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Nonlinear waves are a robust phenomenon observed in complex systems ranging from mechanics to ecology. Fronts are fundamental due to their robustness against perturbations and capacity to propagate one state over another. Controlling and…
We present the first results in a new program intended to make the best use of all available technologies to provide an effective understanding of waves from inspiralling black hole binaries in time for imminent observations. In particular,…
Vortex dynamics are an important topic in fluid dynamics, explaining phenomena like drag and lift generation, jet propulsion, and corner flows. It is also often excluded from introductory or undergraduate fluid dynamics courses on account…
Motile and driven particles confined in microfluidic channels exhibit interesting emergent behavior from propagating density bands to density shock waves. A deeper understanding of the physical mechanisms responsible for these emergent…
We report on the development of students' ideas of probability and probability density in a University of Maine laboratory-based general education physics course called Intuitive Quantum Physics. Students in the course are generally math…
The proper choice of a measurement technique that minimizes systematic and random uncertainty is an essential part of experimental physics. These issues are difficult to teach in the introductory laboratory, though: because most experiments…
Wavelet basis functions are a natural tool for analyzing turbulent flows containing localized coherent structures of different spatial scales. Here, wavelets are used to study the onset and subsequent transition to fully developed…
Guided wave testing is a popular approach for monitoring the structural integrity of infrastructures. We focus on the primary task of damage detection, where signal processing techniques are commonly employed. The detection performance is…
The brain modifies its synaptic strengths during learning in order to better adapt to its environment. However, the underlying plasticity rules that govern learning are unknown. Many proposals have been suggested, including Hebbian…
In our daily lives, we observe objects sinking, floating, or rising when immersed in a fluid. The Archimedes principle, which explains an object's behavior when immersed in a fluid, is important in fluid mechanics; however, it is a…
The complex formations exhibited by schooling fish have long been the object of fascination for biologists and physicists. However, the physical and sensory mechanisms leading to organized collective behavior remain elusive. On the physical…
We study gravitational waves from a particle moving around a system of a point mass with a disk in Newtonian gravitational theory. A particle motion in this system can be chaotic when the gravitational contribution from a surface density of…
A large number of wave modes exist in a magnetized plasma. Their properties are determined by the interaction of particles and waves. In a simulation code, the correct treatment of field quantities and particle behavior is essential to…
Professional development workshops are commonly used to promote the adoption of research-based instructional strategies among physics and astronomy faculty. After learning about such strategies, faculty are often motivated to modify and…
In classical continuum physics, a wave is a mechanical disturbance. Whether the disturbance is stationary or traveling and whether it is caused by the motion of atoms and molecules or the vibration of a lattice structure, a wave can be…
Bending waves are perhaps the most fundamental and analytically tractable phenomena in warped disc dynamics. In this work we conduct 3D grid-based, numerical experiments of bending waves in laminar, viscous hydrodynamic and turbulent,…
Asymptotic analysis provides powerful insights into physical systems by examining their behavior in limiting cases. This paper explores how extending this advanced methodology to high school physics education can deepen conceptual…
In a recent paper a mathematical model for quantum measurement was presented. The phenomenon of wave particle duality, which is introduced in every beginning course of quantum theory, can be explained using this model. Although it is a…
Questions of participant understanding of the nature of an activity have been addressed in anthropology and sociolinguistics with the concepts of frames and framing. For example, a student may frame a learning activity as an opportunity for…
When education researchers describe newly developed curricular materials, they typically concentrate on the research base behind their design, and the efficacy of the final products, but do not highlight the initial stages of creating the…