We describe an educational activity that can be done by using smartphones to collect data in physics experiments aimed to measure the oscillating period of a spring-mass system and the elastic constant of the helicoidal spring by the dynamic method. Results for the oscillating period and for the elastic constant of the spring agree very well with measurements obtained by different methods. We also

In this study, it is aimed to calibrate an LDR-Lux meter with a calibration setup which includes a light bulb whose brightness can be changed by using a dimmer circuit, a data acquisition card, a smartphone and a lux meter application. In order to make the measurements more accurate and to prevent errors in the measurements, a smartphone and a laptop were connected to each other via internet browser

The role of peer and teacher mediation in discussions about two original scientific texts in the final year of high school in Brazil is explored in this study. A text by James C Maxwell, deals with the characterisation of light as an electromagnetic phenomenon, and refers to the continuous manner of the distribution of energy by radiation in space. The other, by Ludwig Boltzmann, is about thermodynamics

In the epidemic period, online teaching has become the most important teaching form. On the basis of questions-centred massive open online courses (MOOCs) teaching, the online teaching mode of college physics was studied and discussed using the Tencent classroom, WeChat/QQ and Wisdom Tree Platform. MOOCs before class, Tencent classroom during class, WeChat/QQ in the whole process including solving

We developed new teaching materials, electrical resistors and capacitors, using carbon nanotube (CNT) paper and carbon fibre (CF) paper to foster students’ creative thinking, thereby deepening and extending learning. Using a CNT-paper electrical resistor, it is possible to elucidate the dependence of the resistance value on the length and width. The resistance value is proportional to the length and

Induced seismicity has received a lot of attention in recent years. This new natural phenomenon appeared as a result of active human influence on nature. The phenomenon has been detected in places of natural gas and oil recovery, and geological storage of CO2. One of the main reasons for the observed seismic activity is associated with the adsorption-induced deformation of rocks. We present experimental

Measuring time of motion using photogates is a good solution when the moving object has plane surfaces or when you can put upon it a plane surface object, which acts as a beam stopper. There are however situations where other devices, and in particular micro-switches, although they are much cheaper than photogates, perform at least as well as photogates. In this frontline, I describe how we can construct

Huygens’ principle in which every point on a propagating wave acts like a point source of radiation is a foundation principle of physics. Normally, Huygens’ principle is demonstrated by passing a wave, for example a water or light wave through an aperture comparable in size to the wavelength. In this paper, an experiment is described in which a 0.1 mm diameter copper wire is placed in front of a laser

A horizontal rule is fix pivoted at one end so that it can rotate downwards. Coins placed on the rod will fall, but will they all leave the rod at the same time? In a second experiment can you beat gravity and catch two coins balanced on a glass.

A concept for undergraduate mechanics courses at universities is introduced where traditional pencil-paper based exercises are partially replaced by experimental exercises, in which smartphones are used as measurement devices. A detailed guidance for practical realization and implementation of these tasks formats into the course is presented. Three smartphone-based experimental exercises ‘The tilting

This paper shows how two distinct but related models can be used to bring out the essential physics of heat flow in one dimension. The first is a simple step-wise procedure using SMath Studio, while the second is an electric analogue using a basic RC ladder connected to an Arduino microcontroller. Both models can be demonstrated in real time within a lecture or teaching-laboratory environment. Differences

The aim of this study is to design an argumentation-based educational digital game to teach the subject of force. Through a design-based research method, each game section includes the argumentation questions that foster students to think about the ‘force’ subject. We pilot studied the game with 12 grade 4 students in a state primary school. After successive three pilot studies, we revised and fixed

We present our outreach program, the Thailand–UK Python+Astronomy Summer School (ThaiPASS), a collaborative project comprising UK and Thai institutions and assess its impact and possible application to schools in the United Kingdom. Since its inception in 2018, the annual ThaiPASS has trained around 60 Thai high-school students in basic data handling skills using Python in the context of various astronomy

The physics of a hula hoop is determined primarily by the effect of the centripetal force acting on the hoop. However, the friction force on the hoop also plays a role. A simple experiment is described showing how an increase in the friction coefficient can help to prevent the hoop falling.

An apparatus of the 70 s for measuring thermal conductivity in different materials is used to visualize, through an infrared thermal imaging approach, temperature fields and the heat diffusion process. The observed temperature profiles also suggest solid grounds for a fair mathematical modelling of this phenomenon.

