In this article we reviewed the main concepts of detonative combustion. Concepts of slow and fast combustion, of detonation adiabat are introduced. Landmark works on experimental and semi-empirical detonation study are presented. We reviewed Chapman-Jouguet stationary detonation and spin detonation. Various mathematical model of detonation wave…

In this work, we demonstrate the application of the variational method by computing the ground- and first-excited state energies of a double-well potential. We start with the proper choice of the trial wave functions using optimized parameters, and notice that accurate expectation values in excellent agreement with the numerical results can be…

The word "wave" is part of the daily language of every student. However, the physical understanding of the concept demands a high level of abstract thought. In physics, waves are oscillating variations of a physical quantity that involve the transfer of energy from one point to another, without displacement of matter. A wave can be…

On the first day of class I ask my students, "What makes a true statement true?" Then I tell them that they might be surprised to learn that there are only two types of true statements in physics, and I encourage them to try to discover the two categories.

Every year, thousands of college students in the life sciences take introductory physics. Some educators have advocated physics be presented in a way that is relevant to these students. Most are biology majors, but many students are in the allied health field studying to become athletic trainers, occupational therapists, or professionals in some…

Baseball's flirtation with technology began in 2005 when PITCHf/x® by Sportvision started to be installed in major league ballparks. Every stadium had the system operational by 2007. Since then, the trajectories of over six million pitches have been measured to within about half an inch using three 60-Hz video cameras to track the position of the…

The basic physics of the flute is presented from the perspective of a professional flutist. The flutist can control loudness, pitch and to some extent timbre. Oscilloscope images are provided to compare changes in these three fundamental sound characteristics. Readers can view a video (Ruiz 2017 "Video: The Flute"…

The harmonics for an open cone with slant length "L" are the same as the harmonics for an open pipe with length "L." When the cone is transformed through phases of closed-open conical frusta into a cylinder of length "L" closed at one end, the fundamental halves and only odd harmonics remain. A simple approach using…

A physics textbook for the 8th grade was analyzed, in particular the section on the interaction between electric current and magnetic field. The textbook is written in the Macedonian language, but is translated into Albanian, Serbian, and Turkish, which provides an opportunity to influence a larger population of children, in a larger ethnic area.…

The practice of learning physics contributes to the development of many transdisciplinary skills learners are able to exercise independent of the physics discipline. However, the standard practices of physics instruction do not explicitly include the monitoring or evaluation of these skills. In a competency-based (CB) learning model, the skills…

The incandescent bulb has been a useful tool for teaching basic electrical circuits, as brightness is related to the current or power flowing through a bulb. This has led to the development of qualitative pedagogical treatments for examining resistive combinations in simple circuits using bulbs and batteries, which were first introduced by James…

The teaching of physics often involves the use of illustrations that complement and assist the understanding of a particular situation or physical phenomenon. Overall, the proper use of illustrations can maximize the learning and understanding of concepts and phenomena related to the teaching of science (physics, chemistry, biology) and…

References to everyday life are important for teaching physics. Discussing polarization phenomena, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and 3D cinemas provide such references. In this paper we describe experiments to support students' understanding of linearly polarized light as well as the phenomenon of inverted colors using a secret LCD screen.…

There is a plethora of concept inventories available for faculty to use, but it is not always clear exactly why you would use these tests, or how you should administer them and interpret the results. These research-based tests about physics and astronomy concepts are valuable because they allow for standardized comparisons among institutions,…

The understanding of many aspects of astronomy is closely linked with relativity and the finite speed of light, yet relativity is generally not discussed in great detail during planetarium shows for the general public. One reason may be the difficulty to visualize these phenomena in a way that is appropriate for planetariums; another may be their…