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In order to describe natural phenomena, science develops sophisticated models that use mathematical and formal languages which seem, and often are, very far from common experience. When a phenomenon is not accessible to our senses, its…
Concave mirrors are fundamental optical elements, yet some easily observed behaviors are rarely addressed in standard textbooks, such as the formation of multiple reflected images. Here we investigate self-imaging -- where the observer is…
In view of the trend towards smaller samples and experiments under extreme conditions it is important to deliver small and homogeneous neutron beams to the sample area. For this purpose, elliptic and/or Montel mirrors are ideally suited as…
The purpose of this paper (which, in many passages, I take the liberty of writing in the first person singular for bringing a personal experience) is to show how teachers of Physics and Mathematics in Basic Education can teach, through a…
Education is a goal-oriented field. But if we want to treat education scientifically so we can accumulate, evaluate, and refine what we learn, then we must develop a theoretical framework that is strongly rooted in objective observations…
The solid immersion lens is a powerful optical tool that allows light entering material from air or vacuum to focus to a spot much smaller than the free-space wavelength. Conventionally, however, they rely on semispherical topographies and…
Summary. A modified version of the two-slit experiment is proposed in which the moveable detector/counter used to obtain the fringe distribution by counting single photons at different positions on the screen plane is replaced with a mirror…
Measurement uncertainty plays a critical role in the process of experimental physics. It is useful to be able to assess student proficiency around the topic to iteratively improve instruction and student learning. For the topic of…
Frustrated total internal reflection is analyzed from an unusual point of view Unlike most similar works, incident angles are used here as the scanning variable, instead of the tunneled film thickness. The theoretical framework is presented…
We review and extend existing frameworks on modeling to develop a new framework that describes model-based reasoning in upper-division physics labs. Constructing and using models are core scientific practices that have gained significant…
We study theoretically the internal thermal noise of a mirror coated on a plano-convex substrate. The comparison with a cylindrical mirror of the same mass shows that the effect on a light beam can be reduced by a factor 10, improving the…
The aim of this work is to prove that it is possible to realise an optical system which produces as output a light intensity that can be expressed in the same mathematical form of the spin glass Hamiltonian. The optical system under study…
The objectives of physics laboratory courses include fostering conceptual understanding and development of several important cognitive, psycho-motor, attitudinal and affective abilities. In most of the Indian colleges and universities (and…
The parallel globe is an old, very simple and ingenious device that, when systematically employed in astronomy classes, becomes a teaching tool with great potential. Properly oriented according to the local meridian, this instrument allows…
One of the objectives of the undergraduate physics curriculum is for students to become aware of the connections between the fundamental principles of classical physics and their personal experience. Nonetheless, numerous studies have shown…
Spatial reasoning, the ability to understand and interpret the 3D structure of the world, is a critical yet underdeveloped capability in Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs). Current methods predominantly rely on verbal descriptive…
We redesigned an advanced physics laboratory course to include a project component. The intention was to address learning outcomes such as modeling, design of experiments, teamwork, and developing technical skills in using apparatus and…
This paper models light scattering through flat surfaces with finite transmission, reflection and absorption rates, with wave packets approaching the mirror from both sides. While using the same notion of photons as in free space, our model…
For multiple scientific endeavors it is common to measure a phenomenon of interest in more than one ways. We make observations of objects from several different perspectives in space, at different points in time; we may also measure…
In this paper it is explained the construction and utility of a didactic exhibit about the effect of aerosol in atmosphere on electromagnetic wave propagation. The exhibit is composed by a lamp simulating the Sun, a Plexiglas case (the…