Presents a simple classical method of describing spin resonance in terms of average power absorbed. (SL)

Describes a technique for bypassing complications in finding the energy eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of a charged (spinless) particle in a uniform magnetic field. (SL)

Presents an experiment which focuses on the inertial properties of a rigid body as expressed in terms of principal axes and moments of inertia. Background information, a description of the apparatus needed, and a discussion of results obtained are included. (JN)

Discusses the relationship of gravity, coefficient of friction, surface area, and Newton's second law to explain the physics involved in downhill skiers being able to move faster than sky divers in free fall. (JM)

Written at the student level, wave functions in a single dimension are discussed. Wave functions considered included: (1) linear; (2) wiggle-functions; and (3) dying exponentials. (JN)

Describes a precise yet simple method for computing eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a symmetric matrix useful in teaching quantum mechanics. (SK)

Presents a model for the Slinky that allows for calculations that agree with observed behavior and predictions that suggest further experimentation. Offers an opportunity for introducing nonrigid bodies within the Galilean framework. (JRH)

Describes a science activity that involves dropping weighted strings from a second floor window or the top row of gymnasium bleachers. The activity, which takes only a few seconds, helps students understand the physics concepts of speed, acceleration, and terminal velocity. (TJQ)

Considers using a football game to provide a group activity on physics reasoning. Groups determine how long the coin toss was in the air, distance of kickoff, velocity of ball leaving the tee, maximum height of ball, force applied to the ball when passed by the quarterback, etc. Provides possible solutions to each question. (MVL)

Provides a problem where students are asked to find the point at which a soda can floating in some liquid changes its equilibrium between stable and unstable as the soda is removed from the can. Requires use of Newton's first law, center of mass, Archimedes' principle, stable and unstable equilibrium, and buoyant force position. (MVL)

Discusses the application of the rule of allowing the car in front to have a two-second lead. Notes that as speed doubles, stopping distances increase by four. Provides a table of stopping distances including reaction distance, braking distance, total stopping distance, and two-second rule distance. (MVL)

Presents a discussion concerning the results of a pretest question on what holds up the moon. Places the resulting answers into eight categories and describes some of the common misconceptions. (MVL)

This paper presents results of an empirical research study on Newton's laws classical mechanics and its perceptions on freshman students at the Physics Department, University of Ioannina, Greece. Results and outcome measures reveal misconceptions on students' perceptions in consideration of the fundamental concepts in freshman Physics education.…

A 100 years-old formula that was given by J. J. Thomson recently found numerous applications in computational electrostatics and electromagnetics. Thomson himself never gave a proof for the formula; but a proof based on Differential Geometry was suggested by Jackson and later published by Pappas. Unfortunately, Differential Geometry, being a…

Sometimes it is difficult to decide whether a student has a true understanding of a physics concept or whether they are very good at rote learning key words and phrases. Sometimes, when you are marking exams, you feel you have to give the student full marks because everything is there, even though it is not quite "right". This is where a diagram…