In this literature review, we survey student naïve ideas (frequently referred to as 'misconceptions') that plausibly relate, at least in part, to difficulty in understanding probability. We collected diverse naïve ideas from a range of topics in physics: Non-linear Dynamics; Cosmology; Thermal Physics; Atomic, Nuclear, and Particle Physics;…

The experiment in charging and discharging of a capacitor through a resistor is fundamentally important for studying electronics. We have developed an alternative procedure to measure the voltage drops across capacitors as a function of time. The simple apparatus controlled by an Arduino Uno microcontroller board and LabVIEW™ interface was set up.…

As part of a public education outreach effort, an introduction to the health effects of ionizing radiation and the field of medical physics was developed by a clinical medical physicist. The presentation was delivered to a broad public audience in 2019 (prior to COVID-19 safety concerns) through a community outreach science literacy program that…

The present study explored nominalization use in a sample of research articles (RAs) of various types in physics and applied linguistics. To this end, 134 RAs from the related journals of these disciplines were carefully selected and studied to identify occurrences of nominalization. Results indicated that the authors in applied linguistics…

The National Academy of Science has published studies showing strong scientific evidence that global warming is caused by human consumption of fossil fuels, yet recent surveys have shown young adults in the U.S. are disengaged or disagree with this fact. Accordingly, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)…

A physics professor (DS) and a theater technical instructor (BC) came together in 2018 to plan a general education course on the Physics of Theater Stagecraft. This is less surprising than it sounds, because theatrical lighting design had been Smith's hobby for almost 30 years, and he has always felt that his understanding of physics helped him…

This paper demonstrates the use of a smartphone's sensors in recording experimental data for investigating the large angle of a physical pendulum. The smartphone (iPhone 5s) was attached to a beam to record simultaneously both the angular position and the angular speed of the beam oscillating about the pivot. The period and phase space of the…

The Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, are often depicted as lone geniuses, secretly assembling the first successful powered aircraft far from civilization at Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. There is a germ of truth in the popular story, but only a germ. The brothers succeeded while so many other experimenters failed not because…

This chapter describes the last 30 years of the engagement of community college faculty with one physics professional society. Plans are under development for establishing a National Center for Physics focused on two-year colleges.

Purpose: This research aimed to: (1) measure out the validity level of the developed Student Worksheets, (2) explain the students' responses and learning motivation in using Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)-based worksheets, and (3) find the effect of the HOTS-based worksheet on learning outcomes. Methodology: The study employed the Research…

By building a schlieren optical system, the visualization of a 40 KHz sound wave is realized. By using the schlieren system, the demonstration of acoustic reflection, interference and diffraction can be easily realized. At the same time, the visual acoustic field provides another simple way for the measurement of sound velocity. In this paper, the…

In this kindergarten lesson about pushes and pulls, the authors used the SHARE strategy to embed effective questions throughout each phase of the 5E learning cycle (Engage, Explore, Explain, Evaluate, Elaborate). The thoughtfully worded and open-ended questions shared in this article can help students generate ideas and focus their thinking…

During their first physics courses, most students struggle with mathematical concepts that are used but not fully understood, for example, the appearance of infinity in introductory physics exercises. In many cases, these concepts are critical to understanding the underlying physical phenomenon. Typically, most books do not place much emphasis on…

A common procedure when conducting physics experiments is to repeat a measurement several times to calculate the mean and standard deviation. That might be the only instruction we give to students as a means to minimize random errors. However, that technique does not guarantee that the answer will be correct. It might give the same wrong answer…

This November marks another anniversary of the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, an example appropriate to introductory science or physical sciences courses from grade school to university. The purpose of this brief submission is to add an element to this story, which, despite having been mentioned before, has not received the prominence it…