Prior to instruction, students often possess a common-sense view of motion, which is inconsistent with Newtonian physics. Effective physics lessons therefore involve conceptual change. To provide a theoretical explanation for concepts and how they change, the triangulation model brings together key attributes of prototypes, exemplars, theories,…

Physics is a science that deals with matter and energy, and their interaction. The subject matter of Physics includes mechanics, heat, light, optics, electricity, magnetism, radiation, gravitation, atom structure etc. Physics concepts are included in the science textbook form primary level of education. Some Physics abstract concepts are difficult…

Classical mechanics challenges students to use their intuitions and experiences as a basis for understanding, in effect to approach learning as "a refinement of everyday thinking'' (Einstein, 1936). Moving on to quantum mechanics (QM), students, like physicists, need to adjust this approach, in particular with respect to the roles that…

Curiosity is associated with cognitive development and learning. In fact, Piaget suggested that being curious is a prerequisite for knowledge construction. One way to increase curiosity is to put individuals in situations of uncertainty, so that they become motivated to seek knowledge of the unfamiliar. A teaching method that appears to do this…

The aim of this research is to examine the effects of multiple intelligences based instruction on the 9th grade students' achievements and attitude towards the Force and Motion topics in physics. The participants of this research are composed of randomly selected 95 ninth graders, who were divided into two experimental and two control classes. The…

The aim of this research was to design a simple experimental device to see electric field force lines using common components which are readily available in everyday life. A solution of baby oil was placed in a plastic container, 4.5 × 4.5 × 1 inches, with both ends of the electrodes (metal wire) immersed in the solution at a depth of 0.2 inches.…

We investigate a water-filled bottle rolling down an incline and ask the following question: is a rolling bottle better described by a model ignoring all internal motion where the bottle is approximated by a material point sliding down an incline, or is it better described by a rigid solid cylinder rolling down the incline without skidding? The…

Most students know that planetary orbits, including Earth's, are elliptical; that is Kepler's first law, and it is found in many science textbooks. But quite a few are mistaken about the details, thinking that the orbit is very eccentric, or that this effect is somehow responsible for the seasons. In fact, the Earth's orbital eccentricity is…

Giraffes face unique challenges for drinking due to their long necks. In this article we use evidence from videos, size estimates, and elementary fluid mechanics to make a strong case for a plunger pump mechanism moving water up from their lips to their shoulders.

Center of mass (CM) is an important concept in physics, especially when studying extended bodies. For example, general motion of an extended body can be considered as the sum of the translational motion of the CM plus other types of motion about that CM. CM also can be regarded as a "balance point" so that a system supported at its CM…

The aim of this paper is to provide a way of teaching the factors that affect resistance using mechanical pencil leads and the brightness of the light given out by a light bulb connected to an electrical circuit. The resistance of a conductor is directly proportional to its length (L) and inversely proportional to its cross-sectional area (A).…

Variations of a demonstration in which a sheet of paper or a bead is levitated in a grazing stream as from one's breath have been published in several sources. Even a massive ball can be deflected into the robust flow from a leaf blower. The attraction is surprising because it is often quite stable and seems to conflict with the familiar transient…

Through a century of work, physicists have refined a model to describe all fundamental particles, the forces they share, and their interactions on a microscopic scale. This masterpiece of science is called the Standard Model. While this theory is incredibly powerful, we know of at least one particle that exhibits behaviors that are outside of its…

The conjunction of three events has encouraged me to devote significant time to thinking about the pedagogical framework in my introductory courses. The three events were: doing a workshop addressing the Advanced Placement restructuring of the Physics B course with a stronger focus on critical thinking, finding out that "The Physics…

If the end of a long chain, which is contained in an elevated beaker, is dropped over the edge of the beaker and falls, it is observed that as the speed of the chain increases the chain rises to form a loop well above the top of the beaker. The name "chain fountain" has been applied to this phenomenon. In this study the dependence of the…