Ch J. Salas-Juárez, S. Burruel-Ibarra, C. E. Gómez-Dominguez, M. Martínez-Gil, H. Borbón-Nuñez
{"title":"A Pedagogical Numerical Simulation of Persistent Luminescence Phenomenon for Teaching Radiation Dosimetry","authors":"Ch J. Salas-Juárez, S. Burruel-Ibarra, C. E. Gómez-Dominguez, M. Martínez-Gil, H. Borbón-Nuñez","doi":"10.1142/s2661339522500135","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2661339522500135","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents the theoretical bases and numerical simulation of the persistent luminescence applied to radiation dosimetry to create an educational exercise for undergraduate students who are beginning in the areas of physics and radiation dosimetry. Numerical simulation of persistent luminescence curves was performed using Mathcad v15 software. Persistent luminescence curves with first-order kinetics were simulated, and their relationship with the thermoluminescence phenomenon was also studied. In addition, this paper explains a series of numerical simulations that include various types of experiments that can be carried out to characterize materials that are constituted by a persistent luminescence property, for instance, dose-response, reusability, selection of measurement temperature, determination of lifetime [Formula: see text], energy activation E, and frequency factor s.","PeriodicalId":112108,"journal":{"name":"The Physics Educator","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121056587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Making Physics Teaching Inclusive Through a Humanistic Approach","authors":"L. Colletti","doi":"10.1142/s2661339522500160","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2661339522500160","url":null,"abstract":"Investments in physics education suffer from rather poor outcomes if we consider the high percentage of young people for whom physics is not perceived as a rich opportunity but only as an arid obstacle along their educational path. To make physics teaching more inclusive also with respect to these students, physics teachers should act as interpreters who combine and convey the powerful images and mental schemes typical of physics together with multiple cultural contexts. Only from this perspective, physics may finally represent an effective contribution to the growth and development of all, especially those who do not plan to become scientists. Systematic references to the humanities may offer a didactic approach that has been underestimated and little exploited until now.","PeriodicalId":112108,"journal":{"name":"The Physics Educator","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114845224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Solution for Simple Classical Systems Using SCILAB","authors":"Bikash Kumar Naik","doi":"10.1142/s2661339522500147","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2661339522500147","url":null,"abstract":"The use of computers as a learning tool has been a time-tested method, which can attract the interest and motivation of students to solve any complicated system easily. Scilab is an open-source computational software package that provides various tools to simulate and solve problems in classical mechanics. In this paper, two types of classical mechanics problems are solved. Under kinematics section, we solve the Projectile motion considering air resistance and particle falling under the action of gravity, with resistive force dependence on different exponents of velocity. Similarly, under the waves superposition section, we solve the two sinusoidal waves superimposed to give a Lissajous pattern and superposition of two or more waves using Scilab software for a better understanding of the classical problems by visualization of graphs, as Scilab has 2D and 3D plotting facilities.","PeriodicalId":112108,"journal":{"name":"The Physics Educator","volume":"66 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121109957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unveiling the Physics of Partial Differential Equations with Heuristics","authors":"V. Faraoni","doi":"10.1142/s2661339522500123","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2661339522500123","url":null,"abstract":"Heuristic arguments and order of magnitude estimates for partial differential equations highlight essential features of the physics they describe. We present order of magnitude estimates, and their limitations, for the three classic second order PDEs of mathematical physics (wave, heat, and Laplace equations), for first order transport equations, and for two nonlinear wave equations. It is beneficial to expose the beginning student to these considerations before jumping into more rigorous mathematics. Yet these simple arguments are missing from physics textbooks.","PeriodicalId":112108,"journal":{"name":"The Physics Educator","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133720601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Woithe, M. Boselli, P. Chatzidaki, M. N. Dahlkemper, Ruadh Duggan, G. Durey, Niklas Herff, Anja Kranjc Horvat, Daniele Molaro, G. Scheerer, S. Schmeling, P. Thill, Jeff Wiener, S. Zoechling
{"title":"Higgs in a Box: Investigating the Nature of a Scientific Discovery","authors":"J. Woithe, M. Boselli, P. Chatzidaki, M. N. Dahlkemper, Ruadh Duggan, G. Durey, Niklas Herff, Anja Kranjc Horvat, Daniele Molaro, G. Scheerer, S. Schmeling, P. Thill, Jeff Wiener, S. Zoechling","doi":"10.1142/s2661339522500196","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2661339522500196","url":null,"abstract":"The discovery of the Higgs boson by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations in 2012 concluded the longest search for a particle in the history of particle physics and was based on the largest and most complex physics experiments ever conducted, involving thousands of scientists and engineers from around the world. It provided crucial evidence for a theory developed in the 1960s that describes the existence of the invisible Brout–Englert–Higgs field and the effects of this field on the mass of elementary particles. After the discovery, the work on the