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American Journal of Physics

The Physics Teacher»
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SECTION LISTING

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
EDITORIAL
FIGURING PHYSICS
PAPERS
APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS
TRICK OF THE TRADE
LITTLE GEMS
PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
FOR THE NEW TEACHER
WEBSIGHTS
BOOK REVIEWS

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Volume 1

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Jan 2007

Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 4-59

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Musical Physics with Strings

Arnold F. McKinley

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 4 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests
01.40.Fk	Research in physics education

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Why Read the Textbook?

David J. Lee, Lieutenant Colonel and Assistant Professor of Physics

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 5

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.40.Ha	Learning theory and science teaching

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Authors' Response

Noah S. Podolefsky and Noah D. Finkelstein

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 5

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.40.Ha	Learning theory and science teaching

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Cracking Safes at the Weizmann

E. Honig

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 6

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus

EDITORIAL

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TPT Online

Karl C. Mamola

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 8

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.30.-y	Physics literature and publications
01.40.J-	Teacher training

FIGURING PHYSICS

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WEIGHT OF AIR

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 10

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Kw	Techniques of testing
01.55.+b	General physics

PAPERS

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CD Rainbows

P. J. Ouseph

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 11 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Several papers have been published on the use of a CD as a grating for undergraduate laboratories and∕or for high school and college class demonstrations.^1–7 Four years ago The Physics Teacher had a spectacular cover picture showing emission spectrum as viewed through a CD with no coating.⁸ That picture gave the impetus to develop a system that can project the spectra of light falling on a CD on a white board or a screen. Such an arrangement would be more suitable to show diffraction spectra to a large class.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b	General physics
42.25.Fx	Diffraction and scattering
42.25.Hz	Interference

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What Happened to Pluto?

Guy Consolmagno, S.J.

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 14

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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I had just finished speaking at the Cranbrook Museum of Science outside Detroit, presenting an hour-long talk about the newly defined dwarf planets, which covered the history of the IAU, the discovery of transneptunian objects (TNOs), the essentials of planetary nomenclature, and was full of PowerPoint graphics and erudite astronomy. The questions from the audience ranged from evolving planetary orbits to issues of surface geology. And then an eight-year-old boy, obviously surprised he'd been called on, turned slightly pink and burst out: “B-b-but… what happened to Pluto?”

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01.65.+g	History of science
96.00.00	Solar system; planetology

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Elliptical Orbit ⇒ 1∕r² Force

Jeffrey Prentis, Bryan Fulton, Carol Hesse, and Laura Mazzino

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 20 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Newton's proof of the connection between elliptical orbits and inverse-square forces ranks among the “top ten” calculations in the history of science. This time-honored calculation is a highlight in an upper-level mechanics course. It would be worthwhile if students in introductory physics could prove the relation elliptical orbit ⇒ 1∕r² force without having to rely on upper-level mathematics. We introduce a simple procedure—Newton's Recipe—that allows students to readily and accurately deduce the algebraic form of force laws from a geometric analysis of orbit shapes.

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.55.+b	General physics

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Fourier Analysis in Introductory Physics

Elisha Huggins

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 26 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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In an after-dinner talk at the fall 2005 meeting of the New England chapter of the AAPT, Professor Robert Arns drew an analogy between classical physics and Classic Coke. To generations of physics teachers and textbook writers, classical physics was the real thing. Modern physics, which in introductory textbooks “appears in one or more extra chapters at the end of the book, … is a divertimento that we might get to if time permits.” Modern physics is more like vanilla or lime Coke, probably a fad, while “Classic Coke is part of your life; you do not have to think about it twice.”

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
03.65.-w	Quantum mechanics

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Finding the Curie Temperature for Ferromagnetic Materials

Czesław Kizowski, Sylwia Budzik, and Józef Cebulski

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 31 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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The laboratory exercise described in this paper is based on a well-known qualitative demonstration of Curie temperature.¹ A long ferromagnetic wire, in the form of a spiral, is attracted to a strong permanent magnet placed near its midpoint (see Fig. 1). The temperature of the wire is increased by passing a current through it. When the temperature reaches the Curie point, the wire becomes paramagnetic and is no longer strongly attracted to the magnet. We have developed this demonstration into a quantitative experiment by providing an accurate way to determine the temperature at which the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition occurs.

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.40.Fk	Research in physics education

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Using Spreadsheets to Assess Learning

Judson E. Wagner

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 34

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Spreadsheets can be a powerful tool when it comes to teaching physics. From data analysis and graphing to animated simulations, Excel® is a very versatile program for the educator and learner alike.^1–4 This paper describes and supports another use for Excel through Reflective Formative Assessment Spreadsheets (RFAS). To illustrate the use of RFAS, Fig. 1 shows a released AP Physics⁵ question that one student, a group of students, or the entire class may see when they access a prepared RFAS file from a shared drive. Notice that this file has been given a PowerPoint® look by removing scrollbars and gridlines and by using the Full Screen option (Fig. 1, arrow a). Students navigate from one question to the next using the tabs (Fig. 1, arrow b).

