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The Physics Teacher -- February 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 2, pp. 95

How About a Magnet and a Paper Clip?

Hans Pfister

Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA

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Physics education research shows that many introductory physics students have difficulties fully grasping Newton's third law.1 This is exacerbated when we ask for the validity of Newton's third law in areas outside of mechanics, such as electrostatics or magnetostatics. Undoubtedly, there is a difference between hearing about something and actually seeing or feeling it. Students can be told that two forces are equal and opposite but this by no means implies that they are convinced this is indeed the case. Some students respond with the correct answer but still harbor a remnant of doubt that the forces might not be the same.

© 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

student experiments, educational aids, physics education, classical mechanics, permanent magnets, psychology

PACS

  • 01.50.My

    Demonstration experiments and apparatus

  • 45.05.+x

    General theory of classical mechanics of discrete systems

History
Online Jan 2005

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

0031-921X (print)  

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef American Association of Physics Teachers

ARTICLE DATA

Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.1855745

  1. Ron Thornton and David Sokoloff, "Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation" (FMCE), Tools for Scientific Thinking, CSMT, Tufts University.
  2. Eric Gettrust, "An extraordinary demonstration of Newton's third law," Phys. Teach. 39, 392–393 (Oct. 2001PHTEAH000039000007000392000001).
  3. Howard Brand, "Action-reaction at a distance," Phys. Teach. 40, 136–137 (March 2002PHTEAH000040000003000136000001).
  4. William Lonc, "Novel third-law demonstration," Phys. Teach. 33, 84 (Feb. 1995PHTEAH000033000002000084000001).
  5. Robert Chasnov and Louis Overcast, "Magnet symmetry and Newton's third law," Phys. Teach. 28, 112 (Feb. 1990PHTEAH000028000002000112000001).
  6. In an initial encounter with magnets, we can let students define the strength of a magnet by the number of paper clips the magnet can pick up at one time.
  7. The word kinesthesia comes from the Greek words kinein (to move, to set in motion) and esthesis (the experience). A kinesthetic experience is the experience of motion or the sensation of movement and the forces we feel in our muscles, tendons, and joints. Most are familiar with the word anesthesia, which literally amounts to having no experience.



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