This paper reports on a student summer project performed in 2006 at the University of Frankfurt. It is addressed to undergraduate students familiar with the basic principles of relativistic quantum mechanics and general relativity. The aim of the project was to study the Dirac equation in curved spacetime. To obtain the general relativistic Dirac…

Previous research [Lorenzo et al., Am. J. Phys. 74, 118 (2006)] demonstrated that the difference in performance between male and female students can be reduced and even eliminated, in consistent fashion, by using interactive engagement techniques in the introductory physics classroom. The present paper describes similar studies in a different,…

Although much is known about the differences between expert and novice problem solvers, knowledge of those differences typically does not provide enough detail to help instructors understand why some students seem to learn physics while solving problems and others do not. A critical issue is how students access the knowledge they have in the…

To identify and describe the basis upon which instructors make curricular and pedagogical decisions, we have developed an artifact-based interview and an analysis technique based on multilayered concept maps. The policy capturing technique used in the interview asks instructors to make judgments about concrete instructional artifacts similar to…

This document provides a laboratory manual for an experiment whose objectives are: (1) measure the constant acceleration of a body; (2) calculate the moment of inertia for various symmetrical shape objects; and (3) use the moment of inertia to solve for the constant acceleration of the body. The paper includes a list of materials needed, theory,…

Physics and management are disciplines deeply implicated in the domination of the physical and social world. This book is the product of ethnographic fieldwork that studied physics and management programs as points of entry that give access to larger processes that constitute and reproduce disciplines and center around the incorporation of…

The substantial gender gap in the science and engineering professions becomes even greater from the perspective of women in underrepresented minority groups. This document analyzes data on university enrollment and graduation by both gender and ethnicity compiled by the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME). Findings…

This book is a collection of 201 science experiments designed to be fun and to show that science is not just a list of facts, but a way of solving problems and discovering why things happen the way they do. The activities cover five different fields of science: astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics. Each experiment contains the…

For many summers the Radiation Science and Engineering Center at Pennsylvania State University has been the site of a Nuclear Concepts and Technological Issues Institute for secondary school science teachers. As a culminating activity of the institute teachers develop lesson plans, laboratory experiments, demonstrations, or other activities and…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) workshop on Optical Science and Engineering was organized to examine approaches NSF could use to identify opportunities in optical science, engineering, and education that meet both the mission of NSF and its broader national goals. The workshop participants identified opportunities where optical science and…

The summary information contained in this report provides teachers, school administrators, students, and the general public with an overview of the results from the June 1998 administration of the Physics 30 Diploma Examination by the Alberta Department of Education in Canada. This information is most helpful when used with the detailed school and…

In the domain of research on physics education, results on students' conceptions show difficulties in physics learning. This paper aims to propose theoretical elements to interpret such learning difficulties related to physics teaching in the case of heat and temperature. Sections in this paper include: (1) Introduction; (2) Epistemological…

Vietnamese students now enrolled in American high schools incur an extremely special need in English. After being taught subject matter disciplines in Vietnamese for many years, and while English is still a foreign language for them, these students are bound to go through two linguistic processes. First, while reading or sitting through lectures…

Describes an out-of-doors, partially unstructured experiment to determine the coefficient of friction for a moving car. Presents the equation which relates the coefficient of friction to initial velocity, distance, and time and gives sample computed values as a function of initial speed and tire pressure. (GS)