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…

Here, a relatively simple laboratory experiment of a physical pendulum, suitable for students of science and engineering in the first courses of university physics, is presented to illustrate its dynamic behavior and to determine its inertia moment. To this end, a long wooden rod of length L = 99.8 cm and cross-section radius R = 1.73 cm was used…

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.

The magnetic field of Earth, B[subscript e], is an intriguing topic in the introductory physics curriculum that engages students' curiosity and inspires numerous speculations about the nature of this phenomenon. There are several methods for measuring Earth's magnetic field. Probably, the most widespread and visual method of measuring the field in…

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…

Background: Achieving the targeted of university physics courses and improving student motivation requires varying types of instructional design. One alternative approach to the traditional lecture format involves the use of historical science stories, which are narratives that present episodes from the life of a scientist, as well as…

The pendulum was an important scientific instrument in the 17th century. It became a typical textbook problem in the 18th century. After the introduction of vectors in physics in the 1890s, the pendulum problem started to be progressively solved in the manner we know nowadays from introductory mechanics courses. Starting from "F = ma"…

In general, undergraduate experimental physics laboratories do not usually have experiments designed to address rolling friction and to measure the value of the rolling friction coefficient. This work explores an experiment, which has the potential to arouse students' curiosity about rolling friction by addressing a counterintuitive aspect of the…

Video analysis is carried out for one-dimensional motion and collision experiments using Tracker. Physical variables, i.e. displacement, time, and velocity, can be deducted from the analysis and allows one to connect them to the equation of motion and energy conservation. Corresponding equations of motions are given without neglecting the effect…

The dynamic study of pendulum systems is considered an indispensable subject for physics and mechanics students in colleges and high schools. In this paper, a detailed methodology is given concerning the use of smartphones in pedagogical practical work for studying the dynamics of pendulum systems. Whereas, three aspects have been discussed…

We describe an educational activity that can be done by using smartphones to collect data in physics experiments aimed to measure the oscillating period of a spring-mass system and the elastic constant of the helicoidal spring by the dynamic method. Results for the oscillating period and for the elastic constant of the spring agree very well with…

We report the findings of an empirical study that investigated whether the source of data--firsthand or secondhand data gained from lab work experiments--has an influence on students' learning outcomes. Results indicate that students' choice of a correct or incorrect hypothesis for a pendulum lab experiment on the influence of the mass of the bob…

In this research, the effect of experimental applications by using robotics technology in Science and Technology course the "Force and Motion" unit on the level of scientific creativity and scientific attitude of students was investigated. This research was designed according to the quasi-experimental method pre-test post-test design…

In introductory physics laboratories, spring constants are traditionally measured using the static method. The dynamic method, via vertical spring-mass oscillator, that uses a stopwatch in order to measure the period of oscillations is also commonly employed. However, this time-measuring technique is prone to human errors and in this paper we…

The pandemic triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has produced worldwide interruptions of face-to-face teaching activity in both schools and universities. In Italy, the quarantine began in the second half of February 2020 and lasted for all the second semester of lectures. The University of Bologna, where all the authors of the present article are…