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Articles 181 - 210 of 220

Full-Text Articles in Physics

Elementary And Middle School Science Lesson Plan: Solid, Liquid, Gas, What Is It?, Getaway Special Team 2010 Sep 2010

Elementary And Middle School Science Lesson Plan: Solid, Liquid, Gas, What Is It?, Getaway Special Team 2010

Education and Outreach

No abstract provided.


Spinning Tubes: An Authentic Research Experience In A Three-Hour Laboratory, Arnold E. Sikkema, Steven D. Steenwyk, John Zwart May 2010

Spinning Tubes: An Authentic Research Experience In A Three-Hour Laboratory, Arnold E. Sikkema, Steven D. Steenwyk, John Zwart

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

We discuss a three-hour laboratory that is a microcosm of physics research, starting with the discovery of an intriguing phenomenon, and including participation in “research conferences” and the interplay of theory and experiment. Students are given a small segment of PVC pipe marked at opposite ends with different symbols and asked to observe what happens when the pipe is placed on a horizontal surface and one end is pushed downward by a finger to initiate a rotation. Most students immediately recognize that the symbol at one end is visible while the other is not, and set about trying to understand …


A Phenomenographic Study Of Introductory Physics Students: Approaches To Their Learning And Perceptions Of Their Learning Environment In A Physics Problem-Based Learning Environment, Paul Irving Jan 2010

A Phenomenographic Study Of Introductory Physics Students: Approaches To Their Learning And Perceptions Of Their Learning Environment In A Physics Problem-Based Learning Environment, Paul Irving

Doctoral

This phenomenographic study describes students’ approaches to learning and their perceptions of the learning environment in an introductory physics course which is taught using a problem-based learning approach. This research builds on previous studies which showed that these students develop a greater conceptual knowledge than their counterparts in a more traditional learning environment while others showed very little development even though they engaged fully with the pedagogy. This study aimed to examine and describe the students’ approaches to learning. The definitions of surface, strategic and deep approaches to learning are not appropriate in this context and could not be applied …


Intonation And Compensation Of Fretted String Instruments, Gabriele U. Varieschi, Christina M. Gower Jan 2010

Intonation And Compensation Of Fretted String Instruments, Gabriele U. Varieschi, Christina M. Gower

Physics Faculty Works

We discuss theoretical and physical models that are useful for analyzing the intonation of musical instruments such as guitars and mandolins and can be used to improve the tuning on these instruments. The placement of frets on the fingerboard is designed according to mathematical rules and the assumption of an ideal string. The analysis becomes more complicated when we include the effects of deformation of the string and inharmonicity due to other string characteristics. As a consequence, perfect intonation of all the notes on the instrument cannot be achieved, but complex compensation procedures can be introduced to minimize the problem. …


Sixth Grade Lesson Plan: Heat Moves, Getaway Special Team 2009 Oct 2009

Sixth Grade Lesson Plan: Heat Moves, Getaway Special Team 2009

Education and Outreach

No abstract provided.


Fifth Grade Lesson Plan: Solid, Liquid, And Gas, Getaway Special Team 2009 Oct 2009

Fifth Grade Lesson Plan: Solid, Liquid, And Gas, Getaway Special Team 2009

Education and Outreach

No abstract provided.


Conceptual Development About Motion And Force In Elementary And Middle School Students, Dewey I. Dykstra, Dale R. Sweet May 2009

Conceptual Development About Motion And Force In Elementary And Middle School Students, Dewey I. Dykstra, Dale R. Sweet

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Methods of physics education research were applied to find what kinds of changes in 4th, 6th, and 8th grade student understanding of motion can occur and at what age. Such findings are necessary for the physics community to effectively discharge its role in advising and assisting pre-college physics education. Prior to and after instruction the students were asked to carefully describe several demonstrated accelerated motions. Most pre-instruction descriptions were of the direction of motion only. After instruction, many more of the students gave descriptions of the motion as continuously changing. Student responses to the diagnostic and to the activity materials …


Visualizing Atomic Orbitals Using Second Life, Andrew Lang, David C. Kobilnyk Apr 2009