Books: Peter Main reviews ‘‘Mars" by Stephen O'Meara. Rick Marshall reviews ‘‘There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness" by Carlo Rovelli. Peter Main reviews ‘‘Einstein Was Right" Edited by Jed Z. Buchwald. Equipment: John Kinchin reviews ‘‘Inspire TimingProTM Bluetooth Dynamics System".

This paper proposes a design-based activity for students to learn about the concept of torque using everyday materials and equipment.

This paper demonstrates the use of the sensors of a smartphone in recording experimental data for studying the moment of inertia of a compound pendulum. The smartphone was attached to the beam to record at various points the angular position and angular speed of a compound pendulum. We altered the position of the smartphone along the beam resulting in the change of the system’s moment of inertia. The

A set of student activities is presented based on astronomical observations made by ancient and medieval astronomers. The activities are implemented using freeware planetarium software and can be accessed by astronomy educators or anyone with an interest in the history of astronomy. The use of planetarium software offers a unique possibility to reproduce landmark observations in a fun and interactive

In Vietnam, nuclear physics is a fundamental part of the national curriculum for physics. However, due to a lack of experimental apparatus (detectors, radioactive sources, etc) at most of the schools, the majority of students do not have opportunities to experience the phenomena behind the concepts. Moreover, safety is another major concern when conducting experiments on radioactive materials. We have

Kundt’s tube is a popular experiment commonly used in schools, in which standing sound waves are made visible inside a glass tube. A fine powder is stirred up in areas of high sound particle velocities, so that one can measure the wavelength of the sound waves by examining the patterns created. In this way, the ‘invisible’ can be made visible. However, when looking at educational contexts, Kundt’s

Sound is an interesting topic for physics lessons at all ages. However, it is difficult to illustrate this ubiquitous phenomenon and many models do not adequately represent the properties of sound and thus promote unwanted conceptions. The experiment presented here avoids this by visualising sound itself with the help of the schlieren technique. For this purpose, an easily reproducible variant of a

A way to promote student interest and engagement in physics is by capitalizing on students’ skills in arts and crafts to design and make physics-based toys. This article illustrates how two students (averaging 14 years of age) in the authors’ science class designed and fabricated a variation of a physics-based teaching aid that demonstrates the concept of resonance. The students value-added to the

Twenty first century expertise often requires high-level and cross-disciplinary skills that ought to be a part of todays’ educational activities. Therefore, educational undertakings should be designed in such a way that students can gain the desired expertise and skills. The present work offers an Arduino-based STEM education material, specifically designed to teach the work–energy theorem. The designed

A small scale ‘wall of death’ experiment was set up to illustrate and to measure the forces involved. The experiment involved rotating a ball or a cylindrical tube inside a transparent tennis ball container so that the rotation frequency could be measured from video film. Static friction prevents the object falling even though the object rotates around a vertical wall.

This paper combines the physics of the Atwood machine and the classic elevator problem. An Atwood machine equipped with accelerometers is used to determine the acceleration in the bodies’ frames. The product of this acceleration by the mass of the body gives us the weight of the body in that frame. The body that accelerates up weighs more than in the laboratory and the body that accelerates down weighs

We designed and tested a 3D motion tracking system which displays acquired and derived data using augmented reality. This setup, based on a virtual reality headset and its controllers, is a relatively low-cost, high-precision, six degrees of freedom, high-speed, multiple-objects tracking device. This apparatus proves to be a very high-quality motion sensor which can be used in the physics laboratory

In this paper, a Lego-based interferometer, developed by a first-year bachelor physics student, is presented. The interferometer is home-built at low cost, using household items such as glass panes for beamsplitters and reflecting smartphone logos for mirrors. It is able to produce stable and visible fringes, of which shifting can be monitored. The presented methods allow students to build and conduct

This paper describes the use of a smartphone’s motion sensors in investigating the rotational motion of a rectangular board rotating around a fixed axis. The smartphone’s motion, orientation, rotational rate, and acceleration are simultaneously recorded across the x-, y-, and z-axes. In the experiment, the experimental data (angular position and angular speed of the rotating board) were recorded and

