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Physics 2710 – Example Exam Iii, David Peak

Exams

No abstract provided.

Interferometric Swath Processing Of Cryosat Data For Glacial Ice Topography, L. Gray, D. Burgess, L. Copland, R. Cullen, N. Galin, R. Hawley, V. Helm

Dartmouth Scholarship

We have derived digital elevation models (DEMs) over the western part of the Devon Ice Cap in Nunavut, Canada, using "swath processing" of interferometric data collected by Cryosat between February 2011 and January 2012. With the standard ESA (European Space Agency) SARIn (synthetic aperture radar interferometry) level 2 (L2) data product, the interferometric mode is used to map the cross-track position and elevation of the "point-of-closest-approach" (POCA) in sloping glacial terrain. However, in this work we explore the extent to which the phase of the returns in the intermediate L1b product can also be used to map the heights of …

Titanium Oxide Nanotubes: Synthesis, Properties And Applications For Solar Energy Harvesting, Eugen Panaitescu

Eugen Panaitescu

Titanium oxide (titania) nanotubes, although relatively recently discovered (less than 15 years ago), have already shown great promise regarding solar energy harvesting applications, exhibiting very good photocatalytic and photovoltaic properties. An alternative anodization route for production of titania nanotubes at the surface of a titanium foil using chloride ions as catalyst instead of the routinely used highly toxic fluorides, is presented in this work. Moreover, the fabrication parameters are extensively studied, thus providing both an insight into the synthesis mechanism and hints towards possible process optimization routes. Although not forming uniformly over the sample surface and lacking long range ordering, …

Transforming High School Physics With Modeling And Computation, John M. Aiken

Physics and Astronomy Theses

The Engage to Excel (PCAST) report, the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education, and the Next Generation Science Standards all call for transforming the physics classroom into an environment that teaches students real scientific practices. This work describes the early stages of one such attempt to transform a high school physics classroom. Specifically, a series of model-building and computational modeling exercises were piloted in a ninth grade Physics First classroom. Student use of computation was assessed using a proctored programming assignment, where the students produced and discussed a computational model of a baseball in motion via a high-level …

Analysis, Prototyping, And Design Of An Ionization Profile Monitor For The Spallation Neutron Source Accumulator Ring, Dirk A. Bartkoski

Doctoral Dissertations

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) located in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is comprised of a 1 GeV linear H^- [H^-] accelerator followed by an accumulator ring that delivers high intensity 1 μs [microsecond] long pulses of 1.5x10¹⁴ [1.5x10^14] protons to a liquid mercury target for neutron production by spallation reaction. With its strict 0.01% total beam loss condition, planned power upgrade, and proposed second target station, SNS ring beam-profile diagnostics capable of monitoring evolving beam conditions during high-power conditions are crucial for efficient operation and improvement. By subjecting ionized electrons created during beam interactions with the residual …

Measurement Of The Prompt Double J/Psi Production Cross Section In Pp Collisions At Sqrt(S) = 7 Tev, Andrew David York

Doctoral Dissertations

The simultaneous production of two J/psi mesons has been significantly observed in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the CMS detector. The two J/psi mesons are fully reconstructed in their decay to muons. The signal yield is extracted with an extended maximum likelihood fit based on four event variables. A method was developed to correct for detector acceptances and efficiencies based on the measured momenta of the J/psi and their decay muons to maintain the least model dependence possible.

