The purpose of this publication is to present a novel approach to the demonstration of the Dzhanibekov effect. The main idea of our version is to use a lightweight spinning top of a spherical external form but distinct principal moments of inertia floating in the upward flow of air. As a result, the Dzhanibekov effect can be easily demonstrated…

In traditional introductory physics courses, concepts of distance, displacement, speed, velocity, scalars, and vectors are generally taught near the beginning of the course. However, students often contend with preexisting notions, such as the idea that speed and velocity are synonyms, which present some of the first conceptual hurdles that they…

This article analyzes and experimentally verifies the stability behavior of the equilibrium states of a conical pendulum. An analysis of the motion presents that the equilibrium states of the pendulum are determined by the pendulum angular speed. For a given pendulum length there exists a critical angular speed that determines stability…

Points near the top end of a falling rod hinged at its bottom end can fall faster than g. If a rod falls on a frictionless surface then the bottom end slides backwards and the centre of mass falls vertically with acceleration less than g. The effect was simulated by mounting a rod on wheels and filming the result with a video camera. The…

The well-known artificial intelligence-based chatbot ChatGPT-4 has become able to process image data as input in October 2023. We investigated its performance on the test of understanding graphs in kinematics to inform the physics education community of the current potential of using ChatGPT in the education process, particularly on tasks that…

Perhaps the most commonly cited student idea about forces in the literature is the notion of an impetus force, defined as the "belief that there is a force inside a moving object that keeps it going and causes it to have some speed," that can then "fade away as the object moves along." According to the literature, even after…

To a student in introductory physics, using vectors is at best an exercise in bookkeeping. A two-dimensional kinematics problem effectively doubles the number of equations that a student must know, and invites the student to memorize factoids: "The horizontal motion is constant," "Gravity is only in the y-direction," etc. Force…

When deriving the equation describing the transverse motion of a one-dimensional vibrating elastic string, introductory physics textbooks often assume constant tension and/or small amplitude vibrations. However, these simplifying assumptions are not only unnecessary, but they overlook the elastic nature of the tension and yield an inconsistent…

The family of paths of ideal projectiles shot from a point with a common value of speed and at different angles to the horizontal has several interesting properties associated with it. For example, Chapou et al. have shown that an ellipse passes through the apexes of these parabolic paths. This observation encouraged us to further explore this…

This study investigated evidence of how students' mental models of fundamental kinematic relations evolved (i.e., developed cognitively over time) as observed during an introductory course in calculus-based classical mechanics. The core of the curriculum is based on a claim known as Galileo's principle of relativity. The course material comprised…

In high school, and also in introductory physics courses in higher levels of schooling, the law of universal gravitation of planets is introduced by postulating Johannes Kepler's three laws, and later Isaac Newton's law of the inverse of the square of the distance to the Sun. The justification of the laws is only achieved in advanced courses in…

One of the contemporary trends in the development of physics teaching is its integration with computers. Introducing computers and microcontrollers into the teaching of physics opens up completely new possibilities for explaining different physical phenomena. Microcontrollers allow the experiment to be brought back to the focus of physics teaching…

It can be a challenge to come up with simple demonstrations of circular motion and conservation of energy. One such demonstration consists of a large exercise ball, off of which a small solid ball is rolled. The small ball is coated in finger paint so, after an initial push, it rolls nearly without slipping and creates a visible track.

Newton's laws are essential for understanding causes and description of mechanical motion. Great attention is paid to them during physics education. Unfortunately, many students, not only in high school, but also undergraduates, can recite them but do not understand their essence. Therefore, it is useful to demonstrate different experiments in the…

Ever increasing technological progress opens novel opportunities concerning educational activities, and the ability to use the technology effectively is one of the 21st century's most demanding skills. The Partnership Forum for 21st-Century Skills (P21) states that no organization can achieve satisfying results without using technology and…