Feedback
Help

Sign In
Your Recent History
View Cart

Keyword
Volume/Page
DOI
Advanced

Search Content Type

Volume: Page/Article:

article doi:

Home
Browse
Search
About
Authors
Features
Subscriptions
Advertisers
Scitation
American Journal of Physics

The Physics Teacher»
Browse»

SECTION LISTING

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
AAPT 75TH ANNIVERSARY
EDITORIAL
FIGURING PHYSICS
PAPERS
APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS
LITTLE GEMS
FROM OUR FILES
PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
FOR THE NEW TEACHER
WEBSIGHTS
BOOK REVIEWS

BROWSE VOLUMES

Year Range:

2012

Volume 50

2011

Volume 49

2010

Volume 48

2009

Volume 47

2008

Volume 46

2007

Volume 45

2006

Volume 44

Issue 9 | Dec 2006 | pp. 566-624

Issue 8 | Nov 2006 | pp. 486-560

Issue 7 | Oct 2006 | pp. 406-480

Issue 6 | Sep 2006 | pp. 326-400

Issue L2 | Aug 2006 | pp. L1-L1

Issue L1 | Jun 2006 | pp. L1-L2

Issue 5 | May 2006 | pp. 262-320

Issue 4 | Apr 2006 | pp. 198-256

Issue 3 | Mar 2006 | pp. 134-192

Issue 2 | Feb 2006 | pp. 68-128

Issue 1 | Jan 2006 | pp. 4-59

2005

Volume 43

2004

Volume 42

2003

Volume 41

2002

Volume 40

2001

Volume 39

2000

Volume 38

1999

Volume 37

1998

Volume 36

1997

Volume 35

1996

Volume 34

1995

Volume 33

1994

Volume 32

1993

Volume 31

1992

Volume 30

1991

Volume 29

1990

Volume 28

1989

Volume 27

1988

Volume 26

1987

Volume 25

1986

Volume 24

1985

Volume 23

1984

Volume 22

1983

Volume 21

1982

Volume 20

1981

Volume 19

1980

Volume 18

1979

Volume 17

1978

Volume 16

1977

Volume 15

1976

Volume 14

1975

Volume 13

1974

Volume 12

1973

Volume 11

1972

Volume 10

1971

Volume 9

1970

Volume 8

1969

Volume 7

1968

Volume 6

1967

Volume 5

1966

Volume 4

1965

Volume 3

1964

Volume 2

1963

Volume 1

Search Term

Search Issue | RSS Feeds

RSS
Next Issue

Jan 2006

Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 4-59

Add

View

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Select this Article

Unbelievable Godzilla

Dave Van Domelen

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 4

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.55.+b	General physics
45.20.-d	Formalisms in classical mechanics

Select this Article

Pile Driver Exercise

Oleg D. Jefimenko

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 4 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b	General physics

AAPT 75TH ANNIVERSARY

Select this Article

AAPT 75th Anniversary

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 6

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

In recognition of the 75th anniversary of AAPT, during this year we will be publishing brief notes on interesting and significant science-related events in 1931, the founding year of AAPT.

Show PACS

01.65.+g	History of science
01.60.+q	Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries

EDITORIAL

Select this Article

Valuable Sources of TPT Papers

Karl C. Mamola

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 8

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.10.Hx

Physics organizational activities

FIGURING PHYSICS

Select this Article

Moon Orbit

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 9

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.40.-d	Education
01.55.+b	General physics
95.10.Ce	Celestial mechanics (including n-body problems)

PAPERS

Select this Article FREE

Resonance in Flasks and Pipes

Paul Gluck, Sarit Ben-Sultan, and Tamar Dinur

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 10

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

Look at the two bottles in Fig. 1. Suppose you picked up each one in turn and tapped its bottom while listening to the sound generated by holding the opening close to your ear. Without peeking at the answer at the end, which one do you expect to emit sound at a higher pitch? These bottles are Helmholtz resonators, and they were part of an experimental 11th-grade project of S.B. and T.D at our high school on which we wish to report.

Show PACS

01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
43.40.+s	Structural acoustics and vibration
43.58.Hp	Tuning forks, frequency standards; frequency measuring and recording instruments; time standards and chronographs

Select this Article FREE

All Atoms Are (About) the Same Size

Clifford Swartz

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 16 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

At our mother's knee we all learned that a mole of ideal gas at STP occupies a volume of 22.4 liters. Given the opportunity, we can recite that number right after saying

or C² = A² + B². How big is a liter? Maybe there ought to be a box in each classroom labeled 22.4 l. It's a project for a rainy afternoon. 22.4 l = 22.4 × 10³ cm³. One side of such a cube would equal math

× 10 cm = 28 cm.

Show PACS

01.55.+b	General physics
01.40.-d	Education
32.30.-r	Atomic spectra

Select this Article FREE

PhET: Interactive Simulations for Teaching and Learning Physics

Katherine Perkins, Wendy Adams, Michael Dubson, Noah Finkelstein, Sam Reid, Carl Wieman, and Ron LeMaster

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 18 | Cited 14 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

The Physics Education Technology (PhET) project creates useful simulations for teaching and learning physics and makes them freely available from the PhET website (http:∕∕phet.colorado.edu). The simulations (sims) are animated, interactive, and game-like environments in which students learn through exploration. In these sims, we emphasize the connections between real-life phenomena and the underlying science, and seek to make the visual and conceptual models of expert physicists accessible to students. We use a research-based approach in our design—incorporating findings from prior research and our own testing to create sims that support student engagement with and understanding of physics concepts.

