AAPT Logo
AJP Logo
 
   
 

BROWSE VOLUMES

Year Range: 
Search Issue | RSS Feeds RSS
Previous Issue Next Issue

Jun 2004

Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 727-847

back to top
RSS Feeds

American Association of Physics Teachers: Citations for Distinguished Service, 2004

Chris Chiaverina

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 727

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.10.Cr Announcements, news, and awards
01.40.-d Education
back to top
RSS Feeds

Resource Letter NSST-1: The nature and status of string theory

Donald Marolf

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 730 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
This Resource Letter provides a guide to some of the introductory and review literature in string theory. It is in no way complete, though it is intended to be of use to students at several levels. Owing to the nature of the subject, even much of the introductory literature is quite technical by the standards of many Resource Letters, requiring prior knowledge of quantum field theory and general relativity. This Resource Letter is thus somewhat different from others. The first part describes a few more popular accounts of string theory, which are primarily addressed to the general public, but those with an understanding of basic physics will be able to read them more deeply and obtain a useful rough orientation to the field. The second part describes resources that are available at the advanced undergraduate level, and the balance describes string resources for more advanced students. The last ranges from general introductions to recent review articles on branes and black holes, gauge/gravity duality, string field theory, noncommutative geometry, non-BPS branes, tachyon condensation, phenomenology, brane worlds, orbifolds, Calabi–Yau manifolds, and holography. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
01.30.Rr Surveys and tutorial papers; resource letters
04.50.-h Higher-dimensional gravity and other theories of gravity
11.25.Wx String and brane phenomenology
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
98.80.Cq Particle-theory and field-theory models of the early Universe (including cosmic pancakes, cosmic strings, chaotic phenomena, inflationary universe, etc.)
02.40.-k Geometry, differential geometry, and topology
04.70.-s Physics of black holes
97.60.Lf Black holes
04.60.-m Quantum gravity
11.27.+d Extended classical solutions; cosmic strings, domain walls, texture
11.15.-q Gauge field theories

Teaching neutrino oscillations

Chris Waltham

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 742 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Neutrino oscillations are purely quantum mechanical effects that occur over macroscopic time and distance scales. I present the physics of this phenomenon in words, pictures, and analogies rather than mathematics. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
01.50.-i Educational aids
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
14.60.Lm Ordinary neutrinos

Connecting thermodynamics to students’ calculus

Joel W. Cannon

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 753 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
I describe subtle calculus ideas that are essential for thermodynamics, but are typically not encountered by students in calculus or prior physics classes. I argue that these previously unencountered subtleties are a substantial cause of the difficulty that many students encounter in learning thermodynamics and that thermodynamics can be taught more effectively by introducing the subtleties within an environment with which students are familiar rather than insisting that students learn them at the same time that they encounter new physics concepts such as entropy and thermodynamic potentials. I show how Legendre transforms can be used to illustrate the important calculus concepts and the nature of thermodynamics calculations. An added advantage of this approach is that it provides a coherent picture of the thermodynamic potentials. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
05.70.-a Thermodynamics
02.10.De Algebraic structures and number theory
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation

Parametric resonance and nonlinear string vibrations

David R. Rowland

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 758 | Cited 6 times

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Periodic changes in the tension of a taut string parametrically excite transverse motion in the string when the driving frequency is close to twice the natural frequency of any transverse normal mode of the string. The literature on this phenomenon is synthesized and extended to include the effects of damping as well as nonlinearity. It is shown that it is nonlinearity rather than damping that limits the growth of a resonantly excited mode, although damping is needed for steady-state oscillations to occur. The validity of the usual approximation that the string tension depends only on time and not on space is checked by modeling a string as point masses joined by massless linear springs. It is found that although this approximation is likely to be violated in practice, the violation does not have a significant effect on the results. The source of the disagreement in the literature for the speed of longitudinal waves in a stretched string is identified. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
01.50.-i Educational aids
46.70.Hg Membranes, rods, and strings
46.40.Ff Resonance, damping, and dynamic stability

Clouds in planetary atmospheres: A useful application of the Clausius–Clapeyron equation

Agustín Sánchez-Lavega, Santiago Pérez-Hoyos, and Ricardo Hueso

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 767 | Cited 6 times

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
The Clausius–Clapeyron equation is used to do a comparative study of the properties of the clouds that form in planetary atmospheres. Simple static atmospheric models for various planets, the satellite Titan, and the extrasolar planet HD209458b are used together with the saturation vapor pressure curves of the different kinds of molecules to determine the pressure, density, and scale height of the clouds in each body. This application of the Clausius–Clapeyron equation extends our knowledge of terrestrial water clouds to different exotic clouds present in other planets. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
01.50.-i Educational aids
96.12.Jt Atmospheres
96.30.Ea Venus
96.30.Gc Mars
96.30.Kf Jupiter
92.60.Nv Cloud physics and chemistry
96.30.Mh Saturn
96.30.Pj Uranus
96.30.Rm Neptune
92.60.Jq Water in the atmosphere

Spinning eggs—which end will rise?

