In a recent paper, Kasar, Yurumezoglu, and Sengoren show how to use a guitar, or two guitars, to demonstrate resonance. Here we extend this idea by showing how to use a guitar or a piano (both acoustic) to demonstrate resonance, harmonics, and the properties of the musical scale. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each instrument.…

Understanding the inverse square law, how for example the intensity of light or sound varies with distance, presents conceptual and mathematical challenges. Students know intuitively that intensity decreases with distance. A light source appears dimmer and sound gets fainter as the distance from the source increases. The difficulty is in…

Energy is a topic that is often treated as an accounting process-a number that students are asked to calculate, but that is not particularly meaningful in itself. When we try to ascribe meaning to this number ("an ability to do work," for example), we are met with caveats and hedges. As Feynman notes when lecturing on the conservation of…

Usually, in physics textbooks, the physical magnitude "work" is introduced as the product of a force multiplied by its displacement, in relation to the transfer of energy. In other words, "work" is presented as an internal affair of physics theory, while its relation to the world of experience, that is its empirical meaning, is…

A historical case study concerning the serious doubts that arose in early 1930s about the validity of the law of energy conservation in nuclear disintegrations, and the hypothesis of neutrino, will be closely analyzed with the goal of promoting understanding of the nature of science. This work is based upon primary archival and printed sources,…

Quantum mechanics is one of the pillars of modern physics, however rather difficult to teach at the introductory level due to the conceptual difficulties and the required advanced mathematics. Nevertheless, attempts to identify relevant features of quantum mechanics and to put forward concepts of how to teach it have been proposed. Here we present…

It is customary to employ a semi-spherical scale model to describe the apparent path of the Sun across the sky, whether it be its diurnal motion or its variation throughout the year. A flat surface and three bent semi-rigid wires (representing the three solar arcs during solstices and equinoxes) will do the job. On the other hand, since very early…

The study of elastic properties of solids is essential to both physics and engineering. Finding simple, easy-to-visualize examples to demonstrate these concepts is often difficult. In a previous article written by one of us (KAPII), a simple method for determining Youngs modulus using marshmallows was given. In this article we will illustrate…

The aim of this study is to compare 2018 Science Course Curriculum (SCC), 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and 2018 High School Entrance Examination (HSE) in terms of content domains, cognitive domains and learning objectives. Qualitative research method, was used in this study. Data were analyzed using document…

The study sought to determine the relationship between problem-solving skills and measure of working memory and attention span of science students of low ability level. The study adopted correlational survey research design. The population for the study comprised all Secondary School I (SSI) that offered physics, chemistry and biology as school…

Measuring teachers' skills to carry out the complex tasks required in teaching is an important means of evaluating the effectiveness of teacher education but remains a challenging activity to conduct in practice. It is necessary to optimise approaches for usability and effectiveness along a continuum from low-effort and low-authenticity measures…

In this work we study how different motivations of learners relate to their engagement in a massive open online course (MOOC). The research was conducted in a cohort-based astronomy MOOC "Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space" provided through the Coursera platform. In order to discern motivations of course participants, the Science…

In this article, we examine whether an inquiry-based, hands-on physics lab can be delivered effectively as a distance lab. In science and engineering, hands-on distance labs are rare and open-ended project labs in physics have not been reported in the literature. Our introductory physics lab at a large Canadian research university features…

The following report addresses the impact of preparatory education on first year science grades at two Ontario-based universities. Specifically, the impact of high school and university level preparatory courses on their respective first year university grades will be addressed. A variety of analytic and visualization-based strategies will be…

Fluid Mechanics is one of the most complex branches of science to learn. Traditionally, it has been taught from a positivism point of view. However, the latest technologies have led to the creation of new educational tools based on a constructivism approach as a complement to conventional teaching. This paper addresses the development of a course…