In this paper we describe and discuss simple, inexpensive optical experiments used to simulate x-ray and electron diffraction according to the Debye-Scherrer theory. The experiment can be used to address, at the high school level, important subjects related to fundamental quantum and solid-state physics.

Of all sports, ice hockey is possibly the one with the widest array of physics elements in it. The game provides many examples that can bring physics to life in the classroom. Ice hockey (or just "hockey" as many Canadians would say) sees athletes sliding on ice at high speeds and in various ways, shooting and slapping pucks, and…

A pair of fine tweezers and a steady hand may well be enough to pick up a grain of sand, but what would you use to hold something hundreds of times smaller still, the size of only one micron? The answer is to use a device that is not mechanical in nature but that relies instead on the tiny forces that light exerts on small particles: "optical…

It is shown how the same physically appealing method can be applied to find analytic solutions for two difficult and apparently unrelated problems in optics and electrostatics. They are: (i) the diffraction of a plane wave at a perfectly conducting thin half-plane and (ii) the electrostatic field associated with a parallel array of stripes held at…

Students become deeply involved in physics classes when spectacular demonstrations take over from abstract and formal presentations. In this paper we propose a simple experimental setup in which the wave behavior of light can be made spectacularly evident along the whole path of the light beam in a practically unlimited number of configurations.…

Reviews the concepts behind atmospheric optical phenomena such as rainbows and anticrepuscular rays. Describes the experience of observing these two phenomena simultaneously and calculates the probability of that observation. (JRH)

Discussed is how polarized sunglasses block glare, help spot subtle differences in surfaces, and give a clearer view under water. Information on unpolarized and polarized light is provided. The reasons causing glare to occur and how polarizers decrease glare are discussed. (KR)

A-DNA and B-DNA are two secondary molecular conformations (among other allomorphs) that double-stranded DNA drawn into a fiber can assume, depending on the relative water content and other chemical parameters of the fiber. They were the first two forms to be observed by X-ray fiber diffraction in the early 1950s, respectively by Wilkins and…

The informal activities of cooperative learning and short periods of lecturing has been combined and used in the university teaching of biochemistry as part of the first year course of Optics and Optometry in the academic years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. The lessons were previously elaborated by the teacher and included all that is necessary to…

In their paper the authors deal with the vital issues of creation and application of electronic teaching materials for natural science subjects teaching. They describe an experimental examination of qualitative impact of these aids on education. The authors present a part of research results, which they obtained in a major research focused on…

Methods and optics of perceiving color in a black-and-white grating are described. A sample grating which produces the effect is included. (JN)

The arrangement of colors in Newton's color circle suggests that it was derived from paint mixtures, not light mixtures. If this is true it may be concluded that what Newton called indigo represents violet in modern terminology, and what he called violet represents purple. (Author/TS)

Attempts to quantify the subjective sensation of brightness of the spot projected by a helium-neon laser and compares this with conventional sources of light. Provides an exercise in using the blackbody radiation formulas. (JRH)

Experiments examined the accuracy of visual touchdown point perception during oblique descents (1.5?-15?) toward a ground plane consisting of (a) randomly positioned dots, (b) a runway outline, or (c) a grid. Participants judged whether the perceived touchdown point was above or below a probe that appeared at a random position following each…

Much like a physical prism, which displays the frequency components of a light wave, Fourier analysis can be thought of as a mathematical prism that can tell us what harmonics or frequency components are contained in a recording of a sound wave. We wrote the MacScope II program so that the user could not only see a plot of the harmonic amplitudes…