We provide a design for a low cost orientable search coil that can be used to investigate the variation of magnetic flux with angle. This experiment is one of the required practical activities in the current A level physics specification for the AQA examination board in the UK. We demonstrate its performance and suggest other suitable…

The goal of this study is to present and evaluate a different way of teaching concepts related to the reflection of light (incident beam, reflecting beam, angle of incidence, angle of reflection, surface, regular reflection, and diffuse reflection). The participants were 42 sixth-grade students (between the ages of 11 and 12) attending a public…

The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which the making and use of improvised experiment materials contribute to students' achievement in Physics. The study used experimental research design and involved students from two Teacher Training Colleges in Rwanda. To conduct this study, a pre-test was given to students. Then, two groups…

An introductory physics experiment has been developed to address the issues seen in conventional physics lab classes including assumption verification, technological dependencies, and real world motivation for the experiment. The experiment has little technology dependence and compares the acceleration due to gravity by using position versus time…

Reviews calculations that derive an order of magnitude expression for the size of man in terms of fundamental constants, assuming that man satifies these three properties: he is made of complicated molecules; he requires an atmosphere which is not hydrogen and helium; he is as large as possible. (CS)

Presents a method suitable for intermediate level astronomy courses for the calculations of solar eclipses which avoids spherical trigonometry. (Author/CS)

Develops a coordinate-free approach to Fresnel's equations for the reflection and refraction of light at a plane interface. Describes a graphical construction for finding the vector amplitudes of the reflected and transmitted waves. (Author/CS)

Discusses a proof for determining the localized fringes position arrived at when one considers the interference of two extended sources when one is able to observe fringes only at certain points in space. Shows how the localized fringes may be found in a device used to observe Newton's rings. (Author/CS)

Rederives the relativistic transformations of light intensity from compact sources (stars) to show where and how the transformation of a solid angle contributes. Discusses astrophysical and other applications of the transformations. (Author/CS)

Presents a novel graphic representation for complex musical spectra, based on component intervals rather than component tones. Provides examples of this kind of plot in representing complex intervals and chords, discussing perceptual data; and carrying out various types of consonance analysis. (Author/CS)

Provides three examples of paradoxes from physics and one from astronomy to show how paradoxes may be used in addressing specific deficiencies in understanding. (CS)

Describes an undergraduate experiment designed to verify quantitatively the effect of a dielectric fluid's dielectric constant on the observed wavelength of microwave radiation propagating through the fluid. The fluid used is castor oil, and results agree with the expected behavior within 5 percent. (Author/CS)

Demonstrates an extension of the customary discussion of rotations to produce naturally a number of augnear momentum operator properties, if coordinate-free rotation operators are used in their exponential form. This form gives rise to a particularly useful coordinate-free representation of the generators of rotations in three-space. (CS)

Discusses the problem of the mathematical pendulum in its classical, semiclassical, and quantum aspects. The energy spectrum and its eigenfunctions are presented under the usual requirement of single valuedness of the solutions. (Author/CS)

This article describes three connected projects in physics: (1) a very successful course at the university level; (2) a collection of several thousand multimedia materials, its status and evaluation, and its dissemination; and (3) Web experiments--experiments that can be operated remotely from a distance via the Internet. (Contains 4 tables and 10…