Understanding measurement uncertainty is crucial in experimental physics, as it enables accurate and reliable measurements, facilitates comparison between measurements, and aids in designing experiments. Consequently, measurement uncertainty has emerged as a critical learning goal for many introductory physics labs. Here, we explore the impact of…

This research focuses on the experiences of six undergraduate white women who are physics and astronomy majors. Specifically we conducted semistructured, empathetic interviews that reveal how uncomfortable physics environments inside and outside of the classroom, which were often propagated by male instructors and peers, excluded undergraduate…

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Instructional labs: Improving traditions and new directions.] National organizations set goals of engaging students in experimentation and authentic scientific reasoning while developing normative concepts to help them develop essential skills and competencies necessary to succeed in our rapidly…

Physics is known for its emphasis on innate brilliance as a prerequisite for disciplinary membership and success. Women, Black, Latine, and Indigenous individuals remain vastly underrepresented and marginalized in physics spaces, a reality that is due in part to oppressive stereotypes that position them as less inherently intelligent than their…

The frequently used analogy of a massive ball distorting an elastic sheet, which is used to illustrate why mass causes spacetime curvature and gravitational attraction, is criticized in this article. A different analogy that draws on the students' previous knowledge of spacetime diagrams in special relativity is suggested.

For more than 30 years, Albert A. Bartlett published "Thermal patterns in the snow" in this journal. These are patterns produced by heat sources underneath the snow. Bartlett's articles encouraged me to pay attention to patterns in snow and to understanding them. At winter's end the last snow becomes dirty and is heaped into piles. This…

We did not have laptops or computer networks in schools in 1968, when I started teaching physics. When classroom computers became available, followed by the internet, I greeted them as great educational tools. I developed my own website in order to provide reference material and assignments for my students. I found that online assignments were…

"Skyscraper" is a Hollywood action film ("Skyscraper" official film site: www.skyscrapermovie.com) directed and written by Thurber scheduled to be released on 13 July 2018. We present an analysis of the feat shown in the recently released teaser poster and trailer of the film. Although the feat appears to be unrealistic at…

Most physics instructors believe that adequate sleep is important in order for students to perform well on problem solving, and many instructors advise students to get plenty of sleep the night before an exam. After years of giving such advice to students at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), one of us decided to find out how many hours students…

This is essentially how I start my class each year. As educators we know that the primary way to ensure content retention is to connect the information to the students' lives in a relevant way. Thankfully, as physics teachers, we teach the subject that explains nearly every natural phenomenon in the world…and outside of the world, for that matter.…

Care must be taken representing waves traveling in opposite directions. Erroneous results can occur when combining waves with the popular convention where a wave traveling to the right is [psi][subscript R] (x,t) = A sin (kx-[omega]t) and a left-traveling wave is [psi] (x,t) = A sin (kx + [omega]t). An easily overlooked pitfall is pointed out and…

Although mainly used by the hobby or "maker" crowd, the Arduino microcontroller has made its way into all levels of education, including physics labs. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the Arduino in this regard is the ease with which it can be interfaced and acquire data from a sensor, using any one of its many analog inputs, SPI or…

This work describes a way to study uniform circular motion (UCM) using a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robotics Invention System (RIS) stepper motor with a steel ball attached to a string. The equipment is inexpensive and the resulting motion takes place on a human scale. Times and lengths can be measured with a stopwatch and a meterstick, respectively. In…

In this study, we determined the length correction of the Malaysia pan flute using the harmonic series experiments. The Malaysia pan flute is made from bamboo and consists of eight different bore lengths; 15.50cm, 13.50cm, 12.00cm, 10.30cm, 9.00cm, 7.60cm, 6.50cm and 5.20cm. It is categorized as a one-closed-end resonance tube since it is sealed…

In 1974, Stephen Hawking theoretically discovered that black holes emit thermal radiation and have a characteristic temperature, known as the "Hawking temperature." The aim of this paper is to present a simple heuristic derivation of the Hawking temperature, based on the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. The result obtained coincides…