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For both casual and avid fans alike, Olympic and other sporting events can provide a wealth of data for simple physics analyses. One of the most impressive performances in recent Olympic history is that of Usain Bolt in the track‐and‐field sprinting events during the 2008 Summer Games. Over a seven‐day span, Bolt set world records in the 100‐m and 200‐m individual sprints and in the 4 × 100‐m sprint relay. In addition, Bolt left us all wondering what record time he might have run had he not eased into the finish line in the 100‐m dash. Naturally, one question many fans and observers immediately ask is: What makes Usain Bolt unique as a sprinter?

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
87.85.gj	Movement and locomotion

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Student Blogging about Physics

Karen E. Daniels

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 366

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In traditional introductory physics classes, there is often limited opportunity for students to contribute their own ideas, interests, and experiences as they engage with the subject matter. This situation is exacerbated in university lecture‐format classes, where students may not feel comfortable speaking during class. In the last few years, Internet blogs have become a decentralized format for diarists, independent journalists, and opinion makers to both post entries and allow commentary from their readers. Below, I will describe some techniques for using student blogging about physics to engage students from two different classroom environments: a calculus‐based introductory mechanics class for scientists and engineers, and an honors seminar for first‐year students. These assignments required them to make their own connections between classroom knowledge and situations where it might find applications. A second goal of including blogging in the introductory physics course was to induce students to write about the physics content of the class in a more substantive way than was previously part of the class.

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
01.40.ek	Secondary school
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies

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Using a Force Probe to Study Transverse Pulses and Reflections on a Plucked Elastic Cord

Ari Hämäläinen and David Abbott

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 368

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Before the advent of microcomputer‐based labware (MBL), “time‐of‐flight” measurements^1,2 for the speed of a transverse pulse on a string required elegant apparatus. This paper describes how to use an off‐the‐shelf MBL force sensor and a computer to perform the measurement. The data shown in this paper were collected using Vernier Software's wireless dynamics sensor system and Logger Pro software,³ but almost any common force sensor coupled with a computer or graphing calculator should work. You will also need about 2 m of string or elastic cord⁴ and a meterstick or tape measure.

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus

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Hydromonochord: Visualizing String Vibration by Water Swirls

Wilfried Sommer, Ralf Meier‐Böke, and Nicholas Meinzer

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 370

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The hydromonochord is a horizontal vibrating string that just makes contact with the surface of a water bath. The motion of the string sets up a pattern of swirls on the surface of the water, thus complementing the usual pattern of nodes and antinodes. The device is based on the traditional monochord.¹ A water basin (Fig. 1) has two slits in the opposite walls on the left‐hand side, with the width of the slits equal to the diameter of the string. Consequently, the slits function as fixed bridges and form the nodes of a standing wave. The string is bowed or plucked on the part outside the basin, and the frequency is controlled by the position of the variable bridge on the right‐hand end of the string. If the position of this bridge is related in a simple way with the length of the basin, patterns of swirls will occur on the surface of the water, visualizing the vibration of the string. We will present a series of experiments and show how to integrate them into the very first stage of teaching acoustics.

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
43.10.Sv	Education in acoustics, tutorial papers of interest to acoustics educators
46.40.-f	Vibrations and mechanical waves
47.32.Ef	Rotating and swirling flows

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Simulation of the Inferior Mirage

Mario Branca

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 372

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A mirage can occur when a continuous variation in the refractive index of the air causes light rays to follow a curved path. As a result, the image we see is displaced from the location of the object.¹ If the image appears higher in the air than the object, it is called a “superior” mirage, while if it appears lower it is called an “inferior” mirage.² The most common example of an inferior mirage is when, on a hot day, a stretch of dry road off in the distance appears to be wet (see Fig. 1). Many lab activities have been described that simulate the formation of superior mirages. In these demonstrations light beams curve downward as they pass through a nonuni‐form fluid.^3–6 Much less common are laboratory demonstrations of upward‐curving light rays of the kind responsible for inferior mirages. This paper describes a simple version of such a demonstration.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
42.25.Gy	Edge and boundary effects; reflection and refraction
51.70.+f	Optical and dielectric properties