The measurement is performed in an acceptance region defined by the individual J/psi transverse momentum and rapidity. …

Identifying Productive Resources In Secondary School Students' Discourse About Energy, Benedikt Walter Harrer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A growing program of research in science education acknowledges the beginnings of disciplinary reasoning in students’ ideas and seeks to inform instruction that responds productively to these disciplinary progenitors in the moment to foster their development into sophisticated scientific practice. This dissertation examines secondary school students’ ideas about energy for progenitors of disciplinary knowledge and practice. Previously, researchers argued that students’ ideas about energy were constrained by stable and coherent conceptual structures that conflicted with an assumed unified scientific conception and therefore needed to be replaced. These researchers did not attend to the productive elements in students’ ideas about energy. …

Information-Entropic Stability Bound For Compact Objects: Application To Q-Balls And The Chandrasekhar Limit Of Polytropes, Marcelo Gleiser, Damian Sowinski

Dartmouth Scholarship

Spatially-bound objects across diverse length and energy scales are characterized by a binding energy. We propose that their spatial structure is mathematically encoded as information in their momentum modes and described by a measure known as configurational entropy (CE). Investigating solitonic Q-balls and stars with a polytropic equation of state P=Kργ, we show that objects with large binding energy have low CE, whereas those at the brink of instability (zero binding energy) have near maximal CE. In particular, we use the CE to find the critical charge allowing for classically stable Q-balls and the Chandrasekhar limit for white dwarfs (γ=4/3) …

Kinetic Fractionation Of Gases By Deep Air Convection In Polar Firn, K. Kawamura, J. P. Severinghaus, M. R. Albert, Z. R. Courville

Dartmouth Scholarship

A previously unrecognized type of gas fractiona- tion occurs in firn air columns subjected to intense convec- tion. It is a form of kinetic fractionation that depends on the fact that different gases have different molecular diffusivi- ties. Convective mixing continually disturbs diffusive equi- librium, and gases diffuse back toward diffusive equilibrium under the influence of gravity and thermal gradients. In near- surface firn where convection and diffusion compete as gas transport mechanisms, slow-diffusing gases such as krypton (Kr) and xenon (Xe) are more heavily impacted by convec- tion than fast diffusing gases such as nitrogen (N2) and ar- gon …

Physics 2710 – Example Exam Ii, David Peak

Exams

No abstract provided.

College Of Science And Mathematics Newsletter, Fall 2013, College Of Science And Mathematics, Wright State University

College of Science and Mathematics Newsletters

This 8 page newsletter discusses various happenings within the College of Science and Mathematics. It begins with a letter from the dean, and continues on with news, events, alumni news, and other community news.

On The Origin Of Mode- And Bond-Selectivity In Vibrationally Mediated Reactions On Surfaces, Daniel Killelea, Arthur L. Utz

Chemistry: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The experimental observations of vibrational mode- and bond-selective chemistry at the gas–surface interface indicate that energy redistribution within the reaction complex is not statistical on the timescale of reaction. Such behavior is a key prerequisite for efforts to use selective vibrational excitation to control chemistry at the technologically important gas–surface interface. This paper outlines a framework for understanding the origin of non-statistical reactivity on surfaces. The model focuses on the kinetic competition between intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) within the reaction complex, which in the long-time limit leads to statistical behavior, and quenching, scattering, or desorption processes that restrict the …

Physics First: Impact On Sat Math Scores, Craig Earl Bouma

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has become a national priority and the call to modernize secondary science has been heard. A Physics First (PF) program with the curriculum sequence of physics, chemistry, and biology (PCB) driven by inquiry- and project-based learning offers a viable alternative to the traditional curricular sequence (BCP) and methods of teaching, but requires more empirical evidence. This study determined impact of a PF program (PF-PCB) on math achievement (SAT math scores) after the first two cohorts of students completed the PF-PCB program at Matteo Ricci High School (MRHS) and provided more quantitative data …

Astr 407: Physics Of The Interstellar Medium, Edward Schmidt

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Syllabi

Syllabus for ASTR 407: Physics of the Interstellar Medium syllabus for Fall 2013 semester.

Physics 2710 – Example Exam I, David Peak

Exams

No abstract provided.

Shadows In Time: A Study Of Temporal Metaphysics Through Hard Science Fiction And Its Restrictions On The Past And Future, Lindsey E. Mitchell

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

Through a series of essays, this body of work explores the varying theories concerning the nature of time and how each theory affects the possibility and outcome of time travel. Following these essays, a collection of short stories focuses on what the author considers the most probable theories concerning time and expands on how they might affect a time traveler's decisions and fate.

