Experimental results are presented concerning the motion of a ball that bounces up an incline a few times then bounces back down again. The number of bounces up the incline is typically small since the speed of the ball in a direction parallel to the incline decreases rapidly, not only during each bounce but also while the ball is in the air. The…

The refractive index of a liquid is known to depend strongly on the temperature gradient of liquids. When a laser beam passes through a transparent material going through thermal diffusion, the light projected onto a screen will be displaced in relation to the thermal diffusivity. A simple apparatus is used to measure the time evolution t of the…

Teaching the noncommutativity of the product of matrices to high school or college level students is a difficult task when approached from a purely formal perspective. The aim of this paper is to present a simple experimental activity for teaching the noncommutativity of the matrix product, based on the Jones calculus, a mathematical formalism for…

We developed a three-dimensional motion tracking system that displays trajectories as augmented reality in real time on a tablet device. The features of this system are as follows: (1) the three-dimensional trajectory can be observed from any direction. (2) Velocity and acceleration can be visualized as augmented reality. The device consists of an…

We present a simple and affordable method for making a surface electrodynamic trap for microparticles. The principles of electrodynamic trapping of charged particles are discussed and step-by-step instructions on how to make a surface trap are given. In addition to the electrodynamic trap implementation and operation process, options for its…

In this article, we propose a simple and accessible model of a magnetic levitator fitted with a Hall sensor. This model also allows to determine the magnitude of the magnetic field within the levitator working volume. Students can also compare the experimental magnetic field values to reference values in magnetism textbooks. This Arduino-based…

The falling rod paradox, i.e. the fact that the tip of an almost horizontal rod falls with an acceleration 'higher than g', when the other end is hinged or supported, is a popular physics demonstration. It can be visualized by placing e.g. a coin on the tip of the rod and fixing a cup next to the coin. When the rod is released the free-falling…

Using smartphones in experimental physics teaching offers many advantages in terms of engagement, pedagogy and flexibility. But it presents drawbacks such as possibly endangering the device and also facing the heterogeneity of available sensors on different smartphones. We present a low-cost alternative that preserves the advantages of…

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…

Puzzles involving infinite networks of resistors are an engaging way for students to explore the idea of infinity and self-similarity in physics. Recently K Atkin has described one such puzzle, alongside a solution based on an equivalent finite network (2022 "Phys. Educ." 57 025015). Here we present a generalisation of this problem which…

Refraction is a foundational concept within introductory physics. Physics students need a deep understanding of refraction, including Snell's Law, in order to progress towards more complex optics topics such as lenses and images. Unfortunately, many physics students obtain only a superficial understanding of refraction. Although many students can…

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…

When injecting dye into a vortex, one finds that the dye remains captured around the vortex core over minutes, despite the fact that the vortex (and the dyed region) is strongly time-dependent. According to a recent theory, three-dimensional time-dependent vortices should be defined as rotating, material-holding regions of the fluid. Vortices…

A ball at rest on a surface can be made to bounce up by pushing it down then releasing the downward force as fast as possible. Measurements and calculations are presented to show how it can best be done.

The pendulum was an important scientific instrument in the 17th century. It became a typical textbook problem in the 18th century. After the introduction of vectors in physics in the 1890s, the pendulum problem started to be progressively solved in the manner we know nowadays from introductory mechanics courses. Starting from "F = ma"…