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May 2005

Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 389-480

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Energy transfer between satellites

Alex Harvey

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 389

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.50.-i Educational aids
04.00.00 General relativity and gravitation
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The future of physics education research: Intellectual challenges and practical concerns

Paula R. L. Heron and David E. Meltzer

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 390 | Cited 6 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education
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Bachelier

Jeremy Bernstein

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 395 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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It is not generally known that the theory of Brownian motion developed by both Einstein and Smoluchowski had been anticipated by a French mathematician named Louis Bachelier in his doctoral thesis. Bachelier and his work are explored. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.50.-i Educational aids
01.65.+g History of science
01.60.+q Biographies, tributes, personal notes, and obituaries
05.40.Jc Brownian motion

Measurement of the radiation from thermal and nonthermal radio sources

Preethi Pratap and Gordon McIntosh

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 399 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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The widespread use of the internet has enabled complex instrumentation to be available remotely and made it possible for students to use facilities to which they might otherwise not have access. Internet access to radio astronomical observatories, including the 37 m radio telescope at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory, has opened up new possibilities for undergraduate laboratory activities and research. This capability allows undergraduates to acquire and analyze radio astronomical data and investigate astrophysical systems that cannot be investigated using optical telescopes. We describe a radio astronomical activity using the spectral index to investigate the difference between thermal and nonthermal radiation and the sources that emit these forms of radiation. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.50.ht Instructional computer use
95.30.Gv Radiation mechanisms; polarization
98.70.Dk Radio sources
95.55.Jz Radio telescopes and instrumentation; heterodyne receivers

Game theory and physics

Christoph Hauert and György Szabó

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 405 | Cited 134 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Evolutionary game theory is designed to capture the essentials of the characteristic interactions among individuals. Its most prominent application is the quest for the origins and evolution of cooperation. The effects of population structures on the performance of behavioral strategies became apparent only in recent years and marks the advent of an intriguing link between apparently unrelated disciplines. Evolutionary game theory in structured populations reveals critical phase transitions that fall into the universality class of directed percolation on square lattices and mean-field-type transitions on regular small world networks and random regular graphs. We employ the prisoner’s dilemma to discuss new insights gained in behavioral ecology using methods from physics. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.50.-i Educational aids
05.40.-a Fluctuation phenomena, random processes, noise, and Brownian motion
05.50.+q Lattice theory and statistics (Ising, Potts, etc.)
05.70.Fh Phase transitions: general studies
02.10.Ox Combinatorics; graph theory
02.50.Le Decision theory and game theory
87.23.Cc Population dynamics and ecological pattern formation

Drop formation in a falling stream of liquid

Vladimir Grubelnik and Marko Marhl

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 415 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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The narrowing of a falling stream of liquid is a well-known demonstration of the equation of continuity. We consider the behavior of the bottom of a falling liquid stream where the stream ceases to narrow, and swells and forms droplets. Drop formation is demonstrated by detailed photos of experiments. A simple mathematical description of the observations is given, including the key processes responsible for drop formation. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.50.-i Educational aids
47.55.D- Drops and bubbles

The plasma crystal

M. H. Thoma, M. Kretschmer, H. Rothermel, H. M. Thomas, and G. E. Morfill

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 420 | Cited 9 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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A complex plasma is a multi-component low-temperature plasma containing microparticles, for example, dust, in addition to ions, electrons, and neutral gas atoms. Under certain conditions these microparticles can form a regular structure, a plasma crystal. This new form of matter provides a unique possibility for studying phase transitions and dynamical aspects of many-body systems at the microscopic level. Complex plasmas play an important role in astrophysics as well as in technology. We describe an undergraduate experiment in which students can produce and investigate the plasma crystal and the transition to the liquid phase. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
52.27.Lw Dusty or complex plasmas; plasma crystals
52.72.+v Laboratory studies of space- and astrophysical-plasma processes
64.60.-i General studies of phase transitions
95.30.Qd Magnetohydrodynamics and plasmas

Measurement of the giant nonlinear response of dye-doped liquid crystals

Sandra McConville, David Laurent, Alessio Guarino, and Stefania Residori

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 425 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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We present an experimental method for measuring the nonlinear optical response of a dye-doped liquid crystal cell. We show that a very large response is obtained for a very low input light intensity. The nonlinear optical response as a function of the dye concentration in the liquid crystal host is characterized by the optical nonlinear coefficient n2. The experiment provides advanced undergraduate students experience in soft matter and nonlinear optics. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
61.30.-v Liquid crystals

Projectiles, pendula, and special relativity

Richard H. Price

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 433 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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The kind of flat-earth gravity used in introductory physics appears in an accelerated reference system in special relativity. From this viewpoint, we work out the special relativistic description of a ballistic projectile and a simple pendulum, two examples of simple motion driven by earth-surface gravity. The analysis uses only the basic mathematical tools of special relativity typical of a first-year university course. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.40.Di Course design and evaluation
03.30.+p Special relativity
45.40.Gj Ballistics (projectiles; rockets)

Measuring and calculating bar flexural vibration frequencies

Michael J. Moloney

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 439 | Cited 2 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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When a solid cylindrical bar free at both ends is suspended by loops of thread, damping is greatly reduced, and many precise longitudinal and lateral (flexural) frequencies can then be readily observed. The standard equation for flexural vibration frequencies is inaccurate for the higher modes, so the corrections proposed by Rayleigh and Timoshenko must be considered. By incorporating these corrections, the author has developed an approximation that agrees well with experiment and gives an idea of Poisson’s ratio for the bar. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.50.-i Educational aids
46.40.Ff Resonance, damping, and dynamic stability
06.30.Ft Time and frequency
46.70.Hg Membranes, rods, and strings

