A popular physics legend holds that scissors can cut paper with a speed faster than light. Here this counter-intuitive myth is investigated theoretically using four simple examples of scissors. For simplicity, all cases will involve a static lower scissors blade that remains horizontal just under the paper. In the first case, the upper blade will…

The evaluation of variation in the oscillation time period of a simple pendulum as its mass varies proves a rich source of discussion in a physics classroom, overcoming erroneous notions carried forward by students as to what constitutes the pendulum's length, by picking up only the results of approximations and ignoring the rigorous definition.…