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Apr 2009

Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 196-255

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An Appreciation of Hewitt

Ronald Newburgh

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 196

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.Kw Techniques of testing
01.55.+b General physics
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EQUINOX

Paul Hewitt

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 198

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.50.Rt Physics tournaments and contests
01.50.Kw Techniques of testing
01.55.+b General physics
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Kinematic Measurements from YouTube Videos

Michael J. Ruiz

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 200 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Video analysis of motion has been in use now for some time.1–3 However, some teachers may not have video equipment or may be looking for innovative ways to engage students with interesting applications at no cost. The recent advent of YouTube offers opportunities for students to measure kinematic properties of real-life events using their computers. This paper provides examples such as measuring the average speed of a winning horse at the Kentucky Derby, plotting speed versus time from watching the speedometer of a high-performance bike, and determining acceleration for circular motion of amusement park rides.
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01.50.ht Instructional computer use
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
01.55.+b General physics

Making a Simple Self-Starting Electric Motor

Seok-In Hong, Jung-In Choi, and Seok-Cheol Hong

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 204

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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A simple electric motor1 has a problem in that the current applied to the motor per se can rarely trigger its rotation. Usually such motors begin to rotate after the rotor is slightly turned by hand (i.e., manual starting). In a self-starting motor, the rotor starts to rotate spontaneously as soon as the current is applied. This paper describes the initial condition of the rotor required for self-starting.
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01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
01.55.+b General physics
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Nanomagnetism: A Case History of Nanoscience and Technology

Mark Freeman

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 206 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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This paper overviews the occurrence and study of magnetism on nanometer-length scales, that is, at sizes where the natural unit on a ruler would be one-billionth of a meter. Nanomagnetism has fascinating early origins on planet Earth, and we must first go back a couple billion years to get to the beginning of the story. Then we will quickly make some big jumps forward through time, to get back to the present. The take-home message is this: we are very lucky to be here now with the first chance in billions of years to understand nanomagnetism in detail, using the tools provided by physics.
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
75.75.-c Magnetic properties of nanostructures
01.65.+g History of science

Beginning Introductory Physics with Two-Dimensional Motion

Elisha Huggins

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 212 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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During the session on “Introductory College Physics Textbooks” at the 2007 Summer Meeting of the AAPT, there was a brief discussion about whether introductory physics should begin with one-dimensional motion or two-dimensional motion. Here we present the case that by starting with two-dimensional motion, we are able to introduce a considerable amount of physics even before discussing the constant acceleration formulas or Newton's laws.
Show PACS
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.-i Educational aids
01.55.+b General physics

Using a Classroom Response System to Improve Multiple-Choice Performance in AP® Physics

Peggy Bertrand

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 216 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Participation in rigorous high school courses such as Advanced Placement (AP®) Physics increases the likelihood of college success, especially for students who are traditionally underserved.1 Tackling difficult multiple-choice exams should be part of any AP program because well-constructed multiple-choice questions, such as those on AP exams and on the Force Concept Inventory,2 are particularly good at rooting out common and persisting student misconceptions. Additionally, there are barriers to multiple-choice performance that have little to do with content mastery. For example, a student might fail to read the question thoroughly, forget to apply a reasonableness test to the answer, or simply work too slowly.
Show PACS
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.Kw Techniques of testing

Magnetism and Simultaneity

Charles L. Adler

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 221 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Consider the following problem: Imagine a charged particle with charge q moving with velocity v parallel to a long, current-carrying wire with current I moving in the same direction as the charge. What is the force on the charge? The answer will look something like this:
Show PACS
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
75.00.00 Magnetic properties and materials
03.30.+p Special relativity
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An MBL Experiment to Analyze the Torque on a Rigid Body

Concetto Gianino

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 224

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Torque is a physical quantity defined as the cross product:
math
where F is the applied force to a rigid body at a point a distance r from the rotation axis. The torque is a vector having direction given by the usual right-hand rule and a magnitude
math
θ being the angle between r and F.1
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01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
45.40.-f Dynamics and kinematics of rigid bodies

Nineteenth-Century Textbook Illustrations: A Frontispiece Puzzle

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr.

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 226

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Most of the 19th- and early 20th-century physics texts in my collection have frontispieces: a telegraph system, the cross-section of a steam locomotive, colored lithographs of spectra, etc. One of my favorites is the wood-cut illustration of an apparatus collection that serves as the frontispiece to Hotze's 1897 physics textbook.1 In modern parlance, this is a conceptual text as it does not have a single equation.
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01.50.F- Audio and visual aids
01.65.+g History of science
01.30.M- Textbooks

Student Difficulties in Analyzing Thin-Film Interference

Ronald Newburgh and Douglass Goodale

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 227 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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See Also: Erratum

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A question we posed in a recent final examination has uncovered a fundamental difficulty for students in understanding destructive interference. The problem stated that glass of index n3 was coated with a thin film of a substance with index n2. The question then asked the student to calculate (a) the minimum coating thickness for maximum transmission into the glass and (b) the minimum thickness for minimum transmission into the glass, in both cases for a given wavelength. Questions from students during and after the examination showed that many had a problem in relating the interference to the transmission. We finally concluded that the source of confusion lay with an almost universally used figure in teaching interference in thin films, as well as the omission of the role of the electric field in reflection.
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.40.Ha Learning theory and science teaching
42.25.Hz Interference

