AAPT Logo
TPT Logo
 
   
 
Search Issue | RSS Feeds RSS
Previous Issue Next Issue

Nov 2005

Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 485-560

back to top
RSS Feeds

Considering Physics First

Art Hobson

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 485 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.E- Science in school
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.55.+b General physics

Seeking Physics First Data

Paul Lulai, Physics & Physical Science Instructor

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 485 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.E- Science in school
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.55.+b General physics
back to top
RSS Feeds

Einstein in the Classroom

Karl C. Mamola

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 486

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.-d Education
back to top
RSS Feeds

E = mc2

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 488

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.J- Teacher training
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
03.30.+p Special relativity
back to top
RSS Feeds
FREE

Demonstrating Beats with Springs and a Cart

Brian Andersson and Matthew Dykoski

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 490

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
The topic of beats is often discussed with reference to sound in high school or introductory college physics. Beats are easy to hear but a demonstration of a mechanical analog is rarely, if ever, presented. This paper describes a straightforward demonstration to produce low-frequency beats in a mechanical system. In this system, students can observe beats and the means by which they are created. This demonstration can also be adapted to the student laboratory where quantitative measurements are possible.
Show PACS
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b General physics

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Automobiles

Bernard J. Feldman

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 492 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
With gasoline now more than $2.00 a gallon, alternate automobile technologies will be discussed with greater interest and developed with more urgency. For our government, the hydrogen fuel cell-powered automobile is at the top of the list of future technologies. This paper presents a simple description of the principles behind this technology and a brief discussion of the pros and cons. It is also an extension on my previous paper on the physics of the automobile engine.1
Show PACS
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.F- Audio and visual aids
01.55.+b General physics

Optical Path, Phase, and Interference

Ronald Newburgh

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 496

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
A powerful tool in wave optics is the concept of optical path length, a notion usually introduced with Fermat's principle.1–3 The analysis of Fermat's principle requires the application of the calculus of variations and the concept of an extremum, ideas too advanced for beginning students. However, the concept has proven its usefulness in the analysis4 of interference experiments such as those of Michelson and Fabry-Perot. In this paper we shall show how optical path length can aid in the analysis of a modified two-slit Young experiment.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
42.25.-p Wave optics

Adding Vectors with Microsoft Word

Joel Rauber

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 499

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
One can use Microsoft® Word,1 a text word processing program, for quantitative analysis of vector addition. The advantages include the ubiquitous availability of MS Word for students and teachers alike in a variety of settings and its flexibility of usage. This paper describes a simple method of practicing vector addition skills using the drawing package that comes with MS Word. The method provides the student with a convenient hands-on approach to visualizing vector arithmetic that is both geometric (pictorial)and quantitative.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.50.ht Instructional computer use
01.40.J- Teacher training

The Moment of Inertia of a Tennis Ball

Howard Brody

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 503 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
The moment of inertia of a tennis ball about its center of mass is one of the physical properties that determine how the ball reacts in play, yet there is no measurement of this parameter found in the literature nor is it mentioned in the Rules of Tennis. The moment of inertia determines how much spin the ball acquires for a given angular impulse applied by the racket's strings and also how the ball behaves when it bounces. When a ball bounces, the friction between the ball and the court surface produces a substantial torque. For a given torque, the magnitude of the moment of inertia determines whether the ball slides throughout the bounce or goes into the rolling mode, and if it does roll, the moment of inertia determines the ratio of final horizontal velocity to initial horizontal velocity.1
Show PACS
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b General physics

A Treasure Trove of Physics from a Common Source—Automobile Acceleration Data

Christopher M. Graney

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 506 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
What is better than interesting, challenging physics with good data free for the taking to which everyone can relate? That's what is available to anyone who digs into the reams of automobile performance tests that have been available in popular magazines since the 1950s. Opportunities to do and teach interesting physics abound, as evidenced by the frequent appearance of “physics of cars” articles in The Physics Teacher.1–6
Show PACS
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.55.+b General physics

Learning from Mistakes

K. David Pinkerton

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 510 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Not everything I try helps students learn physics. Sometimes I make mistakes, but I've learned from those mistakes. That's what this paper is about. I've taught at the same large, academically competitive suburban high school for enough years to notice trends in what students can do and how they can think. And no matter how much I lament changes, my job is to figure out how best to help my students learn. So when I noted a gradual deterioration in performance, I set out to do something about it.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.40.J- Teacher training
01.50.Kw Techniques of testing
01.55.+b General physics

Photocopied Beats

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 514 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
I have done demonstrations of audible beats with tone bars, with function generators and speakers, and with resonating columns, and also visible beats with combs.1 In looking for a new beats demonstration, I regretted never having taken a picture of an overpass with wire fencing on both sides: the otherwise identical fencing shows visual beats because the two repeating patterns are at different distances from the observer.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.50.F- Audio and visual aids
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus

A Spring, Hooke's Law, and Archimedes' Principle

Irina Struganova

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 516 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
A mass on a spring is a simple and inexpensive device that can be used to demonstrate many important physics concepts. Almost all standard introductory physics lab manuals include at least one or two experiments with a spring.1,2 Most of these experiments explore Hooke's law and simple harmonic motion. We would like to suggest another simple “spring-based” experiment that we performed for the past two years in an introductory physics lab at Barry University.
Show PACS
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b General physics

Double-Exponential LR Circuit

Carl E. Mungan

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 519

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Simple LR and RC circuits are familiar to generations of physics students as examples of single-exponential growth and decay in the relevant voltages, currents, and charges. An element of novelty can be introduced by connecting two (instead of one) LR coils in parallel with a battery. The resulting circuit can still be treated using little more than the basic tools (Kirchhoff's rules plus a trial exponential solution) employed in the standard LR analysis. But the solution is now a double exponential, as can be verified by constructing such a circuit.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
84.30.Bv Circuit theory

Putting the Humanity Back into Quantum Physics

Magdalen Normandeau

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 524 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
The Feb. 16, 2004, edition of the Toronto Globe and Mail carried an article subtitled “Canada fails to teach the drama of science.” From what I have seen, I doubt that this is a shortcoming peculiar to the Great White North. Under pressure to “get through the material,” the tendency is to teach the concepts and theories, without mention of their origin, or at least of the human components of their origin. This is understandable to a certain extent: There seems to be ever more material that we should teach physics majors before sending them off to graduate school or on to the job market. We hope that they will be curious enough, as many of us were, to look into the human factor on their own. This works to some degree, but fails completely when teaching science to nonscience majors.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.75.+m Science and society
01.65.+g History of science
03.65.Ca Formalism
FREE

Challenge Laboratories

A. J. Greer and J. D. Bierman

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 527 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
A couple of years ago we became so disenchanted with the way we were doing labs that we got crazy and actually changed something (we needed to do this prior to receiving tenure or it would likely never have happened). What caused this disenchantment was manyfold, but two main problems were: 1) students were not utilizing lab time effectively and actually striving to learn something; 2) as a consequence of the first point, the lab reports, and especially the conclusions, were subpar at best. In an effort to remedy this situation, we came up with the idea of “challenge labs.” In these labs the students are asked to predict a result for their apparatus given certain parameters that are within the bounds of the experiments just completed. The prediction is then tested and points are awarded based on the outcome. We have found that this method has largely been effective in solving the above two difficulties.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.50.Qb Laboratory course design, organization, and evaluation
01.55.+b General physics
FREE

Godzilla Versus Scaling Laws of Physics

Thomas R. Tretter

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 530 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
The concept of how scale affects systems and organisms is central to many science disciplines and serves as a unifying theme identified by Project 2061 as important for all students.1 This science education reform document indicates that by the end of 12th grade, “Students should know that because different properties are not affected to the same degree by changes in scale, large changes in scale typically change the way that things work in physical, biological, or social systems.” The focus of this paper is to provide a detailed description of a way to actively involve students in discovering a scaling effect in an interesting context. The activity described is most appropriate to use with beginning physics students in high school or nonmajor college students.
Show PACS
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.55.+b General physics
89.75.Da Systems obeying scaling laws

The “Ten Most Beautiful” Experiments Interpreted by Novice Students

Kevin M. Carr

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 533

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
In 2002, Robert P. Crease polled Physics World readers to determine “the most beautiful physics experiment of all time.”1 While one may argue at length about the resulting Top Ten list of beautiful experiments, they struck me immediately as a possible teaching tool for covering the core topics I teach in my Physics of Everyday Life course for nonscience majors. I was also intrigued and challenged by the notion that the ten experiments could be reasonably carried out by the nonscience students in my course. As an experiment of my own, I decided to devote a significant portion of the Physics of Everyday Life lab requirement to having small groups (two to three students each) research, reproduce, demonstrate, and present a Top Ten experiment of their choosing.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.65.+g History of science

The Rod and Bottle System: A Problem in Statics

Iain MacInnes

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 538 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
The rod and bottle system (sometimes called the “wine butler”), shown in Fig. 1, is a common statics demonstration1 in the introductory level physics course. One is immediately attracted to it by the craftsmanship in wood. Thomas Carlyle wrote, “Two men I honour, and no third. The scholar and the craftsman.”2 This paper presents an analytic treatment of the system.
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b General physics

