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American Journal of Physics

The Physics Teacher»
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SECTION LISTING

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
MEET YOUR NEW PRESIDENT
GUEST EDITORIAL
FIGURING PHYSICS
PAPERS
APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
FERMI QUESTIONS
LITTLE GEMS
FOR THE NEW TEACHER
WEBSIGHTS
BOOK REVIEWS

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Issue 9 | Dec 2008 | pp. 516-563

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Issue L2 | Aug 2008 | pp. L1-L2

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Feb 2008

Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 70-127

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Quick Way to Float a Paper Clip on Water

Peter Froehle

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 70

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

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Comment on “Rolling Ball“ (Figuring Physics, Dec. 2007)

Christopher LaSota, Visiting Asst. Prof. of Physics

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 70 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Zv	Errors in physics classroom materials
01.55.+b	General physics

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Hewitt's Response

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 70 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Zv	Errors in physics classroom materials
01.55.+b	General physics

MEET YOUR NEW PRESIDENT

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Meet Your New President, Lila Adair

Chris Chiaverina

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 72

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.10.Hx	Physics organizational activities
01.60.+q	Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries
01.85.+f	Careers in physics and science

GUEST EDITORIAL

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Atlanta to Tokyo: A Southern Girl's Dream Come True

Lila Adair

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 73

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.10.Hx	Physics organizational activities
01.60.+q	Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries
01.85.+f	Careers in physics and science

FIGURING PHYSICS

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COALESCING SPHERES

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 76

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.Rt

Physics tournaments and contests

PAPERS

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Energy Conservation Simplified

Eugene Hecht

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 77 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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The standard formulation of energy conservation involves the subsidiary ideas of kinetic energy (KE), work (W), thermal energy, internal energy, and a half-dozen different kinds of potential energy (PE): elastic, chemical, nuclear, gravitational, and so forth. These quantities came to be recognized during the centuries over which the principle developed. The final conservation law, although rich in specificity, is fairly involved. More significantly, it obscures a fundamental underlying simplicity, which could only be appreciated post-relativity (1905). Energy is the scalar measure of physical change. Using the special theory it will be shown that there are only two all-encompassing classifications of energy—energy of rest and energy of motion—and that we can apply the idea of conservation of energy to all physical processes using only these two energy types as quantified by mass and KE.

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01.55.+b	General physics
01.70.+w	Philosophy of science

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Energy and the Confused Student II: Systems

John W. Jewett, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 81 | Cited 5 times

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Energy is a critical concept in physics problem-solving but is often a major source of confusion for students if the presentation is not carefully crafted by the instructor or the textbook. The first article¹ in this series discussed student confusion generated by traditional treatments of work. In any discussion of work, it is important to state that work is done on a system by a force. This phrasing has two important components: (1) the identification of the force that is doing the work and (2) the identification of the recipient of the work as a system. Very few textbook or lecture presentations use a system-based approach when performing an energy problem. The first two steps in approaching any energy problem should be: 1) Identify the system; 2) Categorize the system

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
45.20.dg	Mechanical energy, work, and power
45.20.dh	Energy conservation

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Kinematics of a Head-Neck Model Simulating Whiplash

Giuseppe Colicchia, Dean Zollman, Hartmut Wiesner, and Ahmet Ilhan Sen

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 88 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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A whiplash event is a relative motion between the head and torso that occurs in rear-end automobile collisions. In particular, the large inertia of the head results in a horizontal translation relative to the thorax. This paper describes a simulation of the motion of the head and neck during a rear-end (whiplash) collision. A head-neck model that qualitatively undergoes the same forces acting in whiplash and shows the same behavior is used to analyze the kinematics of both the head and the cervical spine and the resulting neck loads. The rapid acceleration during a whiplash event causes the extension and flexion of the cervical spine, which in turn can cause dislocated vertebrae, torn ligaments, intervertebral disc herniation, and other trauma that appear to be the likely causes of subsequent painful headache or neck pain symptoms. Thus, whiplash provides a connection between the dynamics of the human body and physics. Its treatment can enliven the usual teaching in kinematics, and both theoretical and experimental approaches provide an interesting biological context to teach introductory principles of mechanics.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.75.+m	Science and society
01.55.+b	General physics

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Mechanical Equivalent of Heat — Software for a Thermistor

Michael Boleman

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 92

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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The Mechanical Equivalent of Heat Apparatus from PASCO scientific provides the means for doing a simple experiment to determine the mechanical equivalent of heat, J. A necessary step of this experiment is to determine the temperature of an aluminum cylinder. By measuring the resistance of a thermistor embedded in the cylinder, one is able to determine the cylinder's temperature to ±1°C using a table of resistance versus temperature supplied by PASCO.¹ To allow for a more accurate temperature determination, I have developed software to calculate the temperature to ∼ ±0.3°C.

