Tangible teaching aids can provide a valuable supplement to traditional textbook-based learning of fundamental STEM concepts. 3D-printed templates detailing the construction of simple parallel and series circuits were incorporated into the lesson plans for 6th-grade introductory physics. Aiming to introduce the concepts of junction and loop rules…

Kundt's tube is a popular experiment commonly used in schools, in which standing sound waves are made visible inside a glass tube. A fine powder is stirred up in areas of high sound particle velocities, so that one can measure the wavelength of the sound waves by examining the patterns created. In this way, the 'invisible' can be made visible.…

In a 1993 book review, E. Pearlstein asks, "Why don't textbook authors begin their discussion of magnetism by talking about magnets? That's what students have experience with." A similar question can be asked, "Why don't professors have students measure the force between permanent magnets in introductory physics labs?" The…

This work shows the redesign of an elemental experience based on the Helmholtz resonator using 3D printing. A Helmholtz resonator is based on a volume and at least one opening that can include a tube or not. The air column inside the tube can be considered the mass of the system, whereas the volume represents the system's stiffness. Due to these…

We propose an apparatus that emulates the experiment used by Geiger and Marsden in 1913 to investigate alpha particles (Rutherford) scattering. Using a widely available fused deposition modelling 3D-printer, we built a compartmented and easily assembled educational instrument. The whole apparatus is composed of a 3D-printed chamber and an…

Today's students are increasingly immersed in a landscape of screens and handheld digital devices through which a good deal of their interactions with the world around them are mediated. Physics educators, meanwhile, continue to rely on traditional human interactions with the physical world, such as sliding down a ramp or throwing a baseball, in…

Gravitational lensing is an interesting phenomenon in astronomy and is most typically given rise to by galaxies. The majority of the matter in a galaxy is thought to be dark matter, and the galactic gravitational lensing effect is mainly caused by dark matter halos. In gravitational lensing-related demonstrations in physics education, the feet of…