Ken Sasaki

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 775 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
We examine the spinning behavior of egg-shaped axisymmetric bodies whose cross sections are described by several oval curves similar to real eggs with thin and fat ends. We use the gyroscopic balance condition of Moffatt and Shimomura and analyze the slip velocity of the bodies at the point of contact as a function of θ, the angle between the axis of symmetry and the vertical axis, and find the existence of the critical angle θc. When the bodies are spun with an initial angle θinitial>θc, θ will increase to π, implying that the body will spin at the thin end. Alternatively, if θinitial<θc, then θ will decrease. For some oval curves, θ will reduce to 0 and the corresponding bodies will spin at the fat end. For other oval curves, a fixed point at θf is predicted, where 0<θf<θc. Then the bodies will spin not at the fat end, but at a new stable point with θf. The empirical fact that eggs more often spin at the fat than at the thin end is explained. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
45.40.Cc Rigid body and gyroscope motion

A dunking bird of the second kind

Nadine Abraham and Peter Palffy-Muhoray

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 782 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
The conventional dunking bird is a heat engine that relies on the temperature difference between the head and the tail of the bird for its operation. We describe a new type of dunking bird that is not a heat engine, but one that directly uses the chemical potential difference between liquid water and its vapor.© 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
01.50.-i Educational aids
07.20.Pe Heat engines; heat pumps; heat pipes
64.70.F- Liquid-vapor transitions
82.60.-s Chemical thermodynamics
44.35.+c Heat flow in multiphase systems
05.70.Ce Thermodynamic functions and equations of state

The inertia tensor of a magic cube

Adam Rogers and Peter Loly

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 786 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Magic cubes are shown to have maximally symmetric inertia tensors if they are interpreted as rigid body mass distributions. This symmetry is due to their semi-magic property where each row, column, and pillar has the same mass sum. The moment of inertia depends only on this property and the number of point masses in each row, column, and pillar. Because magic cubes do not possess detailed cubic symmetry, other scenarios that result in maximally symmetric inertia tensors are discussed. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
45.10.Na Geometrical and tensorial methods
05.50.+q Lattice theory and statistics (Ising, Potts, etc.)
02.60.Dc Numerical linear algebra

Kinematic subtleties in Einstein’s first derivation of the Lorentz transformations

Alberto A. Martínez

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 790 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
We analyze Albert Einstein’s derivation of the Lorentz transformations in his paper, “Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper,” originally published in 1905. The analysis clarifies various misunderstandings in the secondary literature and reveals reasons why Einstein’s work entailed interpretive difficulties. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
01.50.-i Educational aids
03.30.+p Special relativity

Critical slowing down at a bifurcation

J. R. Tredicce, G. L. Lippi, Paul Mandel, B. Charasse, A. Chevalier, and B. Picqué

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 799 | Cited 12 times

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Critical slowing down near a bifurcation or limit point leads to a dynamical hysteresis that cannot be avoided by sweeping a control parameter slowly through the critical point. This paper analytically illustrates, with the help of a simple model, the bifurcation shift. We describe an inexpensive experiment using a semiconductor laser where this phenomenon occurs near the threshold of a semiconductor laser.© 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
05.45.-a Nonlinear dynamics and chaos
02.30.Oz Bifurcation theory
42.55.Px Semiconductor lasers; laser diodes

Classical solutions for a free particle in a confocal elliptic billiard

Miguel A. Bandres and Julio C. Gutiérrez-Vega

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 810

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
The classical dynamics of a free particle constrained to move in an integrable two-dimensional confocal elliptic billiard is investigated. We derive the characteristic equations for periodic orbits, classify the orbits, present the Poincaré maps, give expressions for the lengths of the trajectories, and do a stability analysis of special orbits. We also explore some interesting geometrical constructions for the billiard which can be extended to the confocal elliptic billiard. The latter provides a well-motivated and relatively straightforward example of Hamilton–Jacobi theory, elliptic integrals, and Jacobi elliptic functions in a way that is seldom discussed in the undergraduate curriculum. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
05.45.-a Nonlinear dynamics and chaos
45.20.-d Formalisms in classical mechanics

