{"title":"Unconventional free fall measurements of g: involving the Pythagorean Theorem and inverse tangent function","authors":"Unofre B Pili","doi":"10.1088/1361-6552/ad6c9b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ad6c9b","url":null,"abstract":"The current work presents unconventional but instructionally useful approaches to data analysis and modelling that allow for measurements of the acceleration due to gravity, <italic toggle=\"yes\">g</italic>, using free-falling motion and the popular Tracker software. The two techniques detailed in this article illustrate the employability of the Pythagorean Theorem and the inverse tangent function in modelling free-falling motion that likewise, expectedly, permit for the determination of <italic toggle=\"yes\">g</italic>. These two mathematical concepts are brought to relevance by strategically situating the origin of the coordinate system at an appropriate point. The models returned values of the gravitational acceleration that are comparable to that by the traditional technique, the one directly based on the vertical position-time data. Additionally, the unconventional free-fall data analyses presented in this paper suggest extra and insightful activities for the students, exercises on a notably less-automated nonlinear curve fitting on a spreadsheet (<italic toggle=\"yes\">MS Excel</italic>) at most. Ultimately, by applying familiar mathematical concepts associated with a right triangle to nontraditional contexts like free-fall, this laboratory or lecture activity is perceived to spark greater interest of the students and enhance learning by unifying theory and experimental data.","PeriodicalId":39773,"journal":{"name":"Physics Education","volume":"68 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142197996","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":"Building aluminium-air battery on waste paper for DIY learning","authors":"Vinit Srivastava, Shivam Dubey, Abhay Singh Thakur, Rahul Vaish","doi":"10.1088/1361-6552/ad6d25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ad6d25","url":null,"abstract":"Environmental sustainability and the effective use of renewable resources are critical subjects that need to be integrated into our educational systems through practical, hands-on learning. This paper focuses on the fabrication of aluminium-air batteries using waste materials, providing an innovative and cost-effective DIY approach to energy storage education. Utilizing aluminium from food packaging and graphite from pencils, this study demonstrates the construction and functionality of an aluminium-air battery to run an LED, highlighting its potential applications in educational settings and low-cost energy solutions. The paper aims to inspire the adoption of environmentally friendly practices and enhance students’ understanding of electrochemical energy conversion through accessible and engaging DIY projects.","PeriodicalId":39773,"journal":{"name":"Physics Education","volume":"114 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142225272","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}
M A Bulla, T Oliviera, M K K D Franco, F Yokaichiya
{"title":"Cronpes: time measurement device suitable for teaching experimental physics in Brazil","authors":"M A Bulla, T Oliviera, M K K D Franco, F Yokaichiya","doi":"10.1088/1361-6552/ad6d23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ad6d23","url":null,"abstract":"Several public schools and also universities in Brazil have few or none financial resources to acquire certain equipment for teaching physics. Nevertheless, it is extremely important that institutions, schools and universities offer laboratory conditions for the students, mainly in engineering courses, in order to get the first contact with physics concepts in practice. For this purposes, it was proposed to develop a simple construction, low-cost and easy maintenance photogate (Cronpes) device, so that teachers, technicians and even students from the basic and high education network can build them for their schools, institutions and universities, thus improving the quality of teaching physics. This study aims to implement a photogate Esp32 microcontroller based programmed in MicroPython with good resolution, accuracy and user friendly in order to apply in experiments like simple pendulum, spring oscillations and conservation of mechanical energy. The main focus of this research was to demonstrate, through the development of Cronpes, that we can create solutions for educational laboratories, in a viable, creative and inexpensive way.","PeriodicalId":39773,"journal":{"name":"Physics Education","volume":"208 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142197995","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":"Gravitational time dilation in a high school lesson","authors":"Ivan Russo, Giuseppe Iuele, Elmo Benedetto","doi":"10.1088/1361-6552/ad7088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ad7088","url":null,"abstract":"In almost all countries, the Ministry of Public Education has introduced the topics of special and general relativity into the high school curriculum. For example, in Italy the teaching of so-called modern physics (quantum mechanics and relativity) was introduced in the last year of high school. The students are approximately 18 years old and, although the arguments are addressed in an introductory and qualitative way, they are also a topic for the final exam. Einstein’s theory fascinates young students, but it is not always easy to explain the revolutionary effects it predicts. For this reason, we have organized a series of in-depth lessons trying to derive the space-time distortions in a way suitable for the young age of the students. In this frontline we summarize a derivation, suitable for high school pupils, regarding gravitational time dilation.","PeriodicalId":39773,"journal":{"name":"Physics Education","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142197997","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":"Pencil drawn meter bridge","authors":"Aditya Singh Thakur, Shivam Dubey, Shivam Kumar, Abhay Singh Thakur, Rahul Vaish","doi":"10.1088/1361-6552/ad6d24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ad6d24","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates the application of a Wheatstone bridge, specifically through the utilization of a meter bridge constructed on chart paper using pencil graphite. Employing the Wheatstone bridge principle, this study aims to achieve precise measurements of an unknown resistance. Results indicate an error margin between measured and calculated values of less than 10%, highlighting the efficiency and accuracy of this approach. The demonstrated effectiveness of the meter bridge serves as an educational resource, particularly beneficial for K-12 students, providing practical understanding and hands-on experience with the meter bridge concept. This research contributes to enhancing STEAM education by offering a tangible and accessible tool for teaching electrical circuit principles.","PeriodicalId":39773,"journal":{"name":"Physics Education","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142198001","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":"Development of an AR–based enrichment module to introduce electrospinning as an application of static electricity principles for senior high school students","authors":"Indah Karunia Fitri, Fatoni Udaneni, Handita Pramasiwi, Dewanto Harjunowibowo, Yulianto Agung