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Verge and Foliot Clock Escapement: A Simple Dynamical System

Mark Denny

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 374

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The earliest mechanical clocks appeared in Europe in the 13th century. From about 1250 CE to 1670 CE, these simple clocks consisted of a weight suspended from a rope or chain that was wrapped around a horizontal axle. To tell time, the weight must fall with a slow uniform speed, but, under the action of gravity alone, such a suspended weight would accelerate. To prevent this acceleration, an escapement mechanism was required. The best such escapement mechanism was called the verge and foliot escapement, and it was so successful that it lasted until about 1800 CE. These simple weight‐driven clocks with verge and foliot escapements were accurate enough to mark the hours but not minutes or seconds. From 1670, significant improvements were made (principally by introducing pendulums and the newly invented anchor escapement) that justified the introduction of hands to mark minutes, and then seconds. By the end of the era of mechanical clocks, in the first half of the 20th century, these much‐studied and much‐refined machines were accurate to a millisecond a day.¹

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
06.30.Ft	Time and frequency
01.40.ek	Secondary school

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Why Are So Many Things in the Solar System Round?

Steven J. Heilig

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 377

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Several years ago a student asked why so many things in the solar system were round. He noted that many objects in the solar system, although not all, are round. The standard answer, which he knew, is that the mutual gravitational attraction of the molecules pulls them into the shape that gets them as close to each other as possible: a sphere. This argument works fine for fluid bodies such as the Sun or Jupiter, but it isn't so simple for a solid object—we have all seen rocks that are not round. There is still a gravitational attraction acting between the rock's molecules, butfor small rocks that force does not overcome the strength of the bonds holding those molecules in their relative positions. Since the strength of the gravitational force grows with the size of the object, a large enough rock will have a strong enough gravitational attraction to force a deformation into a round shape. But how large is that? A simple model gives an answer to this question. There is also renewed interest in this topic as a result of the new definition of a planet approved by the International Astronomical Union, which says in part, “A ‘planet’ is a celestial body that… has sufficient mass for its self‐gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape.”¹ What size object is large enough to satisfy this criterion? Where does Pluto fall regarding this question?

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.40.gf	Theory of testing and techniques
95.30.Sf	Relativity and gravitation

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Designer Nuclei — Making Atoms that Barely Exist

Kate L. Jones and Witold Nazarewicz

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 381

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The physics of nuclei is not a democratic field. It has to be said, some nuclei are just more interesting than others. And some are more useful than others, either to explain the origins of the elements, or the nature of matter itself, or for uses in medicine and other applied fields. The trick is to work out which nuclei are going to be the most important, and then go out and make them. Nuclear physicists are getting increasingly better in fabricating and characterizing short‐lived nuclei with desired properties, the designer nuclei. This paper describes selected frontiers of this research. For an in‐depth overview, the reader is referred to the recent report.¹

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01.50.-i

Educational aids

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A Measurement of g Using Alexander's Diving Bell

M. Quiroga, S. Martínez, and S. Otranto

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 386

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This paper describes a very simple exercise using an inverted test tube pushed straight down into a column of water to determine the free‐fall acceleration g. The exercise employs the ideal gas law and only involves the measurement of the displacement of the bottom of the “diving bell” and the water level inside the tube with respect to the water column surface. The experiment is ideal for students in introductory physics courses.

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01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies

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Investigating Diffusion and Entropy with Carbon Dioxide‐Filled Balloons

James Jadrich and Crystal Bruxvoort

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 388

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Fill an ordinary latex balloon with helium gas and you know what to expect. Over the next day or two the volume will decrease noticeably as helium escapes from the balloon. So what happens when a latex balloon is filled with carbon dioxide gas? Surprisingly, carbon dioxide balloons deflate at rates as much as an order of magnitude faster than helium balloons. An investigation into the details of this phenomenon provides students with an excellent opportunity to apply the kinetic theory of gases and the ideal gas law, and it can also be exploited for a dramatic in‐class demonstration of diffusion and the second law of thermodynamics.