theoretical prediction was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2013. This discovery provides a prime example of modern science in the making and a fantastic opportunity to discuss important aspects of Nature of Science (NoS) in the classroom. In this article, we draw connections between (a) milestones in the discovery of the Higgs boson, (b) important aspects of NoS, and (c) hands-on activities with mystery boxes, which are an effective tool to enable students to experience elements of scientific discovery and explicitly reflect on NoS. We hope that this supports educators in bringing lively discussions about modern physics research into their classrooms.","PeriodicalId":112108,"journal":{"name":"The Physics Educator","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121657308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Solutions of the Ortvay Rudolf International Competition in Physics: Self-Observation in Space (2017/40 Problem)","authors":"G. Ákos","doi":"10.1142/s2661339522500068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s2661339522500068","url":null,"abstract":"This paper is the second in a series of published solutions1 discussing problems of the Ortvay Rudolf international competition. The problem treated below is a simple exercise about grasping the fundamental aspects of a given phenomenon described within a qualitative “verbal” report and applying the principles learned in classical mechanics and geometric optics in order to explain its mechanism. The most important part of such problems is the interpretation of the phenomenon at hand, which naturally has a certain degree of vagueness, often allowing multiple scenarios. Similar tasks are often encountered, i.e. at the conceptual level of engineering and design. In this case, the problem can be interpreted most straightforwardly as the description of an optical phenomenon in which a free-falling observer sees (presumably) its own delayed optical image. Here, we will focus on one concrete solution, the calculation of which does not use mathematical techniques beyond those expected of first-year university students.","PeriodicalId":112108,"journal":{"name":"The Physics Educator","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130480152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Preparing Pre-Service Physics Teachers to Diagnose Students’ Conceptions Not Covered by Physics Education Textbooks","authors":"Markus Sebastian Feser, I. Krumphals","doi":"10.1142/S2661339522500081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S2661339522500081","url":null,"abstract":"To date, there is a lack of research on learning environments for pre-service physics teachers that allow them to learn and practise diagnosing students’ conceptions that are (currently) not covered in physics education textbooks (e.g. students’ conceptions about viscosity). In this study, we developed and piloted such a learning environment, which was implemented and piloted twice in a seminar for pre-service physics teachers. As coping with a diagnostic process is particularly demanding for pre-service physics teachers, our accompanying research aims to identify learning barriers within our developed learning environment. The results indicate that the participants experience the learning environment with varying degrees of difficulty. One main difficulty for pre-service physics teachers seems to be in interconnecting their content knowledge with their pedagogical content knowledge in the diagnostic process.","PeriodicalId":112108,"journal":{"name":"The Physics Educator","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116165503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Magnus Effect in Classroom: A New Low Cost Physics Lab","authors":"V. Ivchenko","doi":"10.1142/s266133952250010x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s266133952250010x","url":null,"abstract":"We consider a simple experiment, in which a paper cylinder rolls down an inclined ramp and falls off the edge of a table. If the cylinder is sufficiently light, the effects of the Magnus force on it will be visible, with its trajectory curving back below the edge of the table, instead of the usual parabolic path for a point mass. We construct a mathematical model that relates the density of air (among other physical quantities) to the vertical position of the cylinder when its horizontal displacement from the edge is maximum. Thus, with only a high-speed smartphone camera that captures the motion of the cylinder and any video analyzing tool, the air density in the classroom can be estimated.","PeriodicalId":112108,"journal":{"name":"The Physics Educator","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128082300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Dunningham, Olivia Keenan, Cristobel Soares, V. Benson, Michelle Limbert, Claire Hepwood
{"title":"SEPnet: A Sustainable Model for a Collaborative Physics Network","authors":"J. Dunningham, Olivia Keenan, Cristobel Soares, V. Benson, Michelle Limbert, Claire Hepwood","doi":"10.1142/S2661339522300015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S2661339522300015","url":null,"abstract":"The South East Physics network (SEPnet) is a collaboration among nine universities in the South East of England, working together to deliver excellence in physics. By sharing resources, we are able to add much more value to our departments, students, and subject than we could achieve individually. Our core ambitions include ensuring the sustainability of physics in our region, enhancing the employability of our students, delivering advanced training, securing the pipeline of future students, opening up new research opportunities and breaking down barriers to improve the accessibility of physics for everyone. We believe that SEPnet provides a tried and tested model that could be rolled out by others to improve the academic excellence of other disciplines in different regions.","PeriodicalId":112108,"journal":{"name":"The Physics Educator","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117211879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}