Visualizing Atomic Orbitals Using Second Life, Andrew Lang, David C. Kobilnyk

College of Science and Engineering Faculty Research and Scholarship

We demonstrate the usefulness of Second Life as a platform for enlivening major concepts in chemistry education. These concepts include absorption spectra, selection rules, quantum numbers, and atomic orbital shapes. We have built several exhibits in Second Life which provide 3-dimensional interactivity for each of those areas: an interactive experiment showing the absorption spectrum of hydrogen, an interactive model of selection rules showing allowed and forbidden transitions for each state, a 3-dimensional grid of orbitals showing the constraints on the values of quantum numbers, and a large-scale interactive orbital display allowing the user to choose and rotate to-scale atomic orbitals …


A Phenomenographic Study Of Introductory Physics Students: Approaches To Problem Solving And Conceptualisation Of Knowledge., Laura Walsh Jan 2009

A Phenomenographic Study Of Introductory Physics Students: Approaches To Problem Solving And Conceptualisation Of Knowledge., Laura Walsh

Doctoral

This phenomenographic study presents a description of the approaches to problem solving and conceptualisation of physics knowledge of introductory physics students, specifically in the context of the Irish higher education system. Much research has been carried out that has shown that physics students are not developing the conceptual knowledge necessary to become adept problem-solvers. This may be due to the traditional physics education assumption that students will develop an understanding of the conceptual nature of physics by repetitively solving quantitative problems. However, research has shown that this is not the case and that education and the curriculum needs to explicitly …


Unlv Magazine, Holly Ivy De Vore, Tony Allen, Barbara Cloud, Erin O'Donnell, Matthew K. Jacobsen, Gian Galassi, Michelle Mouton, Afsha Bawany, Shane Bevell Oct 2008

Unlv Magazine, Holly Ivy De Vore, Tony Allen, Barbara Cloud, Erin O'Donnell, Matthew K. Jacobsen, Gian Galassi, Michelle Mouton, Afsha Bawany, Shane Bevell

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.


A Teaching Intervention To Increase Achievement Of Hispanic Nonscience Majors Taking Physical Science Courses, G. Herold Poelzer, Liang Zeng Sep 2008

A Teaching Intervention To Increase Achievement Of Hispanic Nonscience Majors Taking Physical Science Courses, G. Herold Poelzer, Liang Zeng

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

This quasi-experimental pilot study of nonscience majors taking a physical science course at a university in South Texas was conducted on Hispanic undergraduate students, and is theory based--an application of attribution theory. That the treatment group outperformed the comparison group provides evidence of the positive effect of having students reflect on controllable reasons for their grades and on their subsequent planning of strategies to maintain or improve those grades. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)


Collaborative Research: Research On The Learning And Teaching Of Thermal Physics, John R. Thompson Mar 2008

Collaborative Research: Research On The Learning And Teaching Of Thermal Physics, John R. Thompson

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Groups at Iowa State University and the University of Maine will collaborate in a coordinated program of research and research-based curriculum development in thermal physics, targeting both introductory general physics courses and advanced-level undergraduate courses. The research component involves one-on-one student interviews, written pre- and post-test questions, and multiple-choice surveys. This research is then applied to the development of curricular materials intended to improve student understanding in a manner consistent with active-learning methods previously shown be effective in physics instruction. The curriculum will in turn be evaluated for its effectiveness at addressing the student difficulties previously identified through research.

This …


A Geowall With Physics And Astronomy Applications, Phillip Dukes, Dan Bruton Jan 2008

A Geowall With Physics And Astronomy Applications, Phillip Dukes, Dan Bruton

Faculty Publications

A GeoWall is a passive stereoscopic projection system that can be used by students, teachers, and researchers for visualization of the structure and dynamics of three-dimensional systems and data. The type of system described here adequately provides 3-D visualization in natural color for large or small groups of viewers. The name “GeoWall” derives from its initial development to visualize data in the geosciences.1 An early GeoWall system was developed by Paul Morin at the electronic visualization laboratory at the University of Minnesota and was applied in an introductory geology course in spring of 2001. Since that time, several stereoscopic media, …


Using Computational Methods To Reinvigorate An Undergraduate Physics Curriculum, Jaime R. Taylor, B. A. King Iii Sep 2006

Using Computational Methods To Reinvigorate An Undergraduate Physics Curriculum, Jaime R. Taylor, B. A. King Iii

Physics Faculty Research

Austin Peay State University's Department of Physics and Astronomy has reinvigorated its physics program by adding a required computational methods class and small computational components to classes across its curriculum. A front-to-back problem management approach has required a change in the way the department assesses students' performance.