This paper presents preparations, execution and reflection on results for the physics part of a CSI task for the European Union Science Olympiad 2010, taking place at the University of Gothenburg. The participants were required to make a graph of the cooling of a swede (Brassica napus), as a proxy for the cooling of a murder victim, and to choose a mathematical expression for the cooling curve, as

Teaching modern physics in high school is of increasingly importance as it can offer students a more realistic and updated vision of the world, and can provide an opportunity to understand the most recent scientific discoveries. In this context, general relativity (GR) occupies a prominent place, since it is related to astonishing scientific results, such as the first image of a black hole or the discovery

A hula hoop rotating around a person’s waist is an example of circular motion where the centripetal force on the hoop is directed towards the centre of the circle rather than the centre of the hoop. The friction force on the hoop is relatively small by comparison since the hoop rolls around the waist. A slight complication is that the hoop rotates in an elliptical path if the waist rotates back and

The calculation of the magnetic field produced by a loop current using the Biot–Savart law is a very typical exercise in introductory university physics. However, the cases studied are limited, in most textbooks, only the circular arrangement is treated. In this article, we calculate the magnetic field of an elliptical loop current along an axis that passes through its centre. This calculation uses

General relativity (GR) represents the most recent theory of gravity, on which all modern astrophysics is based, including some of the most astonishing results of physics research. Nevertheless, its study is limited to university courses, while being ignored at high-school level. To introduce GR in high school, one of the approaches that can be used is the so-called rubber sheet analogy (RSA), i.e

During the periods of sudden transition to online education, the opportunity to make applications that might attract students’ attention to the course has decreased even more. Although this deficiency tried to be eliminated with videos and simulations, it was not possible to ensure the active participation of students in some cases. In this study, the Algodoo program, which can increase the efficiency

Although it originates from the ancient Greeks, optics still arouses a lot of scientific interest, mainly due to the technological innovation associated with it. One of its most interesting applications is related to optical metrology and the characterization of materials through optical techniques. While some of these processes can be explained in a simplified way using a few of the fundamental principles

If a ring is spun around a vertical rod then the ring remains at the same height for several seconds before it starts to fall. The effect is counter-intuitive. Experimental results are presented to show that if the ring is spinning fast enough then static friction will be sufficient to prevent the ring falling.

An experiment is described where three different spinning balls were dropped vertically on a horizontal surface, and the bounce was filmed with a video camera. The change in spin and horizontal speed of each ball was estimated theoretically, using equations familiar to physics students. The experiment provides an extension of the usual student exercise where a non-spinning ball is dropped vertically

In this paper I explain how I usually introduce the Schrdinger equation during the quantum mechanics course. My preferred method is the chronological one. Since the Schrdinger equation belongs to a special case of wave equations I start the course with introducing the wave equation. The Schrdinger equation is derived with the help of the two quantum concepts introduced by Max Planck, Einstein, and

Recently, the physics education community has taken a keen interest in modernising physics education. However, while topics in modern physics have great potential to engage students, these topics are abstract and hard-to-visualise. Therefore, many students hold mistaken pictures and misconceptions, which can impede learning. In this article, we expose a pervasive misconception about relativistic time

A significant approach that should be followed by physics teachers at the secondary education level in order to enhance students’ understanding is to highlight the generality of the mathematical procedures that describe different physical phenomena. In this paper, the common procedure that is used to calculate the duration of various physical phenomena is presented. Examples from different scientific

In this corrigendum we correct some typing errors. The corrections do not have any impact on the conclusions of the paper.

In this short note is presented a reply to a comment made by Professor Carl E Mungan on the paper “Comment on ‘Two blocks connected by a string with variable tension: a dynamic case’".

In order to describe the velocity of two bodies after they collide, Newton developed a phenomenological equation known as ‘Newton’s experimental law’ (NEL). In this way, he was able to practically bypass the complication involving the details of the force that occurs during the collision of the two bodies. Today, we use NEL together with momentum conservation to predict each body’s velocity after collision

An Atwood-type machine is investigated in which one block moving along a frictionless horizontal track is connected by a string over an ideal pulley to a hanging block. In the usual setup, the pulley is located at the corner between the end of the track on a tabletop and a vertical drop down to the floor. An alternative geometry analysed by Herrera-Surez, Machado-Higuera, and Muoz (Phys. Educ. 55 055022)