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01.40.gf	Theory of testing and techniques
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
51.10.+y	Kinetic and transport theory of gases
51.20.+d	Viscosity, diffusion, and thermal conductivity
51.30.+i	Thermodynamic properties, equations of state

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Tracking Connections: An Exercise about Series and Parallel Resistances

Srdjan Jankovic

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 391

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Unlike many other topics in basic physics, series and parallel resistances are rarely noticed in the real life of an ordinary individual, making it difficult to design a laboratory activity that can simulate something familiar. The activities described here entail minimal costs and are based on a puzzle‐like game of tracking wire connections. A simple resistor‐based device is built by students, which enables them to use a common multimeter to track down wire connections in a set of unmarked wires. A similar approach is sometimes used by electricians to identify wire connections.¹

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01.50.Zv	Errors in physics classroom materials
01.40.ek	Secondary school
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.Qb	Laboratory course design, organization, and evaluation

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A Simple Demonstration for Estimating the Persistence of Vision

Iain MacInnes and Stuart Smith

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 394

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In the “The Science Study Series” book The Physics of Television,¹ it is stated that persistence of vision lasts for about a tenth of a second. This will be a notional figure just as 25 cm is taken to be the least distance of distinct vision. Estimates range from 1/8 to 1/16 s.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
42.66.Si	Psychophysics of vision, visual perception; binocular vision

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Innovative Physics Teaching Conferences in the Czech Republic

Rod Milbrandt

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 395 | Cited 1 time

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Even today, with all of the instant communication technologies available, we are still often unaware of all that happens in other parts of the world. In the middle of Europe, in the Czech Republic, physics teachers have created a couple of innovative conferences—or workshops might be a better term. Having attended two of each, I think they're worth publicizing more broadly.

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01.40.jh

Inservice training

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Calibration of a Horizontal Sundial

Barbara Rovšek

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 397 | Cited 1 time

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This paper describes how a horizontal sundial can be calibrated in a classroom without using the nontrivial equations of projective geometry. If one understands how a simple equatorial sundial works, one will also understand the procedure of calibrating a horizontal (or “garden,” as it is also called) sundial.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.Pa	Laboratory experiments and apparatus
06.30.Ft	Time and frequency

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A Trick of Gravity

Ronald Newburgh

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 401

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It's both surprising and rewarding when an old, standard problem reveals a subtlety that expands its pedagogic value. I realized recently that the role of gravity in the range equation for a projectile is not so simple as first appears. This realization may be completely obvious to others but was quite new to me.

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01.40.ek	Secondary school
01.40.gf	Theory of testing and techniques

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Thermodynamics and Human Population

Sean M. Cordry

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 403

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This paper discusses a Fermi‐problem exercise through which I take students in several of my college courses. Students work in teams, determining the average daily Caloric needs per person. Then they use insolation values to determine the size of a collection area needed to absorb the previously determined daily energy requirements. Adjustments to the size of the collection area are made based on energy absorption per biological trophic level, as well as the consideration that most diets are a mixture of plant‐ and animal‐derived elements. Finally, using the total amount of farmland available on the planet, students calculate a maximum population value. Although the maximum population values derived herewith should not be considered authoritative, the exercise has three beneficial purposes: 1) a chance to talk about the modeling process and extrapolations, 2) an unexpected application of physics to social contexts, and 3) raising student awareness of population and energy issues.

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01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
01.40.gf	Theory of testing and techniques
05.70.-a	Thermodynamics

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From Collaboration to Publication

Jerry O'Connor and Jill Marshall

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 408

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As co‐authors of a recent publication in Physical Review Special Topics‐ Physics Education Research,¹ we have received inquiries about the publication process.² We will describe the process of creating an article based on team work, in our case the work of the Texas Physics Assessment Team. Many physics teachers have opportunities to participate in collaborations for organizations like the AAPT and state education agencies. We may think of this work as service or professional development rather than research, but it can provide valuable information to the community as a whole and merits publication when presented in an appropriate format. Collaboration can provide a particularly important avenue toward publication for those of us at institutions dedicated primarily to teaching rather than research. Many data‐gathering efforts require the collaboration of individuals and institutions at all degree levels. Community colleges have more diverse student populations than large research institutions, and may be able to provide different perspectives on common problems in teaching and learning physics. We will present suggestions for future team work publications, including prospective publications reporting the work of AAPT area committees.

