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May 2005

Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 260-320


Requiring High School Physics

Herman Erlichson

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 260

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01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation

Hyperopia and Myopia

David Gavenda

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 260 | Cited 1 time

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01.40.J- Teacher training
42.66.Ct Anatomy and optics of eye
42.15.-i Geometrical optics

Author's Response

Michael J. Ruiz

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 260 | Cited 1 time

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01.40.J- Teacher training
42.66.Ct Anatomy and optics of eye
42.66.Lc Vision: light detection, adaptation, and discrimination
42.15.-i Geometrical optics
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Our 2004–2005 Manuscript Referees

Karl C. Mamola

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 262

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.40.J- Teacher training
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
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Fission-Fusion Curve

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 264

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.40.J- Teacher training
28.41.-i Fission reactors
28.52.-s Fusion reactors
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Conservation Laws, Symmetries, and Elementary Particles

Dick Hoekzema, Gert Schooten, Ed van den Berg, and Piet Lijnse

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 266 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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The following student text on conservation laws, symmetries, and elementary particles was developed in a Dutch project for teaching modern physics to the top stream of the sixth year of secondary education (age 17–18). In a series of 35 lessons of 45–50 minutes each, students study particle-wave duality, the Heisenberg principle, probability models for properties of particles, the particle in a box, and applications, elementary particles, and astrophysics (http:∕∕www.phys.uu.nl∕∼wwwpmn). In this paper we focus on particle physics and the key concepts of this chapter are: transformation, reaction equation, conservation laws, and symmetry. For recent literature regarding the teaching of symmetries and∕or elementary particles, we refer to articles by Hill & Lederman,1 Pascolini & Pietroni,2 Kalmus,3 O'Connell,4 and Hanley.5
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01.40.E- Science in school
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
11.30.-j Symmetry and conservation laws

A Pilot Course for Teachers

Aimee L. Govett and John W. Farley

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 272

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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A pilot course for teachers was taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) during an intensive two-week summer session in 2001. The participants consisted of 16 in-service teachers and one preservice teacher. Their years of teaching experience ranged from zero to 30 years. The course, Physics and Physical Science for Teachers, covered introductory mechanics and some chemistry. It included a combination of science content and reformed pedagogy, as co-taught by faculty from departments of physics and education.
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01.40.J- Teacher training
01.50.Qb Laboratory course design, organization, and evaluation
01.40.Di Course design and evaluation

Quarks & Quilts: A Physics Sampler

Julie A. Becker

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 276

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Quarks & Quilts: A Physics Sampler is a quilt that is educational in two vastly different disciplines—physics and quilting. It seamlessly connects these two topics by simultaneously being informative and artistic. It is a fabric textbook on introductory physics, and while the theme of the quilt is physics, the quilt utilizes numerous quilting techniques, concepts, and quilt blocks to illustrate the concepts of physics. A “sampler quilt” is a traditional quilt composed of different quilt blocks. Quarks & Quilts: A Physics Sampler offers a sampling of quilting concepts as well as a sampling of physics concepts. A photo of the quilt can be seen on this month's cover.
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01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.40.E- Science in school
24.85.+p Quarks, gluons, and QCD in nuclear reactions
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Surfing a Standing Wave

Eduardo de Campos Valadares and Esdras Garcia Alves

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 280

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Local “reversal of gravity” can be simulated with an inverted pendulum whose pivot is made to oscillate vertically. A beautiful demonstration of this surprising effect can be found in Ref. 1. In this case, the pendulum is a piece of plastic straw and its pivot pin is fixed at the end of a plastic ruler that is made to oscillate vertically by a small eccentric motor. A theoretical treatment of this inverted pendulum may be found in Ref. 2.
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01.40.E- Science in school
01.40.Fk Research in physics education

Saw Blades and Resonance

Michael Liebl

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 282 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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This paper describes an inexpensive, classroom experiment that allows students to quantitatively investigate resonance using a hacksaw blade. The blade clamped to the edge of a table forms a cantilever that may vibrate at any of a number of preferred frequencies. A small cylindrical magnet is fixed to the saw blade. An electromagnetic coil powered by a frequency generator causes large-amplitude vibrations of the saw blade at the resonant frequencies. Vibrations of a similar system, a vibrating car antenna, have been discussed by Newburgh and Newburgh.1 The dramatic increases in the oscillation amplitude are both instructive and fascinating. Analogies may be drawn to systems ranging from a child on a swing to the Tacoma Narrows bridge.
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01.40.E- Science in school
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
45.40.-f Dynamics and kinematics of rigid bodies
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Albert Einstein: The Violinist

Peregrine White

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 286 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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To the press of his time Albert Einstein was two parts renowned scientist, one jigger pacifist and Zionist fundraiser, and a dash amateur musician. These proportions persisted during 1979, the 100th anniversary of his birth, as writers in all media jostled each other as they recounted his achievements. Relativity tended to hog the show. Relatively little space was given to Einstein the musician.
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01.60.+q Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries

Approximations for the Period of a Simple Pendulum

Gerald E. Hite

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 290 | Cited 13 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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In a recent paper1 L. Edward Millet proposed a justification of an approximation for the period of a simple pendulum suggested earlier by Kidd and Fogg,2 and made the argument that the expression should be included in textbooks. This paper presents two other approximations that are more accurate. At this point it would seem that a decision as to which approximation, if any, should be included in textbooks or lab manuals is premature.
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01.40.J- Teacher training
01.55.+b General physics
45.20.D- Newtonian mechanics