An improved calculation of the mass for the resonant spring pendulum

Joseph Christensen

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 818 | Cited 4 times

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
When the appropriate mass is used to oscillate a spring, the vertical oscillations couple to a pendular swing. Previous calculations of various aspects of this resonance assumed a massless spring as a simple pendulum. This paper improves the estimate of the mass necessary to induce this resonance by describing a massive spring as a physical pendulum and obtains an expression for the mass in terms of the spring constant and various lengths associated with the spring. Several approximations will be considered to simplify the complete expression. Comparisons of the predictive power of these expressions are made for various values of the spring constants. An Appendix discusses the assumption of uniform coil density of a hanging massive spring.© 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.  
Show PACS
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
06.30.Dr Mass and density

Teaching a single physics module through Problem Based Learning in a lecture-based curriculum

Paul van Kampen, Caroline Banahan, Michael Kelly, Eilish McLoughlin, and Eoin O’Leary

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 829 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
We report on the design of an introductory thermal physics module taught through Problem Based Learning (PBL) within a lecture-based curriculum and discuss how some of the potential benefits of PBL, in particular, effective mixed-ability teaching and increased student motivation, can be realized within such a framework. We describe how the transition from lecture-based to PBL teaching has taken place and illustrate the development and implementation of our methodology with two problems from the module. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.50.-i Educational aids
back to top
RSS Feeds

Classroom demonstrations: Learning tools or entertainment?

Catherine Crouch, Adam P. Fagen, J. Paul Callan, and Eric Mazur

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 835 | Cited 14 times

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
We compared student learning from different modes of presenting classroom demonstrations to determine how much students learn from traditionally presented demonstrations, and whether learning can be enhanced by simply changing the mode of presentation to increase student engagement. We find that students who passively observe demonstrations understand the underlying concepts no better than students who do not see the demonstration at all, in agreement with previous studies. Learning is enhanced, however, by increasing student engagement; students who predict the demonstration outcome before seeing it, however, display significantly greater understanding. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.Kw Techniques of testing
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
back to top
RSS Feeds

An experiment in rotational motion with linear and quadratic drag

B. G. Thompson and P. A. Smith

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 839 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
We describe a study of velocity-dependent drag in rotational motion that is suitable for an undergraduate laboratory experiment. Using standard teaching-laboratory equipment to obtain the data, we found that a drag force that is linear in the angular speed describes the data very well; however, the model residuals reveal that quadratic drag is also present. When a combined model is used, the residuals are reduced to the level of measurement uncertainties. An investigation of the effect of airflow on the air bearing used in the experiment confirms that there is a turbine effect on the disk and that the drag is dependent on the airflow suspending the disk. The experiment is simple to perform and analyze, yet reveals interesting physical and analytical complexity with deeper investigation. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
47.27.-i Turbulent flows

An acoustic radiometer

Bruce Denardo and Timothy G. Simmons

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 843 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
In contrast to Crookes’ radiometer, which rotates due to electromagnetic radiation, the analogous acoustic radiometer demonstrates radiation pressure. The apparatus consists of two panes attached to opposite ends of a horizontal arm that is pivoted at its center. One side of either pane is acoustically reflective and the other absorptive. The apparatus rotates when placed in an enclosure of high-intensity acoustic noise. Experimental values of the terminal angular velocity are in reasonable agreement with approximate theoretical predictions based on radiation pressure. © 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
Show PACS
43.58.Fm Sound level meters, level recorders, sound pressure, particle velocity, and sound intensity measurements, meters, and controllers
43.50.Rq Environmental noise, measurement, analysis, statistical characteristics
back to top
RSS Feeds

Statistical Mechanics Made Simple: A Guide for Students and Researchers

Daniel C. Mattis, Author and Robert Pelcovits, Reviewer

American Journal of Physics -- June 2004 -- Volume 72, Issue 6, pp. 846

Online Publication Date: May 2004

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Abstract Unavailable
Show PACS
01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.50.-i Educational aids
05.20.-y Classical statistical mechanics
05.70.-a Thermodynamics
05.30.Fk Fermion systems and electron gas
Close

Your Recent History Recent History Help

Recently Viewed

  1. Precision measurements of a simple chaotic circuit
  2. Real-time finite difference bifurcation diagrams from analog electronic circuits
  3. Investigating student understanding in intermediate mechanics: Identifying the need for a tutorial a...
  4. Modern mechanics
  5. Quantum mechanical description of linear optics

AAPT on:

close