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Serafin, Kamil; Oracz, Joanna; Grzybowski, Marcin; Koperski, Maciej; Sznajder, Pawel; Zinkiewicz, Lukasz; Wasylczyk, Piotr – European Journal of Physics, 2012
In an open competition, students were to determine the mass of a metal cylinder hanging on a spring inside a transparent enclosure. With the time for experiments limited to 24 h due to the unexpectedly large number of participants, a few surprisingly accurate results were submitted, the best of them differing by no more than 0.5% from the true…
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Physics, College Science, Problem Solving
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Beau, Mathieu – European Journal of Physics, 2012
In this paper we present an analytic solution of the famous problem of diffraction and interference of electrons through one and two slits (for simplicity, only the one-dimensional case is considered). In addition to exact formulae, various approximations of the electron distribution are shown which facilitate the interpretation of the results.…
Descriptors: Quantum Mechanics, Physics, Science Instruction, Mathematical Formulas
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da Silva, M. F. Ferreira – European Journal of Physics, 2012
After completing their introductory studies on thermodynamics at the university level, typically in a second-year university course, most students show a number of misconceptions. In this work, we identify some of those erroneous ideas and try to explain their origins. We also give a suggestion to attack the problem through a systematic and…
Descriptors: College Students, Thermodynamics, Misconceptions, Physics
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De Toro, Jose A.; Calvo, Gabriel F.; Muniz, Pablo – European Journal of Physics, 2012
The problem of optimizing the number of circular sprinklers watering large fields is used to introduce, from a purely elementary geometrical perspective, some basic concepts in crystallography and comment on a few size effects in condensed matter physics. We examine square and hexagonal lattices to build a function describing the, so-called, dry…
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, College Freshmen, Physical Sciences, Geometric Concepts
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Gabovich, A. M.; Voitenko, A. I. – European Journal of Physics, 2012
The problem of charge motion governed by image force attraction near a plane metal surface is considered and solved self-consistently. The temporal dispersion of metal dielectric permittivity makes the image forces dynamic and, hence, finite, contrary to the results of the conventional approach. Therefore, the maximal attainable velocity turns out…
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Physics, Scientific Principles, Motion
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Levesque, Luc – European Journal of Physics, 2012
A method is proposed to simplify analytical computations of the transfer function for electrical circuit filters, which are made from repetitive identical stages. A method based on the construction of Pascal's triangle is introduced and then a general solution from two initial conditions is provided for the repetitive identical stage. The present…
Descriptors: Educational Change, Geometric Concepts, Computation, Mathematics Education
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Trendafilova, C. S.; Fulling, S. A. – European Journal of Physics, 2011
In analogy with the standard derivation of the Schwarzschild solution, we find all static, cylindrically symmetric solutions of the Einstein field equations for vacuum. These include not only the well-known cone solution, which is locally flat, but others in which the metric coefficients are powers of the radial coordinate and the spacetime is…
Descriptors: Scientific Concepts, Equations (Mathematics), Science Instruction, Physics
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Douvropoulos, Theodosios G. – European Journal of Physics, 2012
An approximate formula for the period of pendulum motion beyond the small amplitude regime is obtained based on physical arguments. Two different schemes of different accuracy are developed: in the first less accurate scheme, emphasis is given on the non-quadratic form of the potential in connection to isochronism, and a specific form of a generic…
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Physics, Laboratory Equipment, Science Instruction
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Denny, Mark – European Journal of Physics, 2012
Trees transport water from roots to crown--a height that can exceed 100 m. The physics of tree hydraulics can be conveyed with simple fluid dynamics based upon the Hagen-Poiseuille equation and Murray's law. Here the conduit structure is modelled as conical pipes and as branching pipes. The force required to lift sap is generated mostly by…
Descriptors: Mechanics (Physics), Hydraulics, Science Instruction, College Science
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Montgomery, H. E., Jr. – European Journal of Physics, 2011
The Schrodinger equation for the ground state of a hydrogen atom confined at the centre of an impenetrable cavity is treated using variational perturbation theory. Energies calculated from variational perturbation theory are comparable in accuracy to the results from a direct numerical solution. The goal of this exercise is to introduce the…
Descriptors: Nuclear Physics, Energy, Science Instruction, College Science
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Ehrmann, Andrea; Blachowicz, Tomasz – European Journal of Physics, 2011
The question whether to walk slowly or to run when it starts raining in order to stay as dry as possible has been considered for many years--and with different results, depending on the assumptions made and the mathematical descriptions for the situation. Because of the practical meaning for real life and the inconsistent results depending on the…
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Problem Solving, Models, College Science
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Augousti, A. T.; Gawelczyk, M.; Siwek, A.; Radosz, A. – European Journal of Physics, 2012
The problem of communication between observers in the vicinity of a black hole in a Schwarzschild metric is considered. The classic example of an infalling observer Alice and a static distant mother station (MS) is extended to include a second infalling observer Bob, who follows Alice in falling towards the event horizon. Kruskal coordinates are…
Descriptors: Astronomy, Space Sciences, Observation, Interpersonal Communication
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Arkadiy, Leonov – European Journal of Physics, 2009
The problem of obtaining the apparent equation of motion and shape of a moving body from its arbitrary given equation of motion in special relativity is considered. Also the inverse problem of obtaining the body's equation of motion from a known equation of motion of its image is discussed. Some examples of this problem solution are considered. As…
Descriptors: Physics, Motion, Science Education, Problem Solving
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Nordmark, Arne B.; Essen, Hanno – European Journal of Physics, 2010
A particle that moves along a smooth track in a vertical plane is influenced by two forces: gravity and normal force. The force experienced by roller coaster riders is the normal force, so a natural question to ask is, what shape of the track gives a normal force of constant magnitude? Here we solve this problem. It turns out that the solution is…
Descriptors: Motion, Physics, Science Instruction, Scientific Principles
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Marusic, M.; Erceg, N.; Slisko, J. – European Journal of Physics, 2011
In this research we asked the fourth year students (N = 50) of a technical faculty of the University of Split (Republic of Croatia) to solve a partially specified physics problem related to gravitational force. The task for the students was to decide whether the situation described in the problem is feasible or not. Nevertheless, the formulation…
Descriptors: Physics, Problem Solving, Foreign Countries, Science Instruction
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