A new teaching resource comprised of raw X-ray diffraction data sets from crystallography experiments has been compiled. The aim of this resource is to provide a tool with which to plug the teaching gap between crystals and chemical structures present at various levels of education, as well as providing examples for early stage researchers and…

The article describes a methodology for studying Fresnel diffraction with the active involvement of students in discussing the results of a demonstration experiment. To create a clearly visible model of Fresnel zones, a centimeter radio wave range was chosen, in which the first zone is about 10 cm in size. This makes visible the created…

As intriguing optical phenomena that occur in nature, mirages are widely known and often mentioned in physics classes when introducing the basics of optics. In the atmosphere, a mirage occurs under the condition of vertical variations in air density, which are usually caused by a temperature gradient. The light rays are continuously refracted and…

Nowadays more than two billion people own smartphones, without necessarily realizing they have a mobile physics lab that can be used to study acoustics, mechanics, astronomy, optics, fluids mechanics, or even serves as an oscilloscope. All smartphones have at least one camera, which is probably the most well-known and used sensor of this device.…

It is often necessary to enrich the teaching environment in order for students to learn optics in depth and to interpret the real optical situations with the information they have learned. In this study, a virtual teaching environment was developed using by Algodoo, a 2D simulation software. An eye model was created in order to explain the…

It's not surprising that rainbows have received a great deal of attention: in textbooks, in magazines, and on the web. They are, after all, beautiful, fascinating, occasionally awe-inspiring, even a little mysterious. They are an almost perfect blend of natural beauty and simple physics. Has everything that can be said about rainbows already been…

A mechanical model of light propagation helps to show that optical refraction is related to the speed of light and how it changes from one medium to another. A tricycle toy robot is used to realize the model. Left and right wheels independently change their speed (high or low) in response to the local color (white or black, respectively) of the…

The success of films such as "Avengers: Endgame," "Black Panther," and "Captain Marvel" has established the superhero genre in modern popular culture. Many students will have seen these films, or at the very least they are familiar with a number of the superhero characters. In the physics classroom, content based on…

Dark matter is one of the most intriguing scientific mysteries of our time and offers exciting instructional opportunities for physics education in high schools. The topic is likely to engage and motivate students in the classroom and allows addressing open questions of the Standard Model of particle physics. Although the empirical evidence of…

Quantum computing was once regarded as a mere theoretical possibility, but recent advances in engineering and materials science have brought practical quantum computers closer to reality. Currently, representatives from industry, academia, and governments across the world are working to build the educational structures needed to produce the…

In the laboratory experiment described here, students synthesize silver nanostructures (AgNS) with different shapes and sizes to elucidate the shape- and size-dependent optical properties of nanostructured materials. Students also develop understanding of some thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the synthesis process through this experiment. In…

This article proposes a practical method of teaching the addition of unit fractions using a series of mirror equation experiments.

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…

This paper describes an alternative approach to teaching and learning practices in an undergraduate physics laboratory. The instructor plans and implements the 5E instructional model into the laboratory instruction. The article includes an example of the 5E lesson for the laboratory component of a physics course, which has separate lecture and…

Young's experiment is hailed as a milestone in ushering a new understanding of the wave nature of light and is even taught at the high school level. Unfortunately, even the most cursory presentation of the subject of diffraction becomes confusing. The theory and equations based on Fresnel's work appear arcane and incomprehensible to a high school…