Physics Education
We describe a simple and inexpensive method for automating the data collection in the well-known Cavendish torsion balance experiment to determine the gravitational constant $G$. The method uses a linear array of phototransistors and…
The ability to develop, use, and refine models of experimental systems is a nationally recognized learning outcome for undergraduate physics lab courses. However, no assessments of students' model-based reasoning exist for upper-division…
The special issue contains a monograph by M. Popel, in which the methodical foundations of the formation of professional competences of mathematics teachers in institutions of higher education of Ukraine are considered; the place of cloud…
We present a case study featuring a first-year bio-science university student using computation to solve a radioactive decay problem and interpret the results. In a semi-structured cognitive interview, we use this case to examine the…
Physics education researchers (PER) commonly use complete-case analysis to address missing data. For complete-case analysis, researchers discard all data from any student who is missing any data. Despite its frequent use, no PER article we…
We investigate student understanding of energy and momentum concepts at the level of introductory physics by designing and administering a 25-item multiple choice test and conducting individual interviews. We find that most students have…
Since twelve years the researchers of the Roman area organize the European Researchers' Night, a project funded by European Commission to discover science and meet researchers through an Europe-wide public event dedicated to fun learning.…
The deformation of a loaded bike tire has been analyzed with a model consisting of a toroid of thin inextensible walls mounted on a central rim. If the tire radius is much shorter than the rim radius, the deflection, d, of the tire can be…
Measuring the coefficient of kinetic friction is much more difficult than that of the static counterpart. Here we report a simple method using minimal tool to accurately measuring the coefficient of kinetic friction. We employed an inclined…
Invited contribution to the inaugural issue of {\em Physics Educator.}
In this paper we suggest to anticipate the introduction of concepts such as quantum state and the operators connected to their transformations well in advance of what is usually done.
Although environmental radioactivity is all around us, the collective public imagination often associates a negative feeling to this natural phenomenon. To increase the familiarity with this phenomenon we have designed, implemented, and…
When light is incident upon a diffraction grating, images of the grating appear at periodic intervals behind the grating. This phenomenon and the associated self-imaging distance were named after Talbot who first observed them in the…
This work examines student meaning-making in undergraduate physics problem-solving. We use a social semiotic perspective to sketch a theoretical framework. The social semiotic approach focuses on all types of meaning-making practices that…
This document contains supplementary material for the article with the same title that appeared in American Journal of Physics in 2019
We introduce a game to illustrate the principles of quantum mechanics using a qubit (or spin-first) approach, where students can experience and discover its puzzling features first-hand. Students take the role of particles and scientists.…
Introductory physics lab instruction is undergoing a transformation, with increasing emphasis on developing experimentation and critical thinking skills. These changes present a need for standardized assessment instruments to determine the…
Student-generated multiple-choice questions (MCQs) revised by the instructor were used to design an educational game and to set part of the exam in the framework of an elementary course in Photonics. An anonymous survey among the students…
This article presents an application developed for electronically managing and analyzing assessment data for ABET accreditation purposes using Microsoft Access. It facilitates the data entry, analysis and record-keeping for criterion 3 and…
The aim of this paper is to present the impact achieved by Frascati Scienza Association on society and research through the European Researchers' Night project funded by the European Commission within the years 2006-2015. The project has…