We present a simple activity based on the liquid-drop model which allows secondary school students to explore the uses of mathematical models and gain an intuitive understanding of the concept of binding energy, and in particular the significance of positive binding energy. Using spreadsheets provided as supplementary material, students can…

SpaceShipTwo is a private spaceplane project which is intended for space tourism. Very few details about its construction and flight characteristics are available for the public, but with proper numerical methods some interesting results can be obtained using secondary school mathematics. An exercise about SpaceShipTwo can be used as a…

A freely available, easy-to-use Excel spreadsheet for performing linear least-squares fits for (x, y) data with errors in both coordinates is described. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

The topic of coupled oscillations is rich in physical content which is both interesting and complex. The study of the time evolution of coupled oscillator systems involves a mathematical formalization beyond the level of the upper secondary school student's competence. Here, we present an original approach, suitable even for secondary students, to…

Presents ideas for using spreadsheets to explore random numbers, electric-potential distributions, function fitting, and the frequency analysis of waveforms. Contains 18 references. (JRH)

Presents an experiment that investigates the temperature of tungsten filaments using a car headlamp. Uses a spreadsheet program that facilitates extensive data manipulation. Gives students an awareness of the many mathematical techniques used in data analysis. (Author/JRH)

Shows how some of the simple ideas in complexity can be investigated using a spreadsheet and a macro written in Visual Basic. Shows how the sandpile model of Bak, Chao, and Wiesenfeld can be simulated and animated. The model produces results that cannot easily be predicted from its properties. (Author/MM)

Presents a method for using spreadsheets to model special relativistic phenomena based on the connection between electric and magnetic fields in special relativity. Uses the time dilation equation to carry out transformations between reference frames that show the connection between the fields quantitatively. (DDR)

Addresses some basic aspects of Archimedes' law. Focus is on potential energy relationships so as to elucidate some common misunderstandings and to facilitate making bridges with other physical topics. A spreadsheet model is used as a simulation tool. (Author/NB)