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01.40.J-

Teacher training

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Rephrasing Faraday's Law

S. Eric Hill

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 410 | Cited 3 times

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As physics educators, we must often find the balance between simplicity and accuracy. Particularly in introductory courses, it can be a struggle to give students the level of understanding for which they're ready without misrepresenting reality. Of course, it's in these introductory courses that our students begin to construct the conceptual framework that they'll flesh out over a physics curriculum. So a misrepresentation at this early stage will seed difficulties and stubborn misconceptions that can persist or even strengthen through subsequent courses, especially since many upper‐level texts focus more on techniques and would not directly challenge mistaken concepts. In the worst cases, our students retain misunderstandings past graduation, and even pass them on to their own students. One important case is the common representation of Faraday's law as showing that a time‐varying magnetic field causes a circulating electric field.

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.-d	Education

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Teaching Introductory Physics with an Environmental Focus

Mathew “Sandy” Martinuk, Rachel F. Moll, and Andrzej Kotlicki

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 413

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Throughout North America the curriculum of introductory physics courses is nearly standardized. In 1992, Tobias wrote that four texts dominate 90% of the introductory physics market¹ and current physics education research is focusing on how to sustain educational reforms.² The instructional team at the University of British Columbia (UBC) recently implemented some key curriculum and pedagogical changes in Physics 100, their algebra‐based introductory course for non‐physics majors. These changes were aimed at improving their students' attitudes toward physics and their ability to apply physics concepts to useful real‐life situations. In order to demonstrate that physics is relevant to real life, a theme of energy and environment was incorporated into the course.

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01.40.Di	Course design and evaluation
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies

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Wheel Diameter and Speedometer Reading

Clifton Murray

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 416

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Most introductory physics students have seen vehicles with nonstandard wheel diameters; some may themselves drive “low‐rider” cars or “big‐wheel” pickup trucks. But how does changing wheel diameter affect speedometer readout for a given speed? Deriving the answer can be followed readily by students who have been introduced to rotation, and it makes a good illustration of how reasoning in physics can lead to a result that is useful outside the classroom.

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01.40.gf	Theory of testing and techniques
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
06.30.Gv	Velocity, acceleration, and rotation

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A visual demo of the Doppler effect

Pangratios Papacosta

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 420

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Most physics teachers are familiar with the standard classroom demonstration of the Doppler effect. We invite students to explain the periodic variation of the pitch produced when we swirl a sounding buzzer over our heads. Students are quick to connect this phenomenon to everyday life experiences such as listening to the sound of the siren of a fast‐approaching police car or the bell of an approaching train. In addition to these aural experiences, our understanding of the Doppler effect can be strengthened with a useful visual metaphor.

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.F-	Audio and visual aids
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies
43.28.Py	Interaction of fluid motion and sound, Doppler effect, and sound in flow ducts

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Highs and lows

Diane Riendeau, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 422

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Special thanks to Dean Baird, Rio Americano HS, Carmichael, CA; Alicia Akers, Deerfield High School, Deerfield, IL; Mark Moverman, Lab School of Washington, Washington, DC.

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01.50.F-

Audio and visual aids

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A band of brothers

Boris Korsunsky, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 423

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.-d	Education

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Fermi Questions

Larry Weinstein, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 424

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i

Educational aids

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Enhancing learning through scientific mini‐debates

Timothy F. Slater

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 425

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Can your students “talk science” as a result of your instruction? Science education reformers argue that successful approaches to students learning science must feature experiences that allow students to “know, use, and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world,” to “generate and evaluate scientific evidence and explanations,” and to “participate productively in scientific practices and discourse.”¹ Although one can readily agree that these are important characteristics of science education, finding ways to purposefully and frequently implement such elements is challenging indeed. Assigning numerical problems from the back of a physics or astronomy textbook seems to fall short. Similarly, tasking students to complete hands‐on laboratory exercises verifying concepts presented in class appears to be insufficient. Driver and her colleagues argue that most science education learning environments do not provide sufficient opportunities for students to construct and respond to scientific arguments.² Additionally, Osborn found that students do not naturally develop the skills needed for scientific discourse unless the skills are intentionally taught.³ So, how might one infuse the learning of science with opportunities for students to practice “talking science”?

