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
GUEST EDITORIAL
FIGURING PHYSICS
PAPERS
APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS
FERMI QUESTIONS
PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
TRICK OF THE TRADE
LITTLE GEMS
GEMS
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

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

Issue 5 | May 2008 | pp. 260-320

Issue 4 | Apr 2008 | pp. 196-256

Issue 3 | Mar 2008 | pp. 132-192

Issue 2 | Feb 2008 | pp. 70-127

Issue 1 | Jan 2008 | pp. 4-64

2007

Volume 45

2006

Volume 44

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 2008

Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 4-64

Add

View

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Select this Article

Effective Dipole Position of Magnets

Herbert Looser

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 4

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

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

Select this Article

Authors' Response

Martin Connors and Farook Al-Shamali

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 4

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

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

Select this Article

Fraunhofer Spectrum

Jay M. Pasachoff, Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy, Director

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 4

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
95.85.Kr	Visible (390-750 nm)
95.55.-n	Astronomical and space-research instrumentation

Select this Article

Lorentz Transformation and Charge Conservation

Herbert Looser

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 4

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
03.30.+p	Special relativity
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus

Select this Article

Author Response

Elisha Huggins

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 5

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
03.30.+p	Special relativity

GUEST EDITORIAL

Select this Article

The Evolution Debate

George V. Coyne

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 6

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.70.+w	Philosophy of science
01.75.+m	Science and society
87.23.-n	Ecology and evolution

FIGURING PHYSICS

Select this Article

CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSION

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 8

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

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

PAPERS

Select this Article FREE

A Black Hole in Our Galactic Center

Michael J. Ruiz

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 10

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

An introductory approach to black holes is presented along with astronomical observational data pertaining to the presence of a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Concepts of conservation of energy and Kepler's third law are employed so students can apply formulas from their physics class to determine the mass of the black hole that resides in the center of the Milky Way.

Show PACS

01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
04.70.Bw	Classical black holes
98.35.Jk	Galactic center, bar, circumnuclear matter, and bulge (including black hole and distance measurements)

Select this Article FREE

Speed of Sound in Metal Pipes: An Inexpensive Lab

Elisha Huggins

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 13 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

Our favorite demonstration for sound waves is to set up a compressional pulse on a horizontally stretched Slinky™. One can easily watch the pulse move back and forth at a speed of the order of one meter per second. Watching this demonstration, it occurred to us that the same thing might happen in a steel pipe if you hit the end of the pipe with a hammer. The main difference is that the speed of sound in steel is close to 5000 meters per second. If you hit the end of a 10-ft (3.05-m) pipe, the pulse should take about 1.2 ms to go down and back, a time conveniently measured by an oscilloscope.

Show PACS

01.40.-d	Education
01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus

Select this Article

Physics First? Survey First!

Boris Korsunsky and Ozymandias Agar

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 15 | Cited 5 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

The idea of teaching physics to ninth-graders, known as “Physics First,” has become more and more popular among physics educators in this country. However, introducing ninth-grade physics has been an uphill battle; such a change has a major impact on the students, parents, teachers, and the school administration. Switching to Physics First affects the entire science (and possibly mathematics) curriculum. If and when the decision to switch has been made, it is crucial that the implementation of that switch is as flawless as possible right from the start. To achieve that, the administration and the science departments should gather as much relevant information as possible. A good way to start is to explore the state of mind of those affected most directly: the students.

Show PACS

01.40.Fk	Research in physics education
01.40.ek	Secondary school
01.40.G-	Curricula and evaluation
01.75.+m	Science and society

Select this Article FREE

Escape from the Pipeline: Women Using Physics Outside Academia

Jill A. Marshall

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 20 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

In the last several decades the image of the leaky pipeline has become commonplace as a metaphor for the loss of women and minorities to the physics enterprise at every stage, from high school to the most advanced positions in academia. At the 2007 Winter AAPT meeting in Seattle, however, the AAPT Committee on Women in Physics sponsored a session highlighting women whose careers in physics are not faithfully represented by the pipeline model, pointing to a flaw in this way of representing women's career trajectories.

Show PACS

01.75.+m	Science and society
01.85.+f	Careers in physics and science

Select this Article

Pinhole Glasses

Giuseppe Colicchia, Martin Hopf, Hartmut Wiesner, and Dean Zollman

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 26 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

Eye aberrations are commonly corrected by lenses that restore vision by altering rays before they pass through the cornea. Some modern promoters claim that pinhole glasses are better than conventional lenses in correcting all kinds of refractive defects such as myopia (nearsighted), hyperopia (farsighted), astigmatisms, and presbyopia. Do pinhole glasses really give better vision? Some ways to use this question for motivation in teaching optics have been discussed.¹ For this column we include a series of experiments that students can complete using a model of the eye and demonstrate issues related to pinhole vision correction.