Rezeki","doi":"10.1088/1361-6552/ad6967","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ad6967","url":null,"abstract":"In teaching physics, phenomena invisible to the naked eye are presented with Augmented Reality (AR) support. This research aims to create an AR-based module exemplifying static electricity applications in technology. The AR module explains static electricity in nanofiber fabrication, specifically electrospinning. Needs analysis reveals a necessity for this module due to teachers lagging in static electricity concepts in the 4.0 era. The module scored 98.00% for content and 88.00% for interactivity, indicating high validity. Linguistic aspect scores 93.33% for grammar and 98.00% for understanding show reader-friendly content. The content agreement is 95.71%, aligning with theory and curriculum. Students rated practicality at 98.41%, suggesting module convenience. Appearance received 96.67%, indicating student engagement, with benefits scoring 96.67%, motivating student learning, particularly in static electricity. The results show a successful introduction of electrospinning in senior high school students. The module triggered students’ interest in motivation, attraction, satisfaction, and relevance, so it can be concluded that the module created is effective.","PeriodicalId":39773,"journal":{"name":"Physics Education","volume":"2013 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142197999","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":"How a soup bowl and a coffee cup cool down","authors":"João Paulo M Ferreira","doi":"10.1088/1361-6552/ad6ac9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ad6ac9","url":null,"abstract":"The cooling of liquid foods held in plates, bowls, or cups is an event encountered several times a day. Here, it is reported a simple practical activity that demonstrates the role played by different heat transfer mechanisms in that process. The experiments can be done even at home with basic kitchenware. The demonstrations show the important role of evaporative cooling in many cases, versus convection and radiation. In this work, the applicability of Newton’s law of cooling is verified, the contributions of the different heat transfer mechanisms are quantified, and values of heat transfer coefficients are estimated. However, the data analyses and the discussions of the results can be adjusted to different audiences.","PeriodicalId":39773,"journal":{"name":"Physics Education","volume":"44 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142198002","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":"Keeping food cool to save the planet","authors":"Stephen Hughes","doi":"10.1088/1361-6552/ad6ac7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ad6ac7","url":null,"abstract":"Thermal insulation is an important topic in physics directly relevant to everyday life. Thermal insulation is used in the building and food industries. Thermal insulation is an effective way to extend the time food is kept below a critical temperature (5 °C for chilled food and −18 °C for frozen foods). An experiment was performed to simulate a power cut in a cold storage unit. Two temperature loggers were placed in plastic containers each containing 250 g of ice. The two containers were placed in a freezer and then removed to simulate a power cut. One container was left out in the open and the other placed in a cylinder of reflective bubble wrap insulation (GIBS). The ice container inside the GIBS insulation stayed cold for several hours longer. This is an experiment that could easily be performed in a school or university setting.","PeriodicalId":39773,"journal":{"name":"Physics Education","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142198000","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":"Arduino-based investigation of transmission lines and impedance matching","authors":"Thonimar V Alencar","doi":"10.1088/1361-6552/ad6ac8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ad6ac8","url":null,"abstract":"Transmission lines play a crucial role in radio-frequency energy transmission between source and load. These systems connect essential physical phenomena like the formation of standing waves and the attenuation of electromagnetic waves in material media with practical considerations such as impedance matching and signal integrity. Understanding these systems requires knowledge of fundamental concepts like inductance, capacitance, and impedance. The absence of impedance matching between the line and load leads to a modulated amplitude in the resulting signal owing to interference between the injected and reflected signals. Here, we present an experiment utilizing an Arduino platform as a signal generator and a data acquisition interface to analyze a radio frequency transmission line. By employing a few-meter-long coaxial cable as the transmission line and a digital oscilloscope with a high sampling rate (several giga-samples per second), we demonstrate how to determine the reflection coefficient as a function of the load impedance. The reflection coefficient enables determination of the return loss, underscoring the significance of impedance matching for optimal performance among the source, transmission line, and the load.","PeriodicalId":39773,"journal":{"name":"Physics Education","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142198023","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}
Mayank Rathi, Ravi Kant Shukla, Prashant Tiwari, Govind Kushwaha, Priyanshu Gupta, Ankush Rana, Amit Garg
{"title":"Innovative approach of teaching ray-optics in the classroom","authors":"Mayank Rathi, Ravi Kant Shukla, Prashant Tiwari, Govind Kushwaha, Priyanshu Gupta, Ankush Rana, Amit Garg","doi":"10.1088/1361-6552/ad6969","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ad6969","url":null,"abstract":"The present work discusses an innovative approach to teaching ray optics for students of class X. The school students were taught various concepts related to ray optics viz. Reflection, refraction, lateral displacement, mirrors, lenses, their types and terminologies, thin and thick lens, power of a lens, all cases of image formation in lenses, total internal reflection and its applications, human eye, its defects and corrections, making of telescope and microscope through practical demonstrations and hands-on approach using a self-conceived Ray Optics Kit. This activity was done independently in twenty two schools of Delhi, both government and private, with a massive total participation of 1200 students as part of SPIE Optics Outreach Activity. SPIE@ANDC Student Chapter members were trained at the college and they followed ‘Train the Trainer’ approach to create a pool of more than fifteen students who collectively conducted the workshops in teams in each of these schools. The student performance was assessed through a pre and post test as well as using a feedback form. An improvement of 65% in students’ performance was observed as indicated by comparing their pre-test and post-test results. The students as well as teachers gave a highly appreciative feedback of the whole activity. The feedback on their social media pages is a testimony of the success of the activity. Each school was awarded a Ray Optics Kit so as to make teaching and learning of ray optics interesting and engaging for batches in the future academic years.","PeriodicalId":39773,"journal":{"name":"Physics Education","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142198003","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}