Analysis of the linearity of half periods of the Lorentz pendulum

T. Wickramasinghe and R. Ochoa

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 442

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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We analyze the motion of the Lorentz pendulum, a simple pendulum whose length is changed at a constant rate k. We show both analytically and numerically that the half period Tn, the time between half oscillations as measured from midpoint to midpoint, increases linearly with the oscillation number n such that Tn+1−Tn≈kπ2/2g, where g is the acceleration due to gravity. A video camera is used to record the motion of the oscillating bob of the pendulum and verify the linearity of Tn with oscillation number. The theory and the experiment are suitable for an advanced undergraduate laboratory. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
07.10.Pz Instruments for strain, force, and torque
06.30.Ft Time and frequency

Impact of peer interaction on conceptual test performance

Chandralekha Singh

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 446 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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We analyze the effectiveness of working in pairs on the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism test in a calculus-based introductory physics course. Students who collaborated with a peer showed significantly larger normalized gain on individual testing than those who did not collaborate. We did not find statistically significant differences between the performance of students who were given an opportunity to formulate their own response before the peer discussions, compared to those who were not. Peer collaboration also shows evidence for the co-construction of knowledge. Discussions with individual students show that students themselves value peer interaction. We discuss the effect of pairing students with different individual achievements. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.50.-i Educational aids
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Conventions and inertial reference frames

Alberto A. Martínez

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 452 | Cited 8 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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This article discusses the role of conventions in defining the concept of inertial reference frame, and it specifies key historical evidence, up to now widely ignored, connecting Poincaré, Einstein, and Reichenbach’s analyses of simultaneity. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.50.-i Educational aids
03.30.+p Special relativity
01.65.+g History of science

Comment on “The role of dynamics in the synchronization problem,” by Hans C. Ohanian [Am. J. Phys. 72 (2), 141–148 (2004)]

Alan Macdonald

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 454 | Cited 7 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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© 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.40.-d Education
03.30.+p Special relativity

Reply to “Comment(s) on ‘The role of dynamics in the synchronization problem’, ” by A. Macdonald [Am. J. Phys. 73, 454 (2005)] and A. A. Martínez [Am. J. Phys. 73, 452 (2005)]

Hans C. Ohanian

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 456 | Cited 4 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.50.-i Educational aids
03.30.+p Special relativity

Estimating hc/k from sunlight

Peter Pesic

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 457

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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The blackbody approximation is used for the visible solar spectrum to find an order of magnitude estimate for hc/k. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.40.-d Education
96.60.Tf Solar electromagnetic emission
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A direct comparison of conceptual learning and problem solving ability in traditional and studio style classrooms

Chance Hoellwarth, Matthew J. Moelter, and Randall D. Knight

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 459 | Cited 5 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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We present data on student performance on conceptual understanding and on quantitative problem-solving ability in introductory mechanics in both studio and traditional classroom modes. The conceptual measures used were the Force Concept Inventory and the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation. Quantitative problem-solving ability was measured with standard questions on the final exam. Our data compare three different quarters over the course of 2 years. In all three quarters, the normalized learning gain in conceptual understanding was significantly larger for students in the studio sections. At the same time, students in the studio sections performed the same or slightly worse on quantitative final exam problems. © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.50.Lc Laboratory computer use

Relation between students’ problem-solving performance and representational format

David E. Meltzer

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 463 | Cited 13 times

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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An analysis is presented of data on students’ problem-solving performance on similar problems posed in diverse representations. Five years of classroom data on 400 students collected in a second-semester algebra-based general physics course are presented. Two very similar Newton’s third-law questions, one posed in a verbal representation and one in a diagrammatic representation using vector diagrams, were given to students at the beginning of the course. The proportion of correct responses on the verbal question was consistently higher than on the diagrammatic question, and the pattern of incorrect responses on the two questions also differed consistently. Two additional four-question quizzes were given to students during the semester; each quiz had four very similar questions posed in the four representations: verbal, diagrammatic, mathematical/symbolic, and graphical. In general, the error rates for the four representations were very similar, but there was substantial evidence that females had a slightly higher error rate on the graphical questions relative to the other representations, whereas the evidence for male students was more ambiguous. There also was evidence that females had higher error rates on circuit-diagram problems in comparison with males, although both males and females had received identical instruction . © 2005 American Association of Physics Teachers.
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01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation
01.40.Di Course design and evaluation
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The Future of Theoretical Physics and Cosmology: Celebrating Stephen Hawking’s 60th Birthday

G. W. Gibbons, E. P. S. Shellard, S. J. Rankin, Author, and Sean M. Carroll, Reviewer

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 479

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.40.-d Education
98.80.Cq Particle-theory and field-theory models of the early Universe (including cosmic pancakes, cosmic strings, chaotic phenomena, inflationary universe, etc.)
04.70.-s Physics of black holes
97.60.Lf Black holes

Elementary Quantum Mechanics in One Dimension

Robert Gilmore, Author and Alan J. DeWeerd, Reviewer

American Journal of Physics -- May 2005 -- Volume 73, Issue 5, pp. 480

Online Publication Date: Apr 2005

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Abstract Unavailable
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01.30.Vv Book reviews
03.65.Ge Solutions of wave equations: bound states
03.65.Nk Scattering theory
01.50.-i Educational aids
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