Related papers: The amazing normal forces
The origin of friction force is a very old problem in physics, which goes back to Leonardo da Vinci or even older times. Extremely important from a practical point of view, but with no satisfactory explanation yet. Many models have been…
We study some mechanical problems in which a friction force is acting on the system. Using the fundamental concepts of state, time evolution and energy conservation we explain how to extend Newtonian mechanics to thermodynamics. We arrive…
When students are learning to use math in physics, one of the most important ideas they need to learn is that equations are not just calculational tools; they represent relationships between physical variables that change together (covary).…
The illuminating role of differential forms in electromagnetism is seldom discussed in the classroom. It is the aim of this article to bring forth some of the relevant insights that can be learnt from a differential forms approach to E\&M.…
Physics has a bad press: it is seen by a majority of people as a boring discipline ever since their High School days. There is no glamour to it, just toil and pain, and for many who engaged in it, the end sight is often unemployment. Could…
This paper is an electronic application to my set of lectures, subject:`Formal methods in solving differential equations and constructing models of physical phenomena'. Addressed, mainly: postgraduates and related readers. Content: a…
With the expansion of e-learning course curricula and the affordability of haptic devices, at-home virtual laboratories are emerging as an increasingly viable option for e-learners. We outline three novel haptic simulations for the…
In applied mechanics Reye's law (1860) establishes, via energy arguments, that the mass of the debris produced by dry friction in the contact of rigid bodies is proportional to the work done by friction forces. This result has long been…
Both the basic educational contents for students and study programs for science teachers include several topics in physics and astronomy, from the simplest ones to others as advanced as nuclear fusion to explain stellar evolution and…
High school science classrooms across the United States are answering calls to make computation a part of science learning. The problem is that there is little known about the barriers to learning that computation might bring to a science…
An elementary understanding of the relevant length, mass and energy scales at the molecular level can be used to explain the order of magnitude of material properties such as mass density, latent heat, surface tension, elastic moduli and…
A common learning goal for modern physics instructors is for students to recognize a difference between the experimental uncertainty of classical physics and the fundamental uncertainty of quantum mechanics. Our prior work has shown that…
The reform of the upper secondary school in Italy has recently introduced physics in the curricula of professional schools, in realities where it was previously absent. Many teachers, often with a temporary position, are obliged to teaching…
During the past several years the authors have developed a new approach to the teaching of Physical Science, a general education course typically found in the curricula of nearly every college and university. This approach, called `Physics…
With the advent of high-level programming languages capable of quickly rendering three-dimensional simulations, the inclusion of computers as a learning tool in the classroom has become more prevalent. Although work has begun to study the…
In this mostly pedagogical tutorial article a brief introduction to modern geometrical treatment of fluid dynamics and electrodynamics is provided. The main technical tool is standard theory of differential forms. In fluid dynamics, the…
This tutorial is designed to make reinforcement learning (RL) more accessible to undergraduate students by offering clear, example-driven explanations. It focuses on bridging the gap between RL theory and practical coding applications,…
The classic brachistrochrone problem is standard material in intermediate mechanics. Many variations exist including some accessible to introductory students. While a quantitative solution isn't feasible in introductory classes, qualitative…
Particle physics has evolved a coherent model that characterizes forces and particles at the most elementary level. This Standard Model, built from many theoretical and experimental studies, is in excellent accord with almost all current…
A microscopic theory for the ubiquitous phenomenon of static friction is presented. Interactions between two surfaces are modeled by an energy penalty that increases exponentially with the degree of surface overlap. The resulting static…