The purpose of this publication is to present a novel approach to the demonstration of the Dzhanibekov effect. The main idea of our version is to use a lightweight spinning top of a spherical external form but distinct principal moments of inertia floating in the upward flow of air. As a result, the Dzhanibekov effect can be easily demonstrated…

A single-slit diffraction experiment in an introductory physics laboratory is generally comprised of a rectangular slit and a laser source. The laser beam is sent to the slit producing the well-known diffraction pattern on the screen. This paper proposes a simple modification of the single-slit diffraction experiment to increase student attention…

We propose a laboratory experiment on the quantitative study of the normal dispersion of light. A triangular isosceles prism made of flint glass TF3 is used as the object of study, and we describe a simple and affordable device for observing and photographing the dispersion spectrum on a smartphone. A possibility of the quantitative investigation…

With the availability of educational digital data acquisition systems, it has also become possible in physics education to generate 'big' data sets by (a) measuring multiple variables simultaneously, (b) increasing the sample rate, (c) extending the measurement duration, or (d) choosing a combination among these three options. In the context of…

A 2.7 m long stringless pendulum was set up to measure the coefficient of rolling friction of various balls, at higher rolling speeds than usually observed with a short stringless pendulum. The arrangement is easy to set up and makes an impressive classroom demonstration as well as an interesting laboratory experiment.

Undergraduate physics laboratory exercises are very important in shaping students' attitude to science, especially for future teachers. Recently, it is necessary to look for ways to easily create large quantities of experimental sets, not only for institutional use, but also for sets that can be produced in large quantities and distributed for use…

We present a simple and affordable method for making a surface electrodynamic trap for microparticles. The principles of electrodynamic trapping of charged particles are discussed and step-by-step instructions on how to make a surface trap are given. In addition to the electrodynamic trap implementation and operation process, options for its…

A simple measurement of the refractive index of a liquid has been performed using a spherical lens. This lens is a spherical shape flask containing the liquid under study. Parallel pointer laser beams are directed to the lens to obtain the back focal length of the lens. The focal point is determined visually or using the Tracker software to…

During the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, both schools and universities faced significant challenges in moving teaching from an in-situ setting to a remote one, this included laboratory experiments. This paper presents an experiment developed to use a phone's in built pressure sensor, common to most smart phones. By using this sensor…

In this study, we derived several formulas for the currents induced in a circular loop by a magnet connected to a spring-based simple harmonic oscillation system. In addition, we conducted an experiment for measuring the induced currents and compared the results with the theoretical prediction. It was confirmed that the prediction from the derived…

This article deals with an exploration of a double superior mirage obtained in laboratory conditions and its contribution to the deep understanding of light events in specialized schools. It was revealed that an explanation of the formation process of a double superior mirage plays a key role in the adoption of knowledge on reflection and…

Similar to how stealth materials were developed to reduce the radar wave energy returning from an aircraft, here we explore a low-cost laboratory demonstration that uses similar principles to prevent detection of an object by an ultrasonic sensor. This demonstration setup can be used as a starting point to encourage students to explore the surface…

Light emitting diodes have been used to determine Planck's constant in introductory physics laboratories. One common method relies on the energy of the light emitted by the LED and its relation to the energy gap in the solid of which the diode is composed. However, there could be a problem with the data that are collected for this experiment. For…

In this article, we examine the rotation angle dependence of a hand-made fan-type variable capacitor for use in physics experiments in university classes. We made two circular bakelite plates, and the two terminal plates of the capacitor were 90° fan-type copper disks. The capacitance varied linearly with the rotation angle. The standard deviation…

In this study, it is aimed to develop practical teaching activities that can be used in optics teaching. For this purpose, a virtual laboratory environment was created in RayLab which is an application for design and simulation of optics on the iPad/iPhone. In this context, the dispersion of white light in the prism, the relationship between the…