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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
PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
FERMI QUESTIONS
LITTLE GEMS
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
FOR THE NEW TEACHER
WEBSIGHTS
BOOK REVIEWS

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May 2008

Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 260-320

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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On a Definition of Work

Valentin Voroshilov

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 260 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.Fk	Research in physics education
01.40.J-	Teacher training
01.55.+b	General physics

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Jewett's Response

John W. Jewett, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 260

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.40.Fk	Research in physics education
01.55.+b	General physics
01.40.J-	Teacher training

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The Biot-Savart Law—Another Approach

Arthur Hovey, Retired physics teacher

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 261

Online Publication Date: Apr 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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Phillips and Sanny's Response

Jeffrey Phillips and Jeff Sanny

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 262

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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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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The February TPT

John L. Roeder

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 262

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.30.-y	Physics literature and publications
01.55.+b	General physics
01.50.-i	Educational aids

EDITORIAL

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Thank You to Our 2007–2008 Referees

Karl Mamola

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 264

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.30.-y	Physics literature and publications
01.40.-d	Education

FIGURING PHYSICS

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OZONE

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 266

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.fh	Posters, cartoons, art, etc.
01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests

PAPERS

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Electric Motorboat Drag Racing: A hands-on physics project that motivates students from start to finish

Reno Barry

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 267

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Electric Motorboat Drag Racing is a culminating high school physics project designed to apply and bring to life many content standards for physics. Students need to be given several weeks at home to design and build their model-sized electric motorboats for the 5-meter drag racing competition down rain gutters. In the process, they are discussing and applying physics concepts from the entire course, including topics from motion, forces, energy, and electricity and magnetism. Bottom line: students of all skill levels are racing to apply physics and loving it.

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01.55.+b	General physics
40.00.00	ELECTROMAGNETISM, OPTICS, ACOUSTICS, HEAT TRANSFER, CLASSICAL MECHANICS, AND FLUID DYNAMICS

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Energy and the Confused Student V: The Energy∕Momentum Approach to Problems Involving Rotating and Deformable Systems

John W. Jewett, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 269

Online Publication Date: Apr 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. A common approach to problems involving deformable or rotating systems that has been discussed in the literature is to employ the work-kinetic energy theorem together with a “pseudowork-kinetic energy theorem” or a “center-of-mass equation.” This article discusses an alternative approach that employs neither of these equations and allows students a more global and less confusing approach to such problems. The approach is demonstrated for three sample situations from the literature.

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
47.00.00	Fluid dynamics

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The Bicyclist's Paradox

Randy Knight

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 275

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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It's a situation every avid cyclist knows only too well. If you cycle up a hill and then back down with no net change in elevation, it seems as if your slower uphill speed and faster downhill speed should offset each other. But they don't. Your average speed is less than it would have been had you cycled the same distance on a level road. Similarly, cycling into a headwind for half your trip and returning home with a tailwind yields an average speed less than you would have achieved on a windless day. The faster part of the ride doesn't compensate for the slower part. It seems unjust. Most cyclists expect the uphill and downhill, or the headwind and tailwind, to more or less cancel and are surprised (and frustrated!) when they don't. The purpose of this paper is to resolve this paradox. Doing so involves some nice real-world applications of Newton's laws, numerical problem solving, and exercise physiology. There's a lot to learn from analyzing this problem, and it's readily accessible to introductory physics students.

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01.55.+b

General physics

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Newton in the Big Apple: Access to High School Physics in New York City

Angela M. Kelly and Keith Sheppard

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 280 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Despite reports to the contrary,¹ the availability of physics as a course for high school students is not equitably distributed throughout the United States. While some schools provide physics for all who wish to take it, a more common scenario is limited availability, often open only to the few students who have completed the necessary prerequisite courses. This is particularly true in urban districts where physics is not universally available in secondary school.

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01.40.ek	Secondary school
01.00.00	Communication, education, history, and philosophy
01.75.+m	Science and society

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Understanding the Fine Tuning in Our Universe

Bernard L. Cohen

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 285

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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I It is often stated that the physical properties of our universe are “fine tuned”—that is, they must be almost exactly as they are to make the development of intelligent life possible.¹ The implications of this statement, called the “anthropic principle,” have been widely discussed in a philosophical context,² but the scientific basis for the statement³ is not widely understood outside the community of experts. My purpose here is to explain how I have presented some parts of this scientific basis, albeit with some glossing over of difficult and∕or less important details, to undergraduate students majoring in humanities and social sciences and to senior citizens in “lifetime learning” programs who have no professional scientific background. In this paper, I concentrate on the vital processes of hydrogen burning and helium burning.

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
98.80.-k	Cosmology
26.00.00	Nuclear astrophysics
01.40.J-	Teacher training

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Do You Prefer to Have the Text or a Sheet with Your Physics Exams?

Kastro M. Hamed

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 290

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Many high school and introductory college physics instructors ponder the choice between “open text” exams versus “facts and formulae sheet” exams. Other alternatives are closed book∕closed notes exams or an instructor-prepared sheet of facts and relevant formulas. There is no agreement on merit. Rehfuss¹ strongly opposes allowing students to use formula sheets while taking physics exams despite acknowledging that such use is common practice. Cone² responded to Rehfuss by defending the use of such sheets and outlining the benefits of a “cheat sheet.” Debate over the use of a “cheat sheet” or other resources during exams is not limited to the physics community. Skidmore and Aagaard³ studied the relationship between testing conditions and student test scores for students in teacher education. Two decades earlier Boniface,⁴ Dorsal and Cundiff,⁵ and Hindman⁶ published papers on the use of texts and∕or sheets during examinations in psychology and education. Others, such as Pullen et al.⁷ focused on studying the discarded cheat sheets themselves. Humorously, in October 2005 The New York Times⁸ reported an unusual museum exhibit of “cheat sheets” and the different ways students had cheated at a particular university.

