Related papers: How simple is simple pendulum
Simple ideas that shed new light on the physics of rotation as it concerns two famous experiments: The Wilson and Wilson, and the Michelson and Morley experiments.
The interaction of flexible polymers with fluid flows leads to a number of intriguing phenomena observed in laboratory experiments, namely drag reduction, elastic turbulence and heat transport modification in natural convection, and is one…
The present tutorial aims at covering the fundamentals of electromagnetism, in a condensed and clear manner. Some solved and proposed exercises have been included. The reader is assumed to have knowledge of basic electricity, partial…
Our aim in this proposal is by using the Faraday's law of induction as a simple lecture demonstration to measure the Earth's magnetic field (B). This will also enable the students to learn about how electric power is generated from the…
We establish an instructive experiment to investigate the minimum time curve traveled by a small billiard ball rolling in a grooved track under gravity. Our intention is to popularize the concept of \textit{minimum time curve} anew, and to…
A recent paper published in Am. J. Phys. describes an experiment designed to measure the one-way speed of light. Although the experiment is very interesting, in particular to be used in student laboratories, it is in fact determining the…
A Pomeron phenomenon remains a mystery. A short review of the experimental situation in diffractive physics and an account of some spectacular manifestations of the Pomeron are given.
The circular twin paradox and Thomas Precession are presented in a way that makes both accessible to students in introductory relativity courses. Both are discussed by examining what happens during travel around a polygon and then in the…
We have designed an introductory laboratory course that engaged first-year undergraduate students in two complementary types of iteration: (1) iterative improvement of experiments through cycles of modeling systems, designing experiments,…
This paper re-centres the discussion of student learning in physics to focus on context. In order to do so, a theoretically-motivated understanding of context is developed. Given a well-defined notion of context, data from a novel…
In this paper we show that there are applications that transform the movement of a pendulum into movements in $\mathbb{R}^3$. This can be done using Euler top system of differential equations. On the constant level surfaces, Euler top…
In this paper we propose a very specific educational challenge that teachers can use to motivate ambitious and enthusiastic mathematics students who have mastered basic trigonometry and trig functions. The objective is to lead students to a…
We describe a variant of the popular game "Pictionary" based on terms used in elementary and high school physics. We believe that drawing of physical terms helps students develop a deeper understanding of physical concepts behind them, as…
We consider a discrete time particle model for kinetic transport on the two dimensional integer lattice. The particle can move due to advection in the $x$-direction and due to dispersion. This happens when the particle is free, but it can…
In this paper we use a simple discrete model for Slinky to explore some of its static properties. We derive some relations for vertically and U-shaped suspended Slinkies, based on which, some demonstrations are proposed that can be simply…
A typical introductory treatment of electromagnetism culminates with the investigation of Maxwell's equations, showing the beautiful connection between the concepts covered in the many prior weeks. The lab described here is an experimental…
Learning physics requires understanding the applicability of fundamental principles in a variety of contexts that share deep features. One way to help students learn physics is via analogical reasoning. Students can be taught to make an…
Low energy experiments with photons can provide deep insights into fundamental physics. In this note we concentrate on minicharged particles. We discuss how they can arise in extensions of the standard model and how we can search for them…
Learning to create, use, and evaluate models is a central element of becoming a scientist. In physics, we often begin an analysis of a complex system with highly simplified or toy models. In introductory physics classes, we tend to use them…
This paper is a chapter from an upcoming book on cold molecule physics. In it we describe techniques for the preparation and manipulation of cold molecules. We further describe techniques for applying said cold molecules to tests of…