Orbital Timing for a Mission to Mars

Stephen B. Turcotte

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 293

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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There is currently both interest and excitement in a future manned mission to Mars. To help students better understand the logistics of a manned mission, freshman-level physics can be used to explore the timing involved in traveling between the Earth and Mars. This problem requires students to utilize a number of basic principles, including Kepler's third law, rotational dynamics, vectors, conservation of energy, and conservation of angular momentum. Applying multiple principles to a single problem is often a formidable task for students. However, practice in this endeavor better prepares students for “real world” phenomena in which physics principles rarely occur in isolation.
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01.40.J- Teacher training
95.10.Eg Orbit determination and improvement
45.20.D- Newtonian mechanics
96.30.Gc Mars

Hanging-Picture Instability

Bruce Denardo and Richard Raspet

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 298

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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The stability of the static equilibrium state of a mechanical system is not always obvious. Such a case can present a problem that is not only interesting but can be readily demonstrated in the classroom as well. For example, Figs. 1 and 2(a) show a rectangular picture frame that is suspended by a cord that passes over a fixed pulley. The equilibrium is stable when the longer string is used and unstable with the shorter string.1
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01.40.J- Teacher training
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
45.05.+x General theory of classical mechanics of discrete systems

The “Quantity? Units” Poem for Remembering Electrical Units

D. G. Hees

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 302

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.J- Teacher training
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
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Improving Upon Mach's Wave Machines to Demonstrate Traveling Waves

James Flaten and Ronnie Cooper

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 304

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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This note describes how to demonstrate traveling wave patterns, as opposed to standing wave patterns, with sets of uncoupled pendula using an apparatus known as Mach's wave machine. Both transverse and longitudinal variants of the wave machine are discussed, as are ways to independently adjust wave speed, amplitude, and frequency (and hence wavelength) of the traveling wave patterns.
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01.40.J- Teacher training
46.40.Cd Mechanical wave propagation (including diffraction, scattering, and dispersion)
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Measuring the Speed of Sound Without Plumbing

James A. Warden

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 308 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.40.J- Teacher training
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
43.20.Jr Velocity and attenuation of elastic and poroelastic waves
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Hearing a Camera Flash

Antonio Serrano

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 309 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.40.J- Teacher training
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
43.20.Tb Interaction of vibrating structures with surrounding medium
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Interference fringes using a Fresnel biprism and a laser

J. Veit and D. J. Solarek

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 310

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.40.J- Teacher training
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
42.50.Hz Strong-field excitation of optical transitions in quantum systems; multiphoton processes; dynamic Stark shift
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The Power of One (M1)

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 312

Online Publication Date: May 2005

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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.55.+b General physics
84.32.Hh Inductors and coils; wiring
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It Is Crowded at the Bottom (M2)

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 312

Online Publication Date: May 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
42.25.Gy Edge and boundary effects; reflection and refraction
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The Star and the Imagemaker (M3)

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 312

Online Publication Date: May 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
42.25.Gy Edge and boundary effects; reflection and refraction
42.30.-d Imaging and optical processing
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Hocus Focus (M4)

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 312

Online Publication Date: May 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
42.25.Gy Edge and boundary effects; reflection and refraction
42.30.-d Imaging and optical processing

February Results

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 312

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.10.Cr Announcements, news, and awards
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Educational Equity or Equality — Which Do We Really Want?

Patricia Blanton

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 314

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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I had not considered the words equality and equity to have significantly different meanings until a response from a reader about the connotations of a suggested assignment caused me to research some of the writing on the issue. This distinction seemed to get at the heart of the reader's concern…. Equality means everyone is treated the same; equity means everyone is treated fairly.
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01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
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Web resources for teaching introductory modern physics: The Mechanical Universe

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 316

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.ht Instructional computer use

Web resources for teaching introductory modern physics: Two resources for teaching introductory atomic, wave and quantum physics

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 316

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.ht Instructional computer use

Web resources for teaching introductory modern physics: An online special and general relativity

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 316

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.ht Instructional computer use

Web resources for teaching introductory modern physics: Particle physics sites

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 316

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.ht Instructional computer use

Web resources for teaching introductory modern physics: Historical sites for modern physics

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 316

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.ht Instructional computer use

Web resources for teaching introductory modern physics: Radioactivity sites

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 316

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.ht Instructional computer use

Astronomy Teaching Resources

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 316

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.ht Instructional computer use
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eiπ = −1+0

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 317

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.30.Vv Book reviews
02.10.Ab Logic and set theory

MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Q.E.D.: Beauty in Mathematical Proof: Burkard Polster

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 318

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.30.Vv Book reviews
12.20.-m Quantum electrodynamics

MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Force, Motion, and Energy, Teacher's Guide and Resource Book: Uri Haber-Schaim et al.

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 318

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.40.J- Teacher training
01.55.+b General physics

MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 318

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.55.+b General physics

MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Science Literacy for the Twenty-First Century: Stephanie Pace Marshall et al.

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 318

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.50.-i Educational aids

MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Handbook of Physics: Walter Benenson et al.

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 318

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.50.-i Educational aids
01.40.J- Teacher training

MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Young Women of Achievement: A Resource for Girls in Science, Math, and Technology: Frances A. Karnes and Kristen R. Stephens

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 318

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.65.+g History of science
01.75.+m Science and society

MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: The Liar Paradox and the Towers of Hanoi: The Ten Greatest Math Puzzles of All Time: Marcel Danesi

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 318

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.50.-i Educational aids
02.10.Ab Logic and set theory
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Physics First: The Right-Side-Up Science Sequence

Gene Ewald, Jennifer Bond Hickman, Paul Hickman, and Fred Myers

The Physics Teacher -- May 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 5, pp. 319 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.40.E- Science in school
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