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American Journal of Physics

The Physics Teacher»
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SECTION LISTING

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

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Mar 2008

Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 132-192

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Using Gravitational Analogies to Introduce Electric Field Theory Concepts — A response

Andrzej Sokolowski

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 132

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

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MacIsaac and Saeli's Response

Dan MacIsaac and Sue Saeli

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 133

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

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Thinking Some More About Bernoulli

Peter Eastwell

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 134

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

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Kamela's Response

Martin Kamela

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 134

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

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Defusing Classroom Situations

Samuel Derman

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 135

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.40.J-	Teacher training

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Which Way Is Clockwise?

Lester Evans

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 135

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.F-	Audio and visual aids
01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus

GUEST EDITORIAL

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Seeing Gender

Jacqueline D. Spears

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 136

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.Fk	Research in physics education
01.75.+m	Science and society
01.85.+f	Careers in physics and science

FIGURING PHYSICS

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TOPPED ICEBERG

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 138

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.50.Lc	Laboratory computer use
01.55.+b	General physics

PAPERS

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Young's Modulus of a Marshmallow

Kenneth A. Pestka, II

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 140

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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When teaching the subject of elasticity, it is often difficult to find a straightforward quantitative laboratory that can give a “hands-on” feel for the subject. This paper presents an experiment that demonstrates the essentials of elasticity by observing the behavior of marshmallows under a compressive load. Like other marshmallow-based activities,^1,2 this experiment is straightforward, fun, and readily extendable to more complicated and advanced topics.

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01.50.Pa

Laboratory experiments and apparatus

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Speed of Wave Pulses in Hooke's Law Media

Elisha Huggins

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 142 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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As students watched a compressional pulse bounce back and forth on the horizontally suspended Slinky™, shown in Fig. 1, we wrote down the formula for the speed of the pulse and promised that later in the course we would derive the formula. The problem is we did not keep our promise in the course. Here is where we are keeping the promise. As part of our introduction to Einstein's special theory of relativity, we emphasized that the formula was for the pulse's speed relative to the Slinky medium. It would predict the pulse's speed past us only if we were at rest relative to that medium.

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

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Energy and the Confused Student III: Language

John W. Jewett, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 149 | Cited 4 times

Online Publication Date: Feb 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. Confusion can be caused by the careless use of language in energy discussions. Students consciously or unconsciously imitate a teacher in their use of language and so can confuse themselves and others if they employ or pass on incorrect usage of words and concepts. In this third article in the series, we look at some common examples.

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.40.J-	Teacher training
01.55.+b	General physics

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The Physics of Bird Flight: An Experiment

Michael D. Mihail, Thomas F. George, and Bernard J. Feldman

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 155

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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This article describes an experiment that measures the forces acting on a flying bird during takeoff. The experiment uses a minimum of equipment and only an elementary knowledge of kinematics and Newton's second law. The experiment involves first digitally videotaping a bird during takeoff, analyzing the video to determine the bird's position as a function of time and its flapping rate, calculating the velocity of the bird's wings, and finally, inserting those results into Newton's second law of physics. The experiment has been designed for a high school physics class. This article is a follow-up on our recently published theoretical article on the origin of bird flight.¹

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87.00.00	Biological and medical physics
45.20.da	Forces and torques
45.40.Aa	Translation kinematics

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Look Around to Learn Physics

Hassan Mohammadpour

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 158

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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I always tell my students: “Physics is all around,” and “Just observe carefully to learn physics.” This paper describes one of my own experiences in looking carefully at light reflection and, in particular, the difference between specular reflection and diffuse reflection. I also describe how I have adapted this experience for use with my students. During my years as a high school teacher, I have read many papers in TPT that describe other teachers' interesting physics-related experiences. It was those accounts that stimulated me to write this paper.

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

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Teaching Nuclear Radiation and the Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko

David R. Lapp

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 160

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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The recent international story about the death of the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko has more than just a few wondering about radiation poisoning and the sinister sounding polonium-210. I was preparing to begin a nuclear radiation unit the Monday after Thanksgiving 2006. As it turned out, Litvinenko died Thanksgiving Day after a short and terrible three-week illness. Having the story continue to unfold throughout the next two weeks of the new unit provided a daily opportunity for students to see the relevance of what we were doing in class. My students were able to have meaningful and informed conversations with their peers and parents over an important international event. They even began to feel a bit like authorities themselves when listening to experts respond to media questions about polonium-210 and nuclear radiation in general. This paper discusses some of the ways that the story of Litvinenko was used while presenting the topic of nuclear radiation.

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
87.50.-a	Effects of electromagnetic and acoustic fields on biological systems

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Edward Weston and the “Modern” Galvanometer Movement

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 162 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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One of my favorite 19th century electrical scientists is Edward Weston, and one of my favorite devices for teaching the topics of electromagnetic forces and torques is the D'Arsonval galvanometer.¹ The junction of these two topics is Weston's improved meter movement that has been used in analog meters for the past 125 years.

