The field of geometrical optics features a broad knowledge base concerning conceptual learning difficulties and student conceptions. However, in contrast to other areas of physics, no widely used standard test instrument exists to assess middle school students' conceptual knowledge of geometrical optics. This is even more true for other areas of…

The Sun is a central feature to the human experience. It is found in many familiar idioms like "nothing new under the Sun." It defines our days, makes our planet habitable, and is the ultimate origin of your last meal. Yet how do we understand how it works?

An easy circuit for measuring the power of a solar panel in physics classroom by using the microcontroller Arduino will be introduced in this article. The measured data is transferred via Bluetooth to the smartphone app 'phyphox' where it is displayed graphically. The circuitry enables measuring the power of a solar panel in different situations…

The cosine theorem is used in solving triangulation problems and in physics when solving problems of addition of unidirectional oscillations. However, this theorem is used only for the analytical calculation of triangles or when solving problems of adding two oscillations. Here we propose a generalization of the cosine theorem for the case of…

Crystallography is a fascinating subject and an argument of great importance in the study of structure of matter and fundamental physics. Moreover, many characteristics of crystals, as well as other organic and inorganic substances, are analyzed with x-ray diffraction. In order to introduce at a basic level the above mentioned subjects, and also…

This study aims to determine pre-service teachers' conceptual understanding of black-body radiation. Designed as a qualitative study, it employed a case study design, which is one of the descriptive research methods. The study group consists of 18 pre-service physics teachers enrolled as seniors. An opinion form and a concept map were used as data…

In this article, the authors discuss finding teaching the standard on the apparent brightness of the Sun (5-ESS1-1) to be a challenging and frustrating experience due to the abstract nature of the standard and generally low interest of their fifth-grade students. They had previously used hands-on learning activities involving flashlights to model…

The concept of black body is of primary importance in studying the energy transfer of thermal electromagnetic radiation at all wavelengths. Several physical bodies like incandescent lamps, electric heaters, stoves, the sun and the other stars, microwave background radiation, etc., are considered to be black bodies as their radiation spectra fits…

The success of films such as "Avengers: Endgame," "Black Panther," and "Captain Marvel" has established the superhero genre in modern popular culture. Many students will have seen these films, or at the very least they are familiar with a number of the superhero characters. In the physics classroom, content based on…

In this paper, we present simple demonstrations aimed at explaining the fundamental principles of the photoacoustic effect. To display the audible phenomenon that occurs as laser radiation gets absorbed by ethene gas, an optical chopper was used to modulate the power of a continuous-wave laser whose beam was directed into a gas. The absorbed…

A video of darkening scenery during the 15 min prior to totality of the 21 August 2017 total solar eclipse is presented and discussed. The luminances of the scenes at 1 min intervals are obtained by averaging pixel data of stills from the video. The experimental results are compared to the theoretical model of uniform radiance from the exposed…

Water can exhibit many different colors due to a variety of physical properties. Here, we focus on some observable colors within very pure freshwater. We only treat the absorption of light due to electronic and ro-vibrational excitations and scattering due to refractive index fluctuations of the water and the respective consequences for the…

With the advancements in broad-spectrum sunscreens and the recent bans on benzene-based sunscreens due to their environmental toxicity, there has been a push toward broad-spectrum sunscreens containing in organic active ingredients. In this study, a procedure was developed to analyze the particle size and size distribution of inorganic active…

This paper describes a work in progress to design and evaluate an e-learning intervention that utilizes the Internet of Things (IoT) to increase awareness of the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure and promote sun protection practices early in life. The authors' previous work in a pre-test post-test control group study (Study 1)…

The peak position of the spectral density for blackbody radiation is given by the Wien displacement law. Within introductory physics materials it is often stated, or implied through example, that the color of the light emitted from a blackbody, such as the Sun, can be ascertained from knowledge of the position of that peak in the spectral density.…