Inspired by a commercially produced scattering experiment that was popular beginning in the 1960s, we have developed a Nerf-projectile-based educational activity to demonstrate the basics of particle scattering experiments.

Experimental results are presented on the collision of a superball with two different wood blocks. The results are in reasonable agreement with a simple collision model where kinetic energy is conserved, but better agreement is obtained if a small loss of kinetic energy is assumed, as observed. The physics is slightly more complicated than the…

A simple experiment for students is to measure the coefficient of restitution (COR) for a vertical bounce on a horizontal surface. In this paper, measurements are presented of the COR for a tennis ball bouncing at an oblique angle on a horizontal surface. Changes in the horizontal and rotation speeds were also measured, by filming the bounce with…

We investigated a very long chain falling from the pile on the edge of a table to the floor both experimentally and theoretically. In this very simple and novel configuration we showed that the velocity of the chain quickly converges to its asymptotic value, and that the steady-state velocity is proportional to the square root of the height of the…

The interference pattern between two harmonic oscillations with slightly different frequencies are called beats. The beats, as a combined motion, have two different periods, one approximately equal to the period of the original oscillations, and another that is significantly longer and is related to the variable amplitude of the motion. The main…

Instruction in quantum mechanics is becoming increasingly important as the field is not only a key part of modern physics research but is also important for emerging technologies. However, many students regard quantum mechanics as a particularly challenging subject, in part because it is considered very mathematical and abstract. One potential way…

The recent progress of intelligent electronic devices makes computer science, electronic and information technology, highly related to teaching and learning physics. The main question is how education can integrate this knowledge. Methods and components of new technology are applicable for education also; teachers and learners used the parts and…

This case study investigated the conceptual understanding of the Simple Pendulum topic amongst physics student-teachers using online experiments. A pre-experimental design was utilised, employing a one-group pretest-posttest approach with 20 student-teachers. The research instruments included a highspeed video activity conducted within Online…

A loop-the-loop experiment is described to show how sliding friction affects motion of the ball. Conservation of energy can be used to explain the basic physics, but significant energy loss is observed in practice and expands the usefulness of this apparatus as a teaching tool.

Student misconceptions of the double-slit experiment (Fig. 1) are abundant. The most common ones that we observe include: (1) belief that constructive interference requires both pathlengths to be integer multiples of the wavelength ("L[subscript 1] = n[subscript 1][lambda]" and "L[subscript 2] = n[subscript 2][lambda]") rather…

The conical pendulum is a classic introductory physics problem for teaching circular motion--a topic about which students frequently carry alternative conceptions. As teachers provide lessons to untangle these conceptions, it is good to allow students to practice their new knowledge in varied settings. This is one possible experiment that builds…

Demonstration interviews with 27 high school students (18-19 years old) were conducted in Zagreb, Croatia, using several standard experiments on interference and diffraction of light. Students were asked for their predictions, observations, and explanations of the experiments. In this process, many student difficulties were identified, both…

Experimental results are presented concerning a bead sliding on a rotating, horizontal rod. If the rod rotates at constant angular velocity then the sliding speed in the radial direction increases exponentially with time, provided that the rotation speed is sufficient to overcome friction. Otherwise the bead rotates in a circular path of constant…

Electrification by rubbing different materials is a well-known phenomenon with a history that began more than five centuries B.C. ago. However, simple experiments can lead to contradictory or inconsistent results, and the history of this phenomena is plagued with non-intuitive results. For example, triboelectric charging by rubbing identical…

The laser pointer has been widely used to demonstrate some simple optics phenomena, like reflection, refraction, total reflection, and diffraction. However, the rays of laser light cannot be seen in the air because the scattered light is too weak. Many physics teachers use milk or smoke to visualize rays of laser light in physics labs, but it is…