Other Physics Commons^™

Sustainability Research Through The Lens Of Environmental Ethics, Daniel Clifford Fouke, Sukh Sidhu, Robert J. Brecha

Physics Faculty Publications

Two core courses in the curriculum of the University of Dayton’s Sustainability, Energy, and the Environment minor, Sustainability Research I and II, were developed out of the frustration one author, Daniel Fouke, experienced while teaching a traditional course on environmental ethics for the Department of Philosophy. The often-overwhelming nature of environmental problems tended to demoralize both the instructor and the students. Seeking a way to integrate ethical analysis of complex problems with the search for solutions, two courses were proposed that would be team-taught by a philosopher and a scientist or an engineer.

Development of the courses was initially funded …

Investigating The Proposed Affordances And Limitations Of The Substance Metaphor For Energy, Lisa Goodhew

Honors Projects

This study explores the instructional advantages and disadvantages of representing energy as a material substance; this is done in the context of a computer simulation that illustrates processes of energy transfer and transformation. These affordances and limitations have been proposed in science education literature as extensions of the substance metaphor itself, but there is little empirical evidence to support them. This study is intended to provide preliminary empirical evidence for these affordances and limitations. We examine data from eight interviews conducted with students from Seattle Pacific University’s introductory physics classes as they used the simulation. We explore the hypotheses that …

Comparison Of The Sharpness Of Tungsten Field Emission Tips From Traditional Electrical Characterization To Tip Geometries Imaged By Scanning Electron Microscopy, Emma C. Reeves

Departmental Honors Projects

Using field emission data obtained from 11 etched Tungsten successful field emission tips of radius about 20 to 100 nanometers, FN type linear models were compared. The emission tip radii were determined using an iteration method derived from the modified FN linear equation. In addition, Scanning Electron Microscopy images of 5 successful emitters were obtained. These images were fit to a circular model to estimate the actual radius and compared to empirically predicted radius values. A hyperbolic model was further fit to the images and the circle of similar apex curvature was derived. A method for calculating the electric field …

The Double Pendulum: Construction And Exploration, Benjamin J. Knudson

Physics

The exploration of a nonlinear mechanical system, the Double Pendulum, a physical pendulum on the end of a physical pendulum, using analytic and experimental approaches. Also included discussion of the design and construction of the Double Pendulum apparatus to work with Vernier LabPro and LoggerPro. The apparatus outputs live data of the angles to a LoggerPro which collects and produces time evolution graphs as well as a corresponding animation lending itself to comparison with theoretical models. Normal mode frequencies are found both analytically and experimentally for the the general (real) double pendulum. Examples of both simple (periodic) and complex (chaotic) …

Response To Griffiths, Matthew S. Leifer

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

"First of all, I would like to thank Prof. Griffith for his comments. The exchange has reminded me of the series of letters that appeared in Physics Today following the publication of an article by Chandralekha Singh, Mario Belloni, and Wolfgang Christian on improving the teaching of undergraduate quantum mechanics (see http://ptonline.aip.org/ journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_60/iss_3/8_1.shtml). In those responses, both Griffiths and Travis Norsen argued that students’ understanding of quantum mechanics would be vastly improved if they were taught more about the foundations of quantum theory, and I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. The thing is, Griffiths argued vociferously that this should be …

African-American College Student Attitudes Toward Physics And Their Effect On Achievement, Carl Timothy Drake

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the attitudes that African-American college students have towards introductory college physics. The population targeted for this study consisted of African-American males and females enrolled in introductory college physics classes at an urban public historical black college or university (HBCU) located in the southeastern United States. Nine of the Fennema- Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales, modified for physics, were used to analyze the attitudes of the 135 participants enrolled in an introductory college physics class. The nine scales used to measure the students' attitudes were Attitude Toward Success in Physics Scale (AS), …

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.