An Investigation Of Traveling-Wave Electrophoresis Using A Trigonometric Potential, James Vopal

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Traveling-wave electrophoresis, a technique for microfluidic separations in lab-on-achip devices, is investigated using a trigonometric model that naturally incorporates the spatial periodicity of the device. Traveling-wave electrophoresis can be used to separate high-mobility ions from low-mobility ions in forensic and medical applications, with a separation threshold that can be tuned for specific applications by simply choosing the traveling wave frequency. Our simulations predict plateaus in the average ion velocity verses the mobility, plateaus that correspond to Farey fractions and yield Devil's staircases for non-zero discreteness values. The plateaus indicate that ions with different mobilities can travel with the same average …

Building Physical Models Via Compressed Sensing, Gus L.W. Hart

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Areas of Interest: Model building; Statistical mechanics; Combinatorial searches; Group theory and symmetry; Monte Carlo; High performance computing; Python; Transparent conductors; Free energy and thermodynamic modeling; Computational materials science; Topological insulators; Lattice gas models; compressed sensing; and, Scientific software

Crystal Symmetries And Structure, Branton Campbell

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Employ x-ray and neutron scattering data to discover how the useful properties of a material depend on its atomic structure and defects. Recent work on nanoporous catalysts, alloys, multiferroics, magnetocalorics, piezoelectrics, and superconductors.

Monitoring Australian Year 8 Student Achievement Internationally : Timss 2011, Sue Thomson, Kylie Hillman, Nicole Wernert

Nicole Wernert

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2011) is an international study directed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). In Australia, TIMSS was managed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), and funded by the Australian and state and territory governments.

The goal of TIMSS is to provide comparative information about educational achievement across countries to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science. It also provides comparative perspectives on trends in achievement in the context of different educational systems, school organisational approaches and instructional practices and to enable this, TIMSS collects …

More Options, Fewer Students: Joint Physics And Chemistry Courses At Mount Royal University, Christopher C. Lovallo, Brett M. Mccollum

The Western Conference on Science Education

Mount Royal University is a new University with only a few majors in the sciences. This limits the number of students interested in chemistry and physics courses and makes it difficult to run advanced courses in these areas. We have responded to this problem by designing joint courses in Thermodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, and Solid State that count for credit as either a chemistry course or a physics course. Students in the courses were interviewed in order to determine whether the difficulty level and balance of topics in the courses was appropriate. This short and tweet will discuss the design decisions …

An Ethnographic Study: Becoming A Physics Expert In A Biophysics Research Group, Idaykis Rodriguez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Expertise in physics has been traditionally studied in cognitive science, where physics expertise is understood through the difference between novice and expert problem solving skills. The cognitive perspective of physics experts only create a partial model of physics expertise and does not take into account the development of physics experts in the natural context of research. This dissertation takes a social and cultural perspective of learning through apprenticeship to model the development of physics expertise of physics graduate students in a research group. I use a qualitative methodological approach of an ethnographic case study to observe and video record the …

College Of Science And Mathematics Newsletter, Summer 2013, College Of Science And Mathematics, Wright State University

College of Science and Mathematics Newsletters

This 8 page newsletter discusses various happenings within the College of Science and Mathematics. It begins with a letter from the dean, and continues on with news, events, alumni news, and other community news.

Computational Renormalization Scheme For Quantum Field Theories, Rainer Grobe, Qichang Su, R E. Wagner

Faculty publications – Physics

We propose an alternative technique for numerically renormalizing quantum field theories based on their Hamiltonian formulation. This method is nonperturbative in nature and, therefore, exact to all orders. It does not require any correlation functions or Feynman diagrams. We illustrate this method for a model Yukawa-like theory describing the interaction of electrons and positrons with model photons in one spatial dimension. We show that, after mass renormalization of the fermionic and bosonic single-particle states, all other states in the Fock space have finite energies, which are independent of the momentum cutoff.