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

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Galileo's Paradox

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 294

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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The paradox is a wonderful teaching tool. The sleepy student in the back row is surprised and wakes up, and the student with the instantly memorized answer is forced into the analytical mode. The diagram in Fig. 1 has the following paradox: A body sliding freely down a chord from the edge of the circle reaches the lowest point on the circle at the same time as a body released simultaneously from the top. This result was first mentioned in a 1602 letter from Galileo Galilei to Guidobaldo dal Monte.¹

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

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USAYPT Holds Annual February Tournament

Bruce Oldaker, (Secretary∕Treasurer, USAYPT)

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 295

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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The United States Association for Young Physicists Tournaments (USAYPT) held its annual U.S. Invitational Young Physicists Tournament Feb. 8–9, 2008, at the North Carolina School for Science and Mathematics in Durham, NC. Young physicists tournaments are theoretical and experimental research-based team competitions described more fully at the USAYPT website: http:∕∕www.usaypt.org.

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01.10.Cr	Announcements, news, and awards
01.50.Rt	Physics tournaments and contests

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Promoting Science via an Equipment Loan Outreach Program

Kelly Krieble and Carl Salter

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 296 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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An important component of many college and university science programs is that of community outreach. Some of the more typical kinds of outreach activities include teacher training workshops, public lectures, open house “science days,” and school demonstration visits. The latter activity usually consists of students and faculty transporting equipment from their institution to a local secondary school to provide “hands-on” demonstrations or activities to a few science classes. One problem with such visits is the short interaction time (usually an hour or so), which often comes and goes and is soon forgotten by the participating students. We discuss in this paper the specifics of an outreach program that has been successful in addressing this and other issues.

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01.75.+m	Science and society
01.10.Hx	Physics organizational activities
01.50.-i	Educational aids

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Ballistocardiography in the Physics Classroom

Prabasaj Paul and Laurel B. Symes

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 300

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Ballistocardiograms (BCGs) are graphical representations of the recoil from the pumping action of the heart. Introductory mechanics and a basic knowledge of the circulatory system are sufficient to understand the key features of a BCG. BCGs with adequate detail for instructional purposes may be produced easily and rapidly using hardware (a force plate) and software common to introductory physics labs. The interdisciplinary nature of this exercise is a particularly attractive feature. We have used it as a demonstration in a course on mechanics for nonphysics majors as well as for visiting high school students, and indicate here possible ways to incorporate it into upper-level physics or biomechanics courses.

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

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Megapixels and Human Recognition of Resolution

Steve Kreis

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 304 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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This paper tries to demonstrate that it is not reasonable to judge the quality of pictures that a camera can produce just by the number of pixels that the sensor has. It does so by trying to relate the number of pixels in a picture to the resolution that the eye can see at various distances away from prints of different size.

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01.40.J-	Teacher training
42.66.Lc	Vision: light detection, adaptation, and discrimination
42.79.-e	Optical elements, devices, and systems

APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS

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Magnetic Low-Friction Track

Mark Paetkau, Manpreet Bahniwal, and James Gamblen

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 307

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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The standard low-friction tracks used to test Newton's laws are the air track and the low-friction cart track. Both are commercially available and provide low-friction environments to test various physics concepts. At a recent science fair, one of the authors (JG) presented a magnetically levitated cart and track. A literature search found no previous testing of magnetically levitated carts.¹ This paper compares a magnetically levitated cart against the two standard low-friction tracks.

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

TRICK OF THE TRADE

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Hassle-Free Energy Consumption Measurements of Electrical Devices

William P. O'Brien, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 310

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

PHYSICS CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

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Mirror, Mirror on the Floor…

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 312

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

FERMI QUESTIONS

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Fermi Questions

Larry Weinstein

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 313

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.J-	Teacher training

LITTLE GEMS

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A Sound Sink

Chris Chiaverina

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 314 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

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Puzzling Tire Marks

James L. Hicks

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 316

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.fh	Posters, cartoons, art, etc.
01.40.J-	Teacher training

FOR THE NEW TEACHER

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First Steps Toward Increasing Student Engagement During Lecture

Timothy F. Slater

The Physics Teacher -- May 2008 -- Volume 46, Issue 5, pp. 317

Online Publication Date: Apr 2008

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Have you tried to repurpose materials you've gotten from another lecturer or publisher that you thought could express a concept exceptionally well, only to find when you used the same materials, they did not have the dramatic effect on your students you desired? It would be easy to conclude that student apathy is to blame. But, if students listening to your lecture take on the same bored appearance and passive disposition often observed when you are showing a video, consider whether your instructional approach is designed to intellectually engage students. An information-download lecture has often been described as…the process by which the teacher's notes get transferred into students' notebooks without passing through the brains of either. That brilliant set of lecture materials that you thought would be perfect might need to be adjusted to meet the learning styles of your students to actively engage them in developing conceptual understanding.

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