Teaching Special Relativity Without Calculus

Lawrence Ruby

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 231 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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I 2007 many AAPT members received a booklet that is the first chapter of a physics textbook1 available on a CD. This book espouses the new educational philosophy of teaching special relativity as the first item in the topic of mechanics. Traditionally, special relativity is part of one or more modern physics chapters at the end of the text,2 and very often this material is never utilized due to time constraints. From a logical standpoint, special relativity is important in satellite communications and in cosmology, as well as in modern physics applications such as atomic theory and high-energy physics. The purpose of this paper is to show that the new philosophy can be carried out in a noncalculus physics course, by demonstrating that all of the principal results of special relativity theory can be obtained by simple algebra. To accomplish this, we shall propose alternate derivations for two results that are usually obtained with calculus. Textbooks2 typically obtain the equations for time dilation and for length contraction from simple considerations based on Einstein's second postulate.3 We shall start from this point.
Show PACS
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
03.30.+p Special relativity

Effectiveness of Ninth-Grade Physics in Maine: Conceptual Understanding

Michael J. O'Brien and John R. Thompson

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 234 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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The Physics First movement—teaching a true physics course to ninth-grade students—is gaining popularity in high schools. There are several different rhetorical arguments for and against this movement, and it is quite controversial in physics education. However, there is no actual evidence to assess the success, or failure, of this substantial shift in the science teaching sequence. We have undertaken a comparison study of physics classes taught in ninth- and 12th-grade classes in Maine. Comparisons of student understanding and gains with respect to mechanics concepts were made with excerpts from well-known multiple-choice surveys and individual student interviews. Results indicate that both populations begin physics courses with similar content knowledge and specific difficulties, but when learning concepts, ninth-graders are more sensitive to the instructional method used.
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01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
01.55.+b General physics
01.40.ek Secondary school
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A Simple Apparatus for Demonstrating How Light Rays Emanate From a Point Source

Kreetha Kaewkhong, Narumon Emarat, Kwan Arayathanitkul, and Alex Mazzolini

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 243

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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A point source of light sends out light rays in all directions and in straight lines. This is an important concept for all students who study elementary optics at the high school level. Most physics textbooks discuss this topic only briefly.1–6 They usually explain the concept by using two-dimensional diagrams even though a three-dimensional discussion may be more instructive. Much of the commercial demonstration equipment that can be used to explain this concept is very expensive (e.g., the optics kit from Suksapan Panit Company7 in Thailand costs approximately $70 U.S.). This and similar optics kits show that light propagates in straight lines but do not represent where the light beams come from. Because it is an abstract idea, most students still have considerable misunderstanding about this concept.8–14 This paper describes an effective but inexpensive (approximately $20 U.S.) apparatus to illustrate the behavior of light rays emitted isotropically from a point source of light. The apparatus is simple and is intelligible to students.
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01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b General physics
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Simulate Interference…With Supplies that Last

David Kagan

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 246

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
42.25.Hz Interference
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Three Questions Can Change Your Labs for the Better

Patricia Blanton

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 248

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Editor's note: This description gives those new to inquiry-style pedagogy an example as to how a typical introductory physics lab can be adapted for inquiry. I have never been able to find the author of this piece but share it here because it was posted to a listserv to be shared with physics teachers. If you are the author or know who wrote this, please let me know and I'll disclose it to our readers. My intent in publishing this is twofold: 1) to give beginning teachers an inquiry example, and 2) to encourage teachers to find an online community to share ideas and learn from experienced practitioners.
Show PACS
01.40.J- Teacher training
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
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Fermi Questions

Larry Weinstein

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 250

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.Kw Techniques of testing
01.50.Rt Physics tournaments and contests
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Fit for an I–V League

Boris Korsunsky

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 251

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.Rt Physics tournaments and contests
84.30.Bv Circuit theory
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Plastic Syringe Vacuum Cannon

Yasuo Ogawara

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 252

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.55.+b General physics
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More Summer 2009 Physics Teacher Professional Workshop announcements

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 254 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.30.Xx Publications in electronic media
01.10.Fv Conferences, lectures, and institutes

Vision 101: How the eye works, visual correction and wearing contacts

Diane Riendeau

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 254

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.50.H- Computers in education
01.30.Xx Publications in electronic media

Friction demonstrations with interleaved book pages

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 254

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.H- Computers in education
01.30.Xx Publications in electronic media
01.55.+b General physics

Convenient unit conversions using Google

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 254

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.50.H- Computers in education
01.30.Xx Publications in electronic media

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 254

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.J- Teacher training
01.50.H- Computers in education
01.30.Xx Publications in electronic media

Doing What Works: http:∕∕dww.ed.gov

Dan MacIsaac

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 254

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.40.J- Teacher training
01.30.Xx Publications in electronic media
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E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation: David Bodanis

Marshall Ellenstein

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 255

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.30.Vv Book reviews
03.30.+p Special relativity
01.65.+g History of science

MicroReviews by The Book Review Editor: Out of the Shadows: Contributions of Twentieth-Century Women to Physics: Nina Byers and Gary Williams

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 255

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

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Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.75.+m Science and society
01.85.+f Careers in physics and science

MicroReviews by The Book Review Editor: The Big Idea Collected: Six Revolutionary Ideas that Changed the World: Paul Strathern

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 255

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.65.+g History of science

MicroReviews by The Book Review Editor: Is There a LASER in the House?: Understanding Your High-Tech Everyday World: Amy E. Bieber

John L. Hubisz

The Physics Teacher -- April 2009 -- Volume 47, Issue 4, pp. 255

Online Publication Date: Mar 2009

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.50.-i Educational aids
42.55.-f Lasers
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