In this article, we construct a very simple double pendulum (the concept of a pendulum should be familiar to all beginning students of classical mechanics). Since a double pendulum has two degrees of freedom, we suggest that this pendulum can be used in the classroom environment to illustrate the concept of normal modes, and we use video software…

Energy is a disciplinary core idea and a cross-cutting concept in the K-12 Framework for Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). As numerous authors point out, the energy model in these standards emphasizes the connections between energy and systems. Using energy ideas to interpret or make sense of phenomena means…

There are several ways in the literature to determine the value of gravitational acceleration. We used an audio plug (3.5-mm jack) that can be reused from types of plugs can also be purchased and are very cheap. In this article, a computer speaker or microphone that are damaged. These value of gravitational acceleration very accurately using…

Solar limb darkening is a prominent feature seen in white images of the Sun: the brightness of the solar disk is greatest at the solar center and decreases radially outward towards the limb. White light images can be used to examine and even model limb darkening; however, the limb-darkening effect is, in fact, wavelength dependent. Limb darkening…

The importance of introducing computational approaches early and actively in science education is widely acknowledged among educators and scientists. Many great ideas have been put forward and implemented by advocates and organizations such as Partnership for Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics (https://www.compadre.org/PICUP)…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the spring of 2020 many physics programs were forced to quickly transition all of their classes and laboratories to a completely online learning environment. The need for simple and engaging remote physics laboratories became apparent. One relatively low-cost remote lab system is Macmillan's iOLab device. This…

In the April 2018 issue of "TPT," Joseph Amato presented an analysis of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) trajectories as applied to recent test launches from North Korea. Using properties of their elliptical paths, he derived relationships between launch velocity, elevation angle, and maximum range. However, this approach cannot…

Although teaching of environmental physics and energy-related topics has increased in the last several years, only a small portion of that has been for non-science majors. Environmental physical science can be used to teach physics to non-science majors by applying learned physics concepts to current issues of interest such as climate change,…

In the teaching and learning of physics, simulations have many applications. Simulations can help to illuminate concepts (such as the motion of electrons in electric or magnetic fields) that cannot usually be seen with the unaided eye, or to slow down things that happen over short time periods or at high speeds. They can also be used to help…

When our school implemented AP Physics 1, I wanted to include a project that would extend over time, use more advanced data analysis, and teach students about handling experimental error. Using a donated 5-inch Newtonian telescope and an entry-level digital camera, the students gathered data from digital images of the four Galilean moons, Io,…

Nowadays, in almost any country in the world, it is difficult to find a young person who has never played with, seen, or heard of the most famous toy in 2017: the fidget spinner. According to Wikipedia: "The fidget spinner is a toy that consists of a ball-bearing in the center of a multi-lobed flat structure made from metal or plastic…

Electric potential is one of the most challenging concepts taught in high school physics classes due to the abstract nature of the concept. When taught, electric potential is often taught using a poorly triangulated set of instructional analogies, each possessing different strengths and limitations. Within this paper we share our learning from a…

Myocardial contraction is triggered whenever a wave of electrical impulses passes through the heart. The pattern of electrical excitation spreads coordinately over the structure of the heart. This results in a measurable change in potential across the surface of the body of a subject. The recording of the resultant signal from specific body points…

The possibility of negative temperatures on the Kelvin scale is intriguing and confusing simultaneously. This is because students are used to thinking of temperature as a measure of the internal energy of a system. While this concept is good for many systems, it does not work for all systems. Nuclear and electron spin systems, along with lasers…

As soon as children can see, they observe that objects fall freely. From a young age, we spontaneously construct interpretative models to understand this everyday phenomenon. Over the last three decades, numerous experiments have been developed to help students understand physics concepts regarding free fall. Although there are many…