Engaging Physics Students Using Environmental Lab Modules, John M. Pratte May 2006

Engaging Physics Students Using Environmental Lab Modules, John M. Pratte

Faculty Articles

Discusses multi-week activity modules that use civic engagement to increase student interest and learning in physics. Components of the modules; Activities included in the modules; Assessment of student learning and interest using the modules.


Toy Blocks And Rotational Physics, Gabriele U. Varieschi, Isabel R. Jully Sep 2005

Toy Blocks And Rotational Physics, Gabriele U. Varieschi, Isabel R. Jully

Physics Faculty Works

Have you ever observed a child playing with toy blocks? A favorite game is to build towers and then make them topple like falling trees. To the eye of a trained physicist this should immediately look like an example of the physics of “falling chimneys,” when tall structures bend and break in mid-air while falling to the ground. The game played with toy blocks can actually reproduce well what is usually seen in photographs of falling towers, such as the one that appeared on the cover of the September 1976 issue of The Physics Teacher.1 In this paper we describe …


How We Think About And Prepare To Teach Physics, Dewey I. Dykstra Aug 2004

How We Think About And Prepare To Teach Physics, Dewey I. Dykstra

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We have been preparing physics teachers in the same manner for many decades. Yet, physics education research reveals for some observers disturbing evidence of little or no change in understanding the phenomena occurs as a direct result of physics instruction from elementary school through the college years. The apparent compatibility between these learning results and prevailing paradigm enables the construction of a description the paradigm. If it can be demonstrated that there is even just one alternative paradigm from which powerful alternative pedagogical practice is derived, are we not obligated to change how we prepare to teach physics?


Student Explorations Of Quantum Effects In Leds And Luninescent Devices, Lawrence Escalada, N. Sanjay Rebekki, Dean A. Zollman Mar 2004

Student Explorations Of Quantum Effects In Leds And Luninescent Devices, Lawrence Escalada, N. Sanjay Rebekki, Dean A. Zollman

Faculty Publications

We developed activity-based instructional units to introduce basic quantum principles to students with limited physics and mathematics backgrounds. To emphasize the practical applications of contemporary physics, we introduced concepts using the contexts of light-emitting devices such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), fluorescent lamps, and glow-in-the-dark toys. As our standard of living becomes more dependent on the latest developments in science and technology, our students' literacy must be at a level that enables them to make educated decisions on science- and technology-related issues and their everyday applications. Students need to have at least a basic understanding of 20th-century physics and its applications …


Physics First, Marcelo Alonso Dec 2003

Physics First, Marcelo Alonso

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

It is true that now most biology courses begin with the DNA molecule, and many chemistry courses introduce the notion of electronic orbitals in atoms and molecules, topics for which students are not well prepared, since most of them have not taken physics courses. Physics courses in turn relegate to the end some discussion of the structure of matter and electromagnetic interaction, or do not discuss that at all. Thus, students miss the overall picture.


Toy Models For The Falling Chimney, Gabriele U. Varieschi, Kaoru Kamiya Oct 2003

Toy Models For The Falling Chimney, Gabriele U. Varieschi, Kaoru Kamiya

Physics Faculty Works

In this paper we review the theory of the ‘‘falling chimney,’’ which deals with the breaking in mid-air of tall structures when they fall to the ground. We show that these ruptures can be caused by either shear forces typically developing near the base, or by the bending of the structure which is caused primarily by the internal bending moment. In the latter case the breaking is more likely to occur between one-third and one-half of the height of the chimney. Small scale toy models are used to reproduce the dynamics of the falling chimney. By examining photos taken during …


How Big Is Our Sun?, Mark Moldwin Feb 2000

How Big Is Our Sun?, Mark Moldwin

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Putting large numbers into human perspective by using ratios of a known quantity to an unknown quantity is an important scientific skill. An astronomy activity that encourages the use of estimation and helps students get a handle on large numbers is the making of a scale model of Earth and Sun that is relative in both size and distance.