Contemporary views on physics education in high schools promote the need for students to develop their conceptual understanding about physics phenomena. However, teaching in this way requires specialized professional knowledge and for pre-service physics teachers, such knowledge needs to be scaffolded and developed. A strategy to support this knowledge development includes eliciting metacognition,

We describe the design and implementation of a teaching-learning sequence that was started before the lockdown and was then transformed for distance teaching. A backward design approach was adopted in order to identify clear learning outcomes. The activities were outlined according to an inquiry-based learning paradigm, referring to research-based models. We discuss how these elements were relevant

Teaching materials used in distance education are generally obtained from the internet as ready-made by teachers. Materials such as simulation, animation and presentation are usually limited to the frame drawn by the creator and do not allow changes outside this limit. In addition, many of these types of materials do not have a feedback mechanism. The multimeter is one of the basic tools used in all

A simple algorithm for resolving directional ambiguities in inverse tangent computations is developed.

This paper describes a way to simulate and visualise 3D representations of the resultant electric field vector propagation for plane, circular and elliptically polarised waves. These polarisation states are obtained by the superposition of two coherent linearly polarised waves oscillating in two mutually perpendicular directions. The required data to obtain the simulations for these representations

The vertical bounce of a plastic egg was investigated by dropping the egg on a horizontal surface and filming the result with a video camera. If the egg is dropped on one end then it bounces just like a spherical ball. If the top end of the egg is pointing forwards or backwards when it lands on the surface, or if the egg is spinning when it lands, then the bounce is very different. The egg can bounce

An elementary-level physics approach is used to calculate a number of interesting and useful quantities related to nuclear explosions. The set of eight exercises deals with nuclear fission fragments, the variation of fissile nucleus density in a fissioning nuclear device core with time, and the fireball.

The present work offers an experimental technique specially designed and employed to comprehend and teach the Newton’s second law and to overcome certain instructional difficulties. The apparatus is mainly comprised of two specifically designed toy cars, two force sensors, one distance sensor, a pulley, two pieces of gut, an Arduino microprocessor and an ordinary computer. Newton’s second law is experimentally

Rick Marshall reviews ‘‘Quantum Reality" by Jim Baggott. John Kinchin reviews ‘‘Twenty Worlds" by Niall Deacon. Ruth Wiltsher reviews ‘‘Quantum Legacies" by David Kaiser. David Sang reviews ‘‘The Last Stargazers" by Emily Levesque.

Geometry, calculus and in particular integrals, are too often seen by young students as technical tools with no link to the reality. This fact generates a loss of interest in students with a consequent removal of motivation in the study of such topics and more widely in pursuing scientific curricula. With this note we put to the fore a simple example of practical interest where the above concepts prove

We show that the gravitational acceleration g near Earth’s surface can be easily determined with high accuracy by conducting the usual free fall experiment in high school or college physics laboratories. Unlike the conventional method of data analysis that uses formulas without taking air resistance into account, we consider the effect of air drag and solve the position function for the free falling

Connecting physics with the humanities is a fascinating challenge and a complicated cultural task. Yet, it is exactly what the Italian secondary-school graduation exam requires in its oral part. Although it has been criticized by teachers and students, here I provide a list of real school life examples and discuss why this can be a great, innovative opportunity for physics teachers to highlight the

This paper describes the development of a light polarization experimental apparatus for a remote laboratory. The apparatus had been developed by controlling the analyzer rotation using a stepper motor controlled via the Arduino. Device control and data acquisition applications were developed with LabVIEW which provides remote control panel facilities and web publishing tools. With the developed apparatus

This paper describes an experiment on uniform circular motion, carried out in a second year class of the High School ‘E. Fermi’ of Ragusa (Sicily/Italy), employing an old turntable and a smartphone using the phyphox app. Data analysis allowed us to confirm that the motion is maintained uniform for all three nominal values of the turntable frequencies. We were also able to measure angular accelerations

Since 2017 the Italian Space Agency (ASI) participates to so-called ‘Alternanza Scuola-Lavoro’ (i.e. ‘school-work synergy’) outreach projects promoted by the Italian government, and the ASI Space Science Data Center (SSDC) actively contributes to them, with the primary aim of bringing students closer to space-related activities before choosing their university studies. The SSDC outreach programme is