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American Journal of Physics

The Physics Teacher»
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SECTION LISTING

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

BROWSE VOLUMES

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Volume 46

Issue 9 | Dec 2008 | pp. 516-563

Issue 8 | Nov 2008 | pp. 452-512

Issue 7 | Oct 2008 | pp. 388-448

Issue 6 | Sep 2008 | pp. 323-384

Issue L2 | Aug 2008 | pp. L1-L2

Issue L1 | Jul 2008 | pp. L1-L2

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Dec 2008

Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 516-563

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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“Topped Iceberg” Transcience

Jim McNeill

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 516

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests
01.40.J-	Teacher training

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Hewitt's Response

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 516

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests
01.40.J-	Teacher training

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Modeling Data Without Software

Howard Evans

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 516

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.Fk	Research in physics education
01.50.hv	Computer software and software reviews

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A Warning for Students

David P. Maroun

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 517

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.40.J-	Teacher training
01.55.+b	General physics

FIGURING PHYSICS

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JUMPING FREDDY

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 518

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests
01.55.+b	General physics

PAPERS

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Teaching Universal Gravitation with Vector Games

Matthew Lowry

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 519

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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Like many high school and college physics teachers, I have found playing vector games to be a useful way of illustrating the concepts of inertia, velocity, and acceleration. Like many, I have also had difficulty in trying to get students to understand Newton's law of universal gravitation, specifically the inverse-square law and its application to motion. In this paper, I'll outline a way to address this problem through use of a vector game. The inspiration for this idea came from a January 1998 article in The Physics Teacher by Michael Vinson entitled “Space Race: A Game of Physics Adventure.”¹

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
01.55.+b	General physics

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Biological Half-Life of Cardiolite®

Kenneth Jesse

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 522 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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I recently had a cardiac stress test. It was my fourth. Its purpose was to determine whether my heart is pumping an adequate quantity of blood during exercise. Additionally, is there a partial arterial blockage or damaged heart muscle? The test involves the patient receiving an injection of Cardiolite®, a substance containing a molecule to which Technetium-99m (Tc-99m)¹ is attached, and then lying under a camera that detects gamma rays emanating from the interior heart wall and forms an image indicative of blood flow in the resting heart. This is followed by treadmill exercise, another injection of Cardiolite® during peak exercise, and then another image obtained with the camera indicating maximum blood flow. After the test, I decided to determine the biological half-life of Cardiolite®.

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01.55.+b	General physics
20.00.00	NUCLEAR PHYSICS
80.00.00	INTERDISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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A Model of the Human Eye

G. Colicchia, H. Wiesner, C. Waltner, and D. Zollman

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 528 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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We describe a model of the human eye that incorporates a variable converging lens. The model can be easily constructed by students with low-cost materials. It shows in a comprehensible way the functionality of the eye's optical system. Images of near and far objects can be focused. Also, the defects of near and farsighted eyes can be demonstrated.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
42.00.00	Optics

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“Dissection” of a Hair Dryer

Stan Eisenstein and Jeff Simpson

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 532

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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The electrical design of the common hair dryer is based almost entirely on relatively simple principles learned in introductory physics classes. Just as biology students dissect a frog to see the principles of anatomy in action, physics students can “dissect” a hair dryer to see how principles of electricity are used in a real system. They can discover how engineers solve problems such as how to vary between low and high heat and fan speed by simply moving the position of a single switch. Principles of alternating versus direct current, series and parallel circuits, electrical safety, voltage dividing, ac rectification, power, and measurement of resistance and continuity all come in to play.

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

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Teaching Measurement and Uncertainty the GUM Way

Andy Buffler, Saalih Allie, and Fred Lubben

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 539 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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This paper describes a course aimed at developing understanding of measurement and uncertainty in the introductory physics laboratory. The course materials, in the form of a student workbook, are based on the probabilistic framework for measurement as recommended by the International Organization for Standardization in their publication Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM).

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01.55.+b	General physics
06.00.00	Metrology, measurements, and laboratory procedures

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The Salty Science of the Aluminum-Air Battery

Stephanie V. Chasteen, N. Dennis Chasteen, and Paul Doherty

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 544 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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Fruit batteries and saltwater batteries are excellent ways to explore simple circuits in the classroom. These are examples of air batteries¹ in which metal reacts with oxygen in the air in order to generate free electrons, which flow through an external circuit and do work. Students are typically told that the salt or fruit water acts as an electrolyte to bring electrons from the anode to the cathode. That's true, but it leaves the battery as a black box. Physics teachers often don't have the background to explain the chemistry behind these batteries. We've written this paper to explore the electrochemistry behind an air battery using copper cathode, aluminum anode, and saltwater.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
41.00.00	Electromagnetism; electron and ion optics

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The Homigrade Thermometer

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 548

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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In principle, designing a thermometer scale is easy. The trick lies in persuading others to use your scale. The Homigrade scale is an example of a clever and useful scale that has never caught on. Students can use it as an example of how they might set up their own arbitrary temperature scales.

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01.55.+b	General physics
44.00.00	Heat transfer

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Which Reaches the Bottom First?

Jordi Solbes and Francisco Tarín

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 550

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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A well-known classroom demonstration involves the rolling of hollow and solid objects down an incline.¹ The fact that the objects roll at different rates can be used as a starting point in introducing students to rotational dynamics and rotational kinetic energy. In this paper we describe a simple quantitative version of the demonstration that is suitable for use as a laboratory experiment.

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
47.00.00	Fluid dynamics

APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS

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Projectile Motion Demonstration

Erlend H. Graf

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 553

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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For a recent lecture, I went to our apparatus stock room and took out our venerable Sargent-Welch projectile apparatus¹ that demonstrates that a dropped ball and a horizontally launched ball hit the floor at the same time, if they are simultaneously released. A problem with this apparatus is that its small size makes it difficult for a large class to see what is going on. Furthermore, the projectiles are ball bearings, which tend to roll under chairs, benches, etc.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
47.00.00	Fluid dynamics

TRICK OF THE TRADE

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What a Broken Radio Can Teach Us About Capacitors

Brian Lamore

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 554

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

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The M&M on Ice

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 556

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests
01.55.+b	General physics
01.40.J-	Teacher training

FERMI QUESTIONS

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Fermi Questions

Larry Weinstein

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 557

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests
01.55.+b	General physics

LITTLE GEMS

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Mysterious Bands of Light

Keith Bellof and Mark Welter

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 558

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

FOR THE NEW TEACHER

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Physics Lab Myths

Andrew Morrison

The Physics Teacher -- December 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 9, pp. 560

Online Publication Date: Nov 2008

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At the start of each semester, and especially at the beginning of a new school year, I kick off the first lab session with a pop quiz designed to engage the students in critical thinking. It provides a way to introduce to the students my philosophy of a physics laboratory experience. Once the students get over the shock of having a quiz on the first day of lab, it is hopefully a way to have a little fun, something that I hope all the students have throughout the semester.

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