A Longitudinal Study Of Engineering Student Performance And Retention. V. Comparisons With Traditionally-Taught Students, Richard M. Felder, Gary Felder, E. Jacquelin Dietz Jan 1998

A Longitudinal Study Of Engineering Student Performance And Retention. V. Comparisons With Traditionally-Taught Students, Richard M. Felder, Gary Felder, E. Jacquelin Dietz

Physics: Faculty Publications

In a longitudinal study at North Carolina State University, a cohort of students took five chemical engineering courses taught by the same instructor in five consecutive semesters. The courses made extensive use of active and cooperative learning and a variety of other techniques designed to address a broad spectrum of learning styles. Previous reports on the study summarized the instructional methods used in the experimental course sequence, described the performance of the cohort in the introductory chemical engineering course, and examined performance and attitude differences between students from rural and urban backgrounds and between male and female students.1–4 This paper …


Teaching College Physics To A Blind Student, Michelle Parry, Mark Brazier, Ephraim Fischbach Nov 1997

Teaching College Physics To A Blind Student, Michelle Parry, Mark Brazier, Ephraim Fischbach

Chemistry & Physics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Metastable States In Classical And Quantum Systems, Mark Makela, Samantha Parmley, Roger Yu Jul 1997

Metastable States In Classical And Quantum Systems, Mark Makela, Samantha Parmley, Roger Yu

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

The classical vibrational metastable states in a one-dimensional two-mass system are investigated experimentally and theoretically via the transmission of a coherent wave packet propagating through the system. The Fourier transform of the vibrational signal recorded in between the masses reveals resonant excitations by the coherent wave packet. The time-resolved spectrum indicates that the lifetime of a metastable state of higher frequency is longer than that of lower frequency, which is in contrast with the quantum mechanical double-barrier system. This study, which is easily accessible to physics majors, also demonstrates quantum resonant tunneling in a very simple classical way.


Reconnecting The Sciences, John Eggebrecht, Raymond Dagenais, Don Dosch, Norman J. Merczak, Margaret N. Park, Susan C. Styer, David Workman May 1996

Reconnecting The Sciences, John Eggebrecht, Raymond Dagenais, Don Dosch, Norman J. Merczak, Margaret N. Park, Susan C. Styer, David Workman

Faculty Publications & Research

During the last three years at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, we have been working on a partial reconstruction of Whitehead's "one subject matter," a course reconnecting biology, chemistry, earth and space sciences, and physics into an Integrated Science program.


The Physics Of Motocross, Jeffrey R. Giles, Charles D. Ross Apr 1996

The Physics Of Motocross, Jeffrey R. Giles, Charles D. Ross

Chemistry & Physics Faculty Publications

The article describes how the laws of physics allow the motocross rider to control the flight of a motorcycle.


Demonstrating Hysteresis In Ferroelectric Materials, Deborah Schurr, Timothy Usher Jan 1995

Demonstrating Hysteresis In Ferroelectric Materials, Deborah Schurr, Timothy Usher

Physics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Fermi Problems: Educated Guesses, John A. Adam Jan 1995

Fermi Problems: Educated Guesses, John A. Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Calculus-Based Physics Exploratory Study: Summary Report, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy Dec 1994

Calculus-Based Physics Exploratory Study: Summary Report, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

Documents

During the 1992-1993 academic year a number of elements (national level surveys and research reports, IMSA’s professional development focus; a climate of reflective inquiry) focused attention on the participation and achievement of females in mathematics and science at a national level and, specifically, the participation and achievement of females in mathematics and science at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. These elements served as the catalyst for the calculus-based physics exploratory study.


Proposal For A Dod Combined Battlefield Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) Initiative, George H. Baker Iii Oct 1993

Proposal For A Dod Combined Battlefield Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) Initiative, George H. Baker Iii

Department of Integrated Science and Technology - Faculty Scholarship

The presentation emphasizes the growing importance of electromagnetic survivability and compatibility. Operation Desert Storm demonstrated the clear military advantage provided by sophisticated electronic weapon and communication systems. In addition, the offensive tactic of taking out the enemy's eyes and ears during the air war paid off, giving our military decisive air superiority. The lessons for the future are clear. High-tech electronics now so dominates the battlefield that the outcome of future conflicts could well be decided by electronics attrition rather than human casualties. Our Desert Storm experience thus accentuates the importance of guaranteeing that our electronic systems will not be …