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01.40.-d	Education
01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies

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An Inquiry-based Course Using “Physics?” in Cartoons and Movies

Michael Rogers

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 38 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Books, cartoons, movies, and video games provide engaging opportunities to get both science and nonscience students excited about physics. An easy way to use these media in one's classroom is to have students view clips and identify unusual events, odd physics, or list things that violate our understanding of the physics that governs our universe.^1,2 These activities provide a lesson or two of material, but how does one create an entire course on examining the physics in books, cartoons, movies, and video games? Other approaches attempt to reconcile events in various media with our understanding of physics^3–8 or use cartoons themselves to help explain physics topics.⁹

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.90.+g	Other topics of general interest (restricted to new topics in section 01)

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INSPIRE: A VLF Radio Project for High School Students

Jill A. Marshall, Bill Pine, and William W. L. Taylor

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 42

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Since 1988 the Interactive NASA Space Physics Ionospheric Radio Experiment, or INSPIRE,¹ has given students the opportunity to build research-quality VLF² radio receivers and make observations of both natural and stimulated radio waves in the atmosphere. Any high school science class is eligible to join the INSPIRE volunteer observing network and contribute to our understanding of near-Earth space.

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01.40.ek	Secondary school
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
95.55.-n	Astronomical and space-research instrumentation

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Making Light Rays Visible in 3-D

F. Logiurato, L. M. Gratton, and S. Oss

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 46 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Students become deeply involved in physics classes when spectacular demonstrations take over from abstract and formal presentations. In this paper we propose a simple experimental setup in which the wave behavior of light can be made spectacularly evident along the whole path of the light beam in a practically unlimited number of configurations.¹ The idea is simply that of adopting a fog-making machine to show, by means of light scattering along its path, that diffraction and interference are effective processes, i.e., they do not “switch on” just at the detection screen, as one could somehow be tempted to imagine in a more conventional setup. In our experiment, an ultrasonic mist maker is used to produce a small, homogeneous volume of water vapor fog (see Fig. 1). The fog is produced through water fragmentation caused by the mechanical action of a ceramic electrode that oscillates at ultrasonic frequency.²

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
42.25.Hz	Interference

APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS

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Magnetic Force in an Electrolyte

Marián Kireš and Zuzana Ješková

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 50

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Various ways of demonstrating the magnetic force on moving charged particles have been described in the physics teaching literature.^1–4 Here we describe a simple experiment to demonstrate the magnetic force in an electrolyte. All you need for this experiment is a glass dish (d ≈ 8 cm), two copper ring electrodes (d₁ ≈ 2 cm, d₂ ≈ 7.5 cm), a solenoid with an iron core (ours has N = 600 turns, R ≈ 9 Ω, rated for 2 A), a dc power supply, copper sulfate solution (approximately 20 g of copper sulfate∕100 ml of water), connecting wires, and an overhead projector. A similar experimental setup was developed⁵ by E. Morgan using a salt solution and a bar magnet with zinc or copper electrodes. The setup we describe is both very simple and easily viewed using an overhead projector.

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47.65.-d	Magnetohydrodynamics and electrohydrodynamics
85.70.-w	Magnetic devices
41.20.Gz	Magnetostatics; magnetic shielding, magnetic induction, boundary-value problems
82.47.-a	Applied electrochemistry

TRICK OF THE TRADE

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Danuta's Demo - A Magnetic Brake

Wojciech Dindorf

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 53

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
75.50.Ww	Permanent magnets
01.40.J-	Teacher training

LITTLE GEMS

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Microwave Carousels—A New Spin on Rolling Contact

Zachary H. Levine

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 54

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies

PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

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Through Thick and Thin

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 55

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests
44.00.00	Heat transfer

FOR THE NEW TEACHER

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Developing an Inquiry Lesson

Patricia Blanton

The Physics Teacher -- January 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 1, pp. 56

Online Publication Date: Dec 2006

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I recently attended the North Carolina Science Teachers' Association's Professional Development Institute and would like to share an activity with you for your consideration. At one particular session were teachers who have been involved in developing support documents to help beginning teachers understand what is meant by the state-mandated curriculum objectives, as well as to give examples as to how these objectives might be most effectively presented to students. Science as Inquiry is found as a core strand in both North Carolina's science curriculum and in the National Science Education Standards, http:∕∕www.nap.edu∕readingroom∕books∕nses∕6a.html#sis, yet many teachers think that all “hands-on” activities are “inquiry” activities. The focus of this particular session dealt with an activity involving observations, activities, and discussion.

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