Show PACS

01.40.-d	Education
01.50.-i	Educational aids

Select this Article

Simplifying the Motion of Coupled Oscillators Using the FFT

Don Easton

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 24 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

When two identical simple harmonic oscillators are coupled by a linear spring that has a spring constant k_c, the system has two resonant frequencies. There is a resonance at their natural frequency, ω₀, when the oscillators oscillate in phase and a resonance at the frequency ω = math

when the oscillators are 180° out of phase. These oscillations are referred to individually as the symmetric and antisymmetric modes or collectively as the normal modes. The frequencies are called the normal frequencies.

Show PACS

01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b	General physics
06.30.Ft	Time and frequency

Select this Article

Avatars of Hollywood in Physical Science

Costas J. Efthimiou and Ralph A. Llewellyn

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 28 | Cited 4 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

This paper reports the results of the initial phase of an ambitious project known as Physics in Films, designed to help improve public understanding of the basic principles of physical science that the authors have embarked upon. The project began with several large groups of nonscience majors enrolled in the general education physical science course at the University of Central Florida (UCF), a course with a counterpart in nearly every college and university (and many high schools) in the nation.

Show PACS

01.40.Di	Course design and evaluation
01.40.Fk	Research in physics education
01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.75.+m	Science and society

Select this Article

The Role of Models in Physics Instruction

Eugenia Etkina, Aaron Warren, and Michael Gentile

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 34 | Cited 9 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

The word modeling is becoming more and more common in physics, chemistry, and general science instruction. In physics, students learn models of the solar system, light, and atom. In biology courses they encounter models of joints, the circulatory system, and metabolic processes. The benefits of engaging students in model building are described in the literature.^1–5 “Modeling instruction” is an example of a whole curriculum based on the idea of modeling.⁶ However, in a traditional physics class students do not have a clear understanding of what the word model means, and thus do not appreciate the role of this notion in physics.^7–9 Physics teachers also have difficulties defining this word.^10,11 The purposes of this paper are (a) to reexamine the word model as it is used in science, and (b) to suggest several types of tasks that engage students in the construction of models in a regular-format introductory physics course.

Show PACS

01.40.-d	Education
01.55.+b	General physics

Select this Article

There Is No Really Good Definition of Mass

Eugene Hecht

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 40 | Cited 6 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

There seems to be a fairly prevalent belief in the physics community that the basic concepts of our discipline (mass, force, energy, and so forth) are well understood and easily defined.¹ After all, there are dozens of textbooks on every level that supposedly define all the terms they introduce. Apparently, we teachers can pass this wisdom on to our students without any cautionary notes and without any concern for subtleties. Remarkably, this is most certainly not the case, and anyone who has studied the foundational literature in physics over the last several centuries knows that none of the fundamental ideas is satisfactorily defined.

Show PACS

01.55.+b	General physics
01.65.+g	History of science
01.70.+w	Philosophy of science
03.30.+p	Special relativity

Select this Article

Archimedes' Principle: A Classroom Demonstration with a Twist

M. J. Clouter

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 46 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

When an object is immersed in (or floating on) a fluid, Archimedes' principle states that “the buoyant force acting on the object is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.” While this can be readily verified as a quantitative exercise in the laboratory, there are few qualitative demonstrations of the effect that would be appropriate for the classroom. The following describes one such demonstration that requires the students to think carefully about the precise statement of the principle. The demonstration assumes access to a supply of liquid nitrogen.

Show PACS

01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b	General physics

APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS

Select this Article

A Quick Thermoelectricity Demonstration

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 50 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

The modern introductory student is unlikely to have observed a source of thermal emf in action. Once the parts have been made, this little demonstration of the effects of thermoelectricity can be assembled in a minute or two in front of a class.

Show PACS

01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b	General physics

LITTLE GEMS

Select this Article

Video Feedback Demonstration of Mechanical Waves

Kunal Pujara

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 52

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b	General physics

FROM OUR FILES

Select this Article

DOING physics -- Physics activities for groups

William Conway and Earl Zwicker

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 53

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b	General physics

PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Select this Article FREE

The Springs in the Winter

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 55

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.40.-d	Education
01.55.+b	General physics

Select this Article FREE

Challenge Solvers

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 55

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.40.-d	Education
01.55.+b	General physics

FOR THE NEW TEACHER

Select this Article

Are You Really Psychic?

Patricia Blanton

The Physics Teacher -- January 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 1, pp. 56

Online Publication Date: Dec 2005

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

The thing I love most about teaching science is that just about anything that happens provides an opportunity to encourage students to observe, question, examine, analyze, synthesize, and draw conclusions. I was reminded of this recently when an email I received from a colleague turned into a scientific inquiry adventure for students. The subject line on the email was Freaky Friday Fun and in the body of the message was the web address http:∕∕trunks.second foundation.org∕files∕psychic.swf. Clicking on the link took me to a page called “The Flash Mind Reader,” created by Andy Naughton. The instructions tell you to choose any two-digit number, add both digits together, and then subtract that total from the original number. Then you are told to look at the chart of numbers and associated symbols, find your final number, concentrate on the symbol associated with that number, get it clearly in your mind, and then click on the crystal ball and your symbol will appear.

Show PACS