Show PACS

01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
42.25.Gy	Edge and boundary effects; reflection and refraction
42.66.Ct	Anatomy and optics of eye

Select this Article

Physics of Incandescent Lamp Burnout

Paul Gluck and John King

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 29 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

Incandescent lamps with tungsten filaments have been in use for about a century while being gradually replaced by fluorescent lamps; in another generation both will quite probably be largely replaced by light-emitting diodes. Incandescent lamps (simply called lamps in what follows) burn out after a lifetime that depends mostly on the temperature of the filament and hence the applied voltage. A full-term project (about 100 hours) on lamp burnout was carried out by two students in 1965 and has been briefly described.¹ Many aspects of the physics of lamps have been dealt with in articles that have appeared in this journal, in the American Journal of Physics, and in Physics Education.^2,3

Show PACS

01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
89.20.Bb	Industrial and technological research and development

Select this Article

A Free-Form Power Experiment to Enhance Student Creativity

John T. Fons

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 36

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

Laboratory sessions offer students an opportunity to develop creative problem-solving skills and to better understand the nature of the scientific process through hands-on learning. Unfortunately, traditional procedures are often written in such detail, they require students to do little more than follow step-by-step directions. Under those circumstances, students do not have the opportunity for creative and critical thinking and often lose appreciation for the laboratory setting.¹ To encourage student creativity in the lab, I assign a free-form exercise that requires students to measure their power output when performing an activity of their choosing. Students develop their own experimental procedure and analysis restricted only by equipment availability and safety. The short handout I provide for my students contains no formal procedure or guidelines; it simply lists the requirements for their reports.

Show PACS

01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b	General physics

Select this Article

Energy and the Confused Student I: Work

John W. Jewett, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 38 | Cited 10 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

Energy is a critical concept that is used in analyzing physical phenomena and is often an essential starting point in physics problem-solving. It is a global concept that appears throughout the physics curriculum in mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and modern physics. Energy is also at the heart of descriptions of processes in biology, chemistry, astronomy, and geology. Therefore, it is important to discuss the topic of energy clearly and effectively in textbook and lecture presentations. Unfortunately, this topic is filled with possibilities for student confusion if the presentation is not carefully crafted by the instructor or the textbook. There are a number of steps, however, that can be taken in teaching about energy that reduce or eliminate the sources of confusion for students.

Show PACS

01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
45.20.D-	Newtonian mechanics

Select this Article

The Biot-Savart Law: From Infinitesimal to Infinite

Jeffrey A. Phillips and Jeff Sanny

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 44 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

In this paper, we discuss a simple apparatus and accompanying class activity that we have developed to illustrate the Biot-Savart law. Since students in introductory electricity and magnetism courses often find this law a mathematical mystery, we feel that a simple experiment such as this will provide the students a better understanding of the concepts introduced. By collecting data from several finite segment lengths, students are able to infer the 1∕r² distance dependence of the magnetic field for infinitesimal segments and the 1∕r dependence for infinite wires.

Show PACS

01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
40.00.00	ELECTROMAGNETISM, OPTICS, ACOUSTICS, HEAT TRANSFER, CLASSICAL MECHANICS, AND FLUID DYNAMICS

Select this Article

Learning Projectile Motion with the Computer Game “Scorched 3D“

John S. Jurcevic

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 48 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

For most of our students, video games are a normal part of their lives. We should take advantage of this medium to teach physics in a manner that is engrossing for our students. In particular, modern video games incorporate accurate physics in their game engines, and they allow us to visualize the physics through flashy and captivating graphics. I recently used the game “Scorched 3D” to help my students understand projectile motion.

Show PACS

01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus

APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS

Select this Article

Microcomputer-Based Laboratory for Archimedes' Principle and Density of Liquids

Concetto Gianino

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 52

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

Archimedes' principle is one of the fundamental themes of the mechanics of fluids in high school; it is described in detail in any introductory physics textbook¹ and it asserts that “a body immersed, or partially immersed, in a fluid receives an upward force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces.” In mathematical terms,

where ρ is the fluid density, g the free-fall acceleration, and V_x the volume of the immersed portion of the body. In a partially immersed body, the fluid exerts pressure on all surfaces of the body, laterally and on the bottom [Fig. 1(a)]. Notice that the forces on the sides cancel by symmetry and the net effect of the fluid pressure is an upward buoyant force. Likewise, if the body is totally immersed [Fig. 1(b)], the fluid also exerts pressure on the top of the body, but since the pressure on the bottom will be greater than on the top (pressure increases linearly with depth in a fluid of uniform density), the result is a net upward buoyant force.

Show PACS

01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b	General physics
01.50.ht	Instructional computer use

FERMI QUESTIONS

Select this Article FREE

Fermi Questions

Larry Weinstein

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 55

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests
01.50.Kw	Techniques of testing

PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Select this Article FREE

The Adventures of a Mole

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 56

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests
51.30.+i	Thermodynamic properties, equations of state

TRICK OF THE TRADE

Select this Article

Simple DC Power Supply

George M. Caplan

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 57

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.50.Pa

Laboratory experiments and apparatus

LITTLE GEMS

Select this Article

A Polarizer Demo Using LCDs

Gerd Kortemeyer

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 58 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.50.My

Demonstration experiments and apparatus

GEMS

Select this Article

Polarizing Filters Aren't Supposed to Do THAT!

Matt Evans

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 59 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable

Show PACS

01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
42.25.Ja	Polarization

FOR THE NEW TEACHER

Select this Article

Tips for Organizing Your Course

Marc Reif

The Physics Teacher -- January 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 1, pp. 61

Online Publication Date: Dec 2007

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract

Column Editor's Note: If “necessity is the mother of invention,” then “desperation is the mother of organization,” says Marc Reif. Recent experiences preparing for National Board certification and teaching five different preparations of physics convinced him that keeping everything all in one place, while it may be better than nothing, does not count as organization. It's never too late to get started, so his tips for organizing will be valuable to beginning as well as experienced teachers.

Show PACS