An ice hockey player can strike a puck at speeds up to about 45 m/s (100 mph) using a technique known as the slap shot. There is nothing unusual about the speed, since golf balls, tennis balls, and baseballs can also be projected at that speed or even higher. The unusual part is that the player strikes the ice before striking the puck, causing the…

A cylinder rolling down an inclined board is a commonly seen and interesting object to study and it is also easy to experiment with and model. Following what has become a popular practice, we use smartphones to measure the angular acceleration of a cylinder rolling down a plane of different inclining angles. The friction force deviates from the…

Students are well aware of the effect of the deflection of sports balls when they have been given a spin. A volleyball, tennis, or table tennis ball served with topspin results in an additional downward force that makes the ball difficult to catch and return. In soccer, the effect of sidespin causes the ball to curve unexpectedly sideways,…

Dark matter makes up most of the matter in the universe but very little of a standard introductory physics curriculum. Here we present our construction and use of a spandex sheet-style gravity simulator to qualitatively demonstrate two aspects of modern physics related to dark matter. First, we describe an activity in which students explore the…

We present a unit comprising theory, simulation and experiment for a body oscillating on a vertical spring, in which the simultaneous use of a force probe and an ultrasonic range finder enables one to explore quantitatively and understand many aspects of simple and damped harmonic motions. (Contains 14 figures.)

Describes an introductory physics experiment concerned with scattering particles off various force centers. The experiment uses simulation techniques and a computer. The scattering is classical, and the student examines plots of computed particle trajectories. The results illustrate the concepts of differential corss-section, total cross-section,…

Newton's laws can be illustrated by having physics students participate in various activities while on roller skates. Several examples of such activities (including photographs) are provided. (JN)

Describes an elastic Foucault pendulum designed to demonstrate how the rotation of the plane of oscillation depends on geographical latitude, and shows that this rotation vanishes at the equator. (GA)

Different programs have been developed for the simulation of physics experiments by using TI-57 programmable calculators. Two of these programs, describing the simulation of a successive radioactive decay and the random motion of a gas molecule, are presented. (Author/SK)

Describes a teaching strategy designed to help high school students learn mechanics by involving them in simple experimental work, observing didactic films, running computer simulations, and executing more complex laboratory experiments. Provides an example of the strategy as it is applied to the topic of projectile motion. (TW)