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01.40.gb

Teaching methods and strategies

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A new spin on an old demo

Steve Colletti and Jay Walgren

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 427

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Abstract Unavailable

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

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Paul Hewitt's Next Time Questions (with solutions) available from Arbor Scientific website

Dan MacIsaac, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 428

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01.50.My	Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.40.Di	Course design and evaluation
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies

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The Classroom Astronomer website and the To Teach the Stars Network

Larry Krumenaker, Publisher and Editor: The Classroom Astronomer

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 428

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.40.-d	Education

Select this Article		Demonstrating magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) propulsion in a minute Dan MacIsaac, Column Editor The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 428 Full Text: Read Online (HTML) \| Download PDF
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Select this Article		Physics of surfing resources Dan MacIsaac, Column Editor The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 428 Full Text: Read Online (HTML) \| Download PDF
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A Japanese Approach: The Manga Guide to Physics: Hideo Nitta, Keita Takatsu

John L. Hubisz, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 429

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.fh

Posters, cartoons, art, etc.

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MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Thus Spoke Galileo: The Great Scientist's Ideas and Their Relevance to the Present Day: Andrea Frova & Mariapiera Marenzana

John L. Hubisz, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 429

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.30.Vv	Book reviews
01.50.-i	Educational aids
01.60.+q	Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries

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MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Lectures on Quantum Mechanics: Paul A. M. Dirac

John L. Hubisz, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 429

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Abstract Unavailable

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03.65.-w	Quantum mechanics
98.80.-k	Cosmology
01.30.Vv	Book reviews

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MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: An Introduction to Cosmology: Jeremy Bernstein

John L. Hubisz, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 429

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.30.Vv

Book reviews

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MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Nucleus: A Trip to the Heart of Matter: Ray Mackintosh, Jim Al‐Khalili, Björn Jonson and Teresa Peña

John L. Hubisz, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 429

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.30.Vv

Book reviews

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MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: The Nature of Space and Time: Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose

John L. Hubisz, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 429

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Abstract Unavailable

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03.65.-w	Quantum mechanics
98.80.-k	Cosmology
01.30.Vv	Book reviews

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MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: Mechanics, Heat, and the Human Body: An Introduction to Physics: Howard D. Goldick

John L. Hubisz, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 429

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01.30.Vv

Book reviews

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MicroReviews by the Book Review Editor: The Magic Furnace: The Search for the Origins of Atoms: Marcus Chown

John L. Hubisz, Column Editor

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 429

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.30.Vv	Book reviews
01.50.-i	Educational aids

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Using web videos as a recruiting tool

Robert Ehrlich

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 430

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Abstract Unavailable

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
01.40.gb	Teaching methods and strategies

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Demonstrating the sign of a static charge using an inexpensive oscilloscope

Jonathan Mitschele

The Physics Teacher -- September 2010 -- Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 431

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If you have an inexpensive oscilloscope, such as the Hameg HM 203–4 and Hitachi V‐222 oscilloscopes I happen to have in my lab (expensive models are well‐shielded from external fields and will not work), you can use them for a vivid determination of the sign of the static charge on an object. To do this, turn the instrument on and adjust the settings so that the beam is not moving, is near the center of the CRT screen, and is quite dim. With a means of putting a static charge on an object—an electrophorus, silk and a glass rod, fur and amber, a comb and your hair (I should note that it is a law of nature that combs become negatively charged when run through dry hair), etc.— have your students gather around the front of the oscilloscope so that each student can see the point of light on the screen (for large classes, a videocam can be used to display what happens on the CRT screen), then darken the room enough that the beam can be seen easily.

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01.50.ht	Instructional computer use
01.50.F-	Audio and visual aids

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Sep 2010

Volume 48, Issue 6, pp. 358-431

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