40.E-	Science in school

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Celebrate the World Year of Physics in style! Solve some physics puzzles!

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 54

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Lc	Laboratory computer use
01.50.ht	Instructional computer use

FOR THE NEW TEACHER

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“Lowfalutin” Learning List

Robert Brown

The Physics Teacher -- January 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 1, pp. 55 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Dec 2004

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The first thing Robert Brown, institute professor at Case Western Reserve University, wants to tell young teachers is that even after spending three and a half decades teaching (following almost a decade of taking classes himself), there's no end to the fun. The second thing is that there's also no end to the predicaments. He alluded to some of these in a lecture given on the occasion of receiving the national 2004 AAPT Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award.

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