Related papers: Four pedagogic exercises
From the mesoscopic point of view, a new concept of soft matching for mass points is proposed. Then a soft Lasso's approach to learn the soft dynamical equation for the physical mechanical relationship is proposed, too. Furthermore, a…
We classify the interactions between self-propelled particles moving at a constant speed from symmetry considerations. We establish a systematic expansion for the two-body forces in the spirit of a multipolar expansion. This formulation…
We describe an example of learning with multiple representations in an A-level revision lesson on mechanics. The context of the problem involved the motion of a ball thrown vertically upwards in air and studying how the associated physical…
In the context of physics didactics, alternative instructional approaches have often been employed to facilitate conceptual understanding of various topics. In this article, an alternative formulation for analyzing the motion of bodies on…
Scientific research involves mathematical modelling in the context of an interactive balance between theory, experiment and computation. However, computational methods and tools are still far from being appropriately integrated in the high…
Incorporating computer programming exercises in introductory physics is a delicate task that involves a number of choices that may have a strong affect on student learning. We present an approach that speaks to a number of common concerns…
The purpose of the dynamics of moving systems is to search for the mathematical model that describes the link between the resultant applied force, that is the cause, and the speed of system that is the effect. This mathematical link…
We investigated the common difficulties that students have with concepts related to rotational and rolling motion covered in the introductory physics courses. We compared the performance of calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics…
We present a method for incorporating a stochastic point of view into physics exercises of mathematics education. The core of our method is the randomization of some inputs, the system model used does not differ from what we would use in…
In many situations, one can approximate the behavior of a quantum system, i.e. a wave function subject to a partial differential equation, by effective classical equations which are ordinary differential equations. A general method and…
Wellness and mindfulness act as buzzwords these days, often seen as separate from physics. Yet we know they are important, and everything is related to physics! In this article, we will consider a few simple classroom activities that can…
Studying worked examples has been shown by extensive research to be an effective method for learning to solve well-structured problems in physics and mathematics. The effectiveness of learning with worked examples has been demonstrated and…
During the last few years, several studies have proposed the existence of a threshold separating classical from quantum behavior of objects that is dependent on the size and mass of an object as well as being dependent on certain properties…
In this article, I discuss the motion of $N$ point masses in non-relativistic mechanics, when the interaction between them is purely the Newtonian gravitational interaction, with $N$ greater than or equal to 2. The dynamical equations of…
We calculate within a semiclassical approximation the autocorrelation function of cross sections. The starting point is the semiclassical expression for the diagonal matrix elements of an operator. For general operators with a smooth…
We analyze the problem of one dimensional quantum particle falling in a constant gravitational field, also known as the {\it bouncing ball}, employing a semiclassical approach known as momentous effective quantum mechanics. In this…
Projectile motion is a constant theme in introductory-physics courses. It is often used to illustrate the application of differential and integral calculus. While most of the problems used for this purpose, such as maximizing the range, are…
This paper aims to provide teachers with a tool to teach the essential features of special relativity, considering the students' difficulties highlighted by numerous studies. Our proposal presents special relativity as the solution to the…
Cross sections have been computed for rotational transitions of H2, induced by collisions with H atoms, using a recent H - H2 potential calculated by Mielke et al. [1]. These results are compared with those obtained with earlier potentials.…
I discuss the influence of adding the air resistance and the kinetic friction to the classical mechanics homework-problem: finding the motion of a body sliding down a hemispherical hill. For a physically realistic ($\propto v^2$) form of…