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01.50.Pa

Laboratory experiments and apparatus

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Bouncing Balls that Spin

Peter Knipp

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 95

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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When a ball bounces elastically against a floor, the vertical component (v_y) of the velocity of the ball's mass-center changes sign. This is a special case of the elastic collision of two balls (i.e., two objects, neither of which is much more massive than the other), in which case the balls' post-collision relative velocity (= v_y1 − v_y2) is −1 times the balls' pre-collision relative velocity.

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01.55.+b	General physics
01.40.J-	Teacher training

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A Simple Method to Measure the Angular Speed of a Spinning Object

Raj M. Misra

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 97

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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The angular speed of a spinning object is commonly measured using a stroboscope or a mechanically or optically coupled tachometer. We present here an alternate, simple, and instructive method to measure it using a microphone and a computer.

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01.50.Pa

Laboratory experiments and apparatus

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Using a Meniscus to Teach Uncertainty in Measurement

Philip Backman

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 100

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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I have found that students easily understand that a measurement cannot be exact, but they often seem to lack an understanding of why it is important to know something about the magnitude of the uncertainty. This tends to promote an attitude that almost any uncertainty value will do. Such indifference may exist because once an uncertainty is determined or calculated, it remains as only a number without a concrete physical connection back to the experiment. For the activity described here—presented as a challenge—groups of students are given a container and asked to make certain measurements and to estimate the uncertainty in each of those measurements. They are then challenged to complete a particular task involving the container and a volume of water. Whether the assigned task is actually achievable, however, slowly comes into question once the magnitude of the uncertainties in the original measurements is compared to the specific requirements of the challenge.

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06.00.00	Metrology, measurements, and laboratory procedures
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.90.+g	Other topics of general interest (restricted to new topics in section 01)

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The Circle of Apollonius and Its Applications in Introductory Physics

Michael B. Partensky

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 104 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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See Also: Erratum

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The circle of Apollonius is named after the ancient geometrician Apollonius of Perga. This beautiful geometric construct can be helpful when solving some general problems of geometry and mathematical physics, optics, and electricity. Here we discuss two of its applications: localizing an object in space and calculating electric fields. First, we pose an entertaining localization problem to trigger students' interest in the subject. Analyzing this problem, we introduce the circle of Apollonius and show that this geometric technique helps solve the problem in an elegant and intuitive manner. Then we switch to seemingly unrelated problems of calculating the electric fields. We show that the zero equipotential line for two unlike charges is the Apollonius circle for these two charges and use this discovery to find the electric field of a charge positioned near a grounded conductive sphere. Finally, we pose some questions for further examination.

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.55.+b	General physics
41.20.Cv	Electrostatics; Poisson and Laplace equations, boundary-value problems

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Optical Simulation of Debye-Scherrer Crystal Diffraction

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

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 109

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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In this paper we describe and discuss simple, inexpensive optical experiments used to simulate x-ray and electron diffraction according to the Debye-Scherrer theory. The experiment can be used to address, at the high school level, important subjects related to fundamental quantum and solid-state physics.

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
61.00.00	Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography

APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS

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Michelson Interferometer for Your Kitchen Table

M. Vollmer and K.-P. Möllmann

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 114 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Interferometry and related technologies are well known and often used in science and industry. Examples are measurements of small distances, determining the index of refraction of gases, testing the optical quality of optical components (e.g., lenses) and measuring the surface roughness with optical profilometers (which are more or less just computerized white light Michelson interferometers).

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
07.60.Ly	Interferometers

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

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Smart Birds

David S. Martin

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 118

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.F-	Audio and visual aids
01.55.+b	General physics

PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

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A Touchy Subject

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 119

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

FERMI QUESTIONS

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Fermi Questions

Larry Weinstein

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 120

Online Publication Date: Jan 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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Yellow: The Magic Color

Adolf Cortel

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 121

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My

Demonstration experiments and apparatus

FOR THE NEW TEACHER

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Engaging Student Learning in Science Through Writing Tasks

Timothy F. Slater

The Physics Teacher -- February 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 2, pp. 123

Online Publication Date: Jan 2008

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Dr. Timothy F. Slater has been a frequent contributor to this column. His research focuses on student conceptual understanding in formal and informal learning environments, inquiry-based curriculum development, and authentic assessment strategies.

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