In engineering, kinematics is widely regarded as a fundamental topic with the literature agreeing that students possess a wide range in understanding of the topic. This study aims to take a second-order approach by understanding and exploring the qualitatively different ways in which students approach solving kinematics problems. Phenomenography…

After the passage of the U.S. National Quantum Initiative Act in December 2018, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) recently assembled an interagency working group and conducted a workshop titled "Key Concepts for Future Quantum Information Science Learners" that focused on…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused physical classes to suddenly transition to online learning all over the globe two years ago, resulting in students becoming more active in online email communication. The emails sent by the students were observed to contain students' concerns and needs for teacher support during the early stages of worldwide online…

With the benefits of low cost, energy efficiency, and environmental protection, photocatalytic hydrogen production is considered to be the most promising technology for the development of a clean and sustainable society. However, the utilization of photocatalytically generated hydrogen is not very common yet. Therefore, tertiary education urgently…

Newton's first and second laws have implications for the kinetic energy as well as the momentum of a body. It is recommended that this should be made explicit at an appropriate point in a course.

The problem of determining the angle ? at which a point mass launched from ground level with a given speed v[subscript 0] will reach a maximum distance is a standard exercise in mechanics. There are many possible ways of solving this problem, leading to the well-known answer of ? = p/4, producing a maximum range of D[subscript max] = v[superscript…

In order to measure the mass of an object in the absence of gravity, one useful tool for many decades has been the inertial balance. One of the simplest forms of inertial balance is made by two mass holders or pans joined together with two stiff metal plates, which act as springs.

In a recent letter to this journal, Mungan noted that translational energy can be converted into gravitational potential energy when an object is projected vertically, but rotational energy is not usually converted in this manner. As an exception, he gave an example where "a ball initially rolling without slipping will travel higher up a…

Newton's laws have engendered much discussion over several centuries. Today, the internet is awash with a plethora of information on this topic. We find many references to Newton's laws, often discussions of various types of misunderstandings and ways to explain them. Here we present an intriguing example that shows an assumption hidden in…

The appearance of a unique function in the energy transfer from one system to the other in different physical situations such as electrical, mechanical, optical, and quantum mechanical processes is established in this work. Though the laws governing the energy transformation and its transfer from system to system are well known, here we notice a…

Planning and conducting experiments require the application of the control of variables strategy (CVS). Research indicates that older children can learn the CVS by engaging in guided-inquiry activities. It has not been studied yet whether this is also the case for children as young as 6- to 7-years. 145 children aged 6-7 years participated in a…

Connecting physics with the humanities is a fascinating challenge and a complicated cultural task. Yet, it is exactly what the Italian secondary-school graduation exam requires in its oral part. Although it has been criticized by teachers and students, here I provide a list of real school life examples and discuss why this can be a great,…

Concept maps are used to assess and improve prospective teachers' conceptual understanding levels. In this research, the aim was to describe prospective science teachers' conceptual understanding of the atom by using concept maps. The research employed the case study approach, one of the qualitative research patterns. The research group consisted…

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of simulation-supported inquiry-based learning on pre-service teachers' conceptual understanding of capacitors. The participants consisted of 50 pre-service teachers studying at a state university in Turkey. The participants were divided into two groups of 25 each on the basis of their…

We surveyed a national sample of United States physics faculty about the COVID-19 transition to online learning. Most faculty had 1-2 weeks to prepare and no experience with teaching online. They relied on department peers to discuss approaches and used lecture adaptations such as video conferencing rather than new curricular elements. Their…