Concepts Of Divine Action For A Theistic Approach To Psychology, Brent S. Melling

Theses and Dissertations

Recent years have seen increased interest in using theism (the perspective that assumes that God is currently actively in the world) as a conceptual framework for scientific inquiry. This interest has built particular momentum in psychology where several scholars have expressed that traditional naturalistic approaches limit understanding and investigation of psychology's subject matter and thus are insufficient to fully account for human phenomena. Others have previously made the case for the consideration of theism as a legitimate alternative basis for psychological theory, research, and practice. This dissertation begins with that consideration and examines what would be required to move a …

The Teaching/Research Nexus And Internationalisation: An Action Research Project In Radiation Physics, Susanna Guatelli, Catherine Layton, Dean Cutajar, Anatoly B. Rosenfeld

Anatoly Rozenfeld

This paper attempts to unpack the teaching and learning experiences of academics and students when a new way of teaching radiation physics was introduced. In an attempt to articulate the University of Wollongong’s commitment to the enhancement of the teaching/research nexus and to the development of learning communities, staff of the School of Physics in the Faculty of Engineering at University of Wollongong (UOW) implemented an action research project teaching scientific computing methodologies used in radiation physics to a combined laboratory class of postgraduates and undergraduates. The design of the practical laboratory classes took account of the expected heterogeneous computing …

Activity Determinants Of Helical Antimicrobial Peptides: A Large-Scale Computational Study, Yi He, Themis Lazaridis

Publications and Research

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), produced by a wide range of organisms, have attracted attention due to their potential use as novel antibiotics. The majority of these peptides are cationic and are thought to function by permeabilizing the bacterial membrane, either by making pores or by dissolving it (‘carpet’ model). A key hypothesis in the literature is that antimicrobial and hemolytic activity correlate with binding affinity to anionic and zwitterionic membranes, respectively. Here we test this hypothesis by using binding free energy data collected from the literature and theoretical binding energies calculated from implicit membrane models for 53 helical AMPs. We indeed …

Gravity Evolved, Clark Duvall

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Gravity Evolved is a galactic physics game, created for mobile devices. In the game, you make your own solar system by creating planets, and then placing weapons on the planets. The physics of these planets and projectiles shot by the weapons are then simulated. Gravity Evolved has a Battle mode, where your solar system is pitted against an opposing solar system. In Battle mode, you earn money to unlock, create, and upgrade items in your solar system. Gravity Evolved will be on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in the summer of 2013.

Meter-Sized Moonlet Population In Saturn's C Ring And Cassini Division, K. Baillié, J. E. Colwell, L. W. Esposito, Mark C. Lewis

Computer Science Faculty Research

Stellar occultations observed by the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph reveal the presence of transparent holes a few meters to a few tens of meters in radial extent in otherwise optically thick regions of the C ring and the Cassini Division. We attribute the holes to gravitational disturbances generated by a population of ~10 m boulders in the rings that is intermediate in size between the background ring particle size distribution and the previously observed ~100 m propeller moonlets in the A ring. The size distribution of these boulders is described by a shallower power-law than the one that describes the …

Discontinuities And Alfvenic Fluctuations In The Solar Wind, G. Paschmann, S. Haaland, B. Sonnerup, T. Knetter

Dartmouth Scholarship

We examine the Alfvenicity of a set of 188 solar wind directional discontinuities (DDs) identified in the Cluster data from 2003 by Knetter (2005), with the objective of separating rotational discontinuities (RDs) from tangential ones (TDs). The DDs occurred over the full range of solar wind velocities and magnetic shear angles. By performing the Walen test in the de Hoffmann–Teller (HT) frame, we show that 77 of the 127 crossings for which a good HT frame was found had plasma flow speeds exceeding 80 % of the Alfven speed at an average angular deviation of 7.7◦; 33 cases had speeds …