Conceptualizing Ideal Circuit Elements in the AP Physics C Syllabus

Robert A. Morse

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 540 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Does it ever bother you that emfs, resistors, and inductors add in series, but capacitors add in parallel? Does it bother your students? The AP Physics C syllabus for electricity and magnetism specifies the mathematical models students are expected to not merely memorize but to understand. Over time, my students' questions have made me rethink my conceptual and mathematical understanding of this material to help them efficiently develop reasonable conceptual and mathematical models of E&M. In this paper I describe aspects of this pedagogical rethinking related to four ideal circuit elements. I specify the end state of understanding that I want students to develop, but do not attempt to detail the pedagogical path to that understanding.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
84.32.-y Passive circuit components

Resistance Is Not Futile: Air Resistance in an Algebra-Based Course

Ian Lovatt and Bill Innes

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 544 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
In this paper we show that an object's terminal speed due to air resistance depends not on any of the object's details, but only on the distance at which an object reaches a particular fraction of its terminal speed. We show this graphically and algebraically. Although a mathematical treatment of air resistance is beyond the scope of an algebra-based, introductory physics course, some of the concepts involved are important for (at least) three reasons. First, the equations used for uniform acceleration only approximately (and perhaps badly!) describe projectiles students know (a home-run baseball, for example). With the equation for terminal speed, students can estimate the speeds at which the simple kinematic equations no longer produce “reasonable” approximations.
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.55.+b General physics
back to top
RSS Feeds

An Inexpensive Technique to Measure Coefficients of Friction with Rolling Solids

Paulo Simeão Carvalho and Adriano Sampaio e Sousa

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 548 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Frictional forces are everywhere. They are probably among the most important macroscopic forces in our daily routine because we depend on them to walk, to pick up objects, and even to eat! They affect our lives in different ways, and thus it is very important to understand them better; this is what we say to our students. There are many experimental methods and techniques to measure static and kinetic frictional forces (and to determine their corresponding coefficients of friction), which we can find in several textbooks.1–5 Most of them involve pulling∕pushing blocks along a flat surface and expensive equipment for accurate measuring (sensors, computers, etc.). In this paper we show how to find both coefficients of friction, static and kinetic, with rolling objects instead of blocks in a very simple way and using nonexpensive laboratory equipment.
Show PACS
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.55.+b General physics
back to top
RSS Feeds

Detecting the Hard Drive in an iPod

David Kagan

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 551

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.55.+b General physics
back to top
RSS Feeds

Demonstrating conservation of angular momentum

David L. Mott

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 552

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b General physics
back to top
RSS Feeds
FREE

A Stubborn Skateboard

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 553

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.Kw Techniques of testing
01.55.+b General physics
back to top
RSS Feeds

Improving Student Comprehension by Thinking About a Topic in Multiple Ways

Mark Vondracek

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 554

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Mark Vondracek has taught physics at all levels in the Chicago Public Schools and Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development. He is currently teaching at Evanston Township High School.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.40.J- Teacher training
01.50.F- Audio and visual aids
back to top
RSS Feeds

Online Professional Journals for Physics Teachers

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 556

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.J- Teacher training
01.50.ht Instructional computer use

Nuclear Pathways: A Nuclear Information Clearinghouse

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 556

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.J- Teacher training
01.50.ht Instructional computer use
back to top
RSS Feeds

Physical Science Retooled

Wayne Mullins

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 557 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.40.Di Course design and evaluation
01.55.+b General physics
back to top
RSS Feeds

Heavenly Intrigue: Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the Murder Behind One of History's Greatest Scientific Discoveries: Joshua and Anne-Lee Gilder; Tycho & Kepler: The Unlikely Partnership That Forever Changed Our Understanding of the Heavens: Kitty Ferguson

John L. Roeder

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 559

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.40.J- Teacher training
01.65.+g History of science

MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Relativity Today: Proceedings of the Sixth Hungarian Relativity Workshop (Budapest, July 17–22, 2000): Cornelius Hoenselaers and Z. Perjâes

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 560

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.65.+g History of science

MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Introduction to Relativity: William D. McGlinn

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 560

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.40.J- Teacher training

MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Einstein (2nd edition): Gary Moring

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 560

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.40.J- Teacher training

MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Einstein's Brainchild: Relativity Made Relatively Easy!: Barry R. Parker

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- November 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 8, pp. 560

Online Publication Date: Oct 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.40.J- Teacher training
Close

Your Recent History Recent History Help

Recently Viewed

  1. A Bernoulli's Law Lab in a Bottle
  2. Practical Interfacing in the Laboratory: Using a PC for Instrumentation, Data Analysis, and Control:...
  3. Electrostatics Activities, and a website for implementing Peer Instruction and Just-in-Time Teaching...
  4. Physics First: The Right-Side-Up Science Sequence
  5. Hands-on Experiments on Faraday's Law

AAPT on:

close