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.65.+g	History of science
01.40.J-	Teacher training

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Answering Essay Questions

William DeBuvitz

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 165

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Most of the homework I have assigned in physics courses has been of the problem-solving type, although I do assign a few essay questions for most chapters. I have also taught qualitative science courses in which most of the homework and exams involved either multiple-choice or essay questions. What I find surprising is that all physics textbooks go into detail on how to solve physics problems (determining what is asked, choosing the proper formula, showing the work clearly, and checking the results) but never say anything about answering essay questions. Teachers and authors might answer my criticism by saying, “Isn't it obvious how to answer an essay question?” Based on my experiences, I do not think it is obvious to a good number of students.

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01.40.Fk	Research in physics education
01.50.Kw	Techniques of testing

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Einstein in Hollywood: Capturing the Scientific Minds of Young Movie Buffs

Chad Young and Jamie Guillot

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 166

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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A number of TPT authors have presented creative uses of movies in physics classrooms.^1–4 These authors present wonderful ways to engage students and cause them to look for physics in the movies they watch every week. To assist physics teachers, we have collected more than 60 movie clips and made them available on the Internet at http:∕∕www.nicholls.edu∕phsc∕physics∕movies for use in their classrooms.

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.F-	Audio and visual aids

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When Two Balls Are Just One

Christopher W. Kulp, Mark L. Biermann, Timothy Howard, Kurtis Klingenberg, and Paul Ramsey

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 168

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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A camcorder can be a powerful tool in pedagogical settings, such as in an introductory physics course or in introducing undergraduates to data collection. In this paper, we discuss our experience using a Panasonic PV-GS150 digital camcorder to analyze the motion of a falling steel ball, with the goal of determining the acceleration due to gravity, g = 9.80 m∕s². When performing this simple experiment, an interesting technical issue arose that led to an excellent teaching opportunity that is based on an unexpected and intriguing method of computing g.

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b	General physics

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Thermal Patterns in the Snow: Icicles as Indicators of Heat Loss

Albert A. Bartlett

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 172

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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On Dec. 27, 2006, we drove with our children and their families to a cabin we rented on the grounds of the “YMCA of the Rockies” in Estes Park, CO, for a few days of winter relaxation and recreation. On the night of the 27th a snowstorm dropped over half a meter of new snow, creating a beautiful winter wonderland. For the next couple of days the Sun shone brightly but the temperatures stayed well below freezing, so the combination of time and temperature cooperated to produce some spectacular thermal patterns in the snow on the roofs of the buildings. In the following days I walked a great deal, using my new digital camera to photograph these evolving thermal patterns, a subject that first fascinated me more than 30 years ago.^1,2 This time the thermal patterns were dramatically complemented by the presence of icicles.

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.F-	Audio and visual aids
01.55.+b	General physics

APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS

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A GeoWall with Physics and Astronomy Applications

Phillip Dukes and Dan Bruton

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 180 | Cited 5 times

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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A GeoWall is a passive stereoscopic projection system that can be used by students, teachers, and researchers for visualization of the structure and dynamics of three-dimensional systems and data. The type of system described here adequately provides 3-D visualization in natural color for large or small groups of viewers. The name “GeoWall” derives from its initial development to visualize data in the geosciences.¹ An early GeoWall system was developed by Paul Morin at the electronic visualization laboratory at the University of Minnesota and was applied in an introductory geology course in spring of 2001. Since that time, several stereoscopic media, which are applicable to introductory-level physics and astronomy classes, have been developed and released into the public domain. In addition to the GeoWall's application in the classroom, there is considerable value in its use as part of a general science outreach program. In this paper we briefly describe the theory of operation of stereoscopic projection and the basic necessary components of a GeoWall system. Then we briefly describe how we are using a GeoWall as an instructional tool for the classroom and informal astronomy education and in research. Finally, we list sources for several of the free software media in physics and astronomy available for use with a GeoWall system.

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

FERMI QUESTIONS

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Fermi Questions

Larry Weinstein

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 184

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

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The Chain Rules!

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 185

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

LITTLE GEMS

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Looking Through Pinhole Glasses with a Digital Camera

Mojca Čepič, Ana G. Blagotinšek, and Nada Razpet

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 186

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.40.J-	Teacher training

FOR THE NEW TEACHER

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Using Interactive Whiteboard to Enhance Student Learning

Patricia Blanton

The Physics Teacher -- March 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 3, pp. 188

Online Publication Date: Feb 2008

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Several years ago I became a member of a supportive group of physics teachers trained in the use of a physics teaching pedagogy we have come to call “modeling.” This approach began at Arizona State University under the direction of Dr. David Hestenes. One aspect of the program provides an active listserv for those teachers who are implementing the approach in their teaching of introductory physics. One current discussion topic deals with the use of interactive whiteboards, and I think several of the points that have been posted for discussion are important to make as you consider the use of this technology in your classroom.

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