The study of the motion of a projectile, thrown at an angle to the horizon, is a wonderful classical problem. This issue has been the subject of great interest to investigators for centuries. Currently, the study of parabolic motion, in the absence of any drag force, is a common example in introductory physics courses. The theory of parabolic…

There are plenty of contributions in the physics literature on the subject of standing waves. What seems to be missing is an accessible, quantitative account of standing waves on a circular path at a level appropriate for undergraduate physics courses. In order to rectify this absence, a straightforward, concise, mathematical description of…

In this article, we demonstrate the use of a simple pendulum to explore the concepts of kinematics and dynamics. A simple homemade pendulum and a phone-based accelerometer are used to determine, at various points in time, the acceleration of a moving train. The dynamical and kinematics data from the homemade pendulum and the accelerator can then…

Student difficulties with making sense of graphs in physics have been thoroughly reported. In the study of one-dimensional waves, the issue is even trickier since the amplitude is a function of two variables (position and time). In this work, we investigate students' reasoning and difficulties with interpreting the graphical representation of the…

We report on an investigation of student thinking about steady-state pipe flow of an incompressible fluid. About 250 undergraduate engineering students were given a test consisting of two hydrodynamics questions, combining multiple-choice format with subsequent open-ended explanations. There is substantial evidence that students have difficulty…

Viscous and Coulomb's friction combined contribute to the damping of a pendulum; however, they are usually treated as a silo effect. In this study, we investigate the combination of viscous and Coulomb damping in compound pendulum oscillation, employing two modern instruments that are cheap and handy to quantify the experiments, which are video…

Research has found circular and rotational motion to be a challenging topic for undergraduate physics students. This article reports on Introductory Physics students' learning of concepts and quantitative principles in circular and rotational motion. It involves a teaching strategy that uses hands-on practical work, PhET simulations and a focus on…

The dynamic study of pendulum systems is considered an indispensable subject for physics and mechanics students in colleges and high schools. In this paper, a detailed methodology is given concerning the use of smartphones in pedagogical practical work for studying the dynamics of pendulum systems. Whereas, three aspects have been discussed…

Investigating student learning and understanding of conceptual physics is a primary research area within physics education research. Multiple quantitative methods have been employed to analyze commonly used mechanics conceptual inventories: the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE). Recently,…

Research in the past decades has repeatedly revealed that first year university students struggle to understand two-dimensional projectile motion concepts. In contrast to high school, projectile motion frequently makes use of components and it requires at least a basic understanding of trigonometry concepts. To follow the lessons and generate…

We describe the development and in-class evaluation of a quantum interactive learning tutorial (QuILT) on quantum key distribution, a context which involves an exciting application of quantum mechanics. The protocol used in the QuILT described here uses single photons with nonorthogonal polarization states to generate a random shared key over a…

This paper demonstrated a simple experiment for determining the coefficient of rolling friction of a hollow cylinder rolling on a curved track using a smartphone's sensors. We studied theoretically and experimentally the rolling motion of a hollow cylinder uncovered and covered with various materials (synthetic leather and sponge sheets). The…

Proposing scientific descriptions is critical for individuals to cope with daily problems and acquire essential information. Nonetheless, few classes have enhanced students' ability to describe facts of scientific phenomena. Thus, using a tool of technology-based laboratory, this research examined whether students' scientific descriptions and…

We describe an educational activity that can be done by using smartphones to collect data in physics experiments aimed to measure the oscillating period of a spring-mass system and the elastic constant of the helicoidal spring by the dynamic method. Results for the oscillating period and for the elastic constant of the spring agree very well with…

This article describes the implementation of an activity with a Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) learning cycle to teach the concepts of velocity and acceleration to physics students aged 17-19. The study indicates how the instructor enacted the activity and provides sample student responses and group discussions. The description includes an example…