The aim of this study was to explore the curricula of medical schools in Europe in order to establish a formal representation of physics in the study of medicine. Information on the curricular representation of physics was gathered from the Internet presentations of medical schools. It was intended to explore at least 25% of medical schools in…

An interesting variety of pipe cross-sectional shapes can be generated, for which the Navier-Stokes equations can be solved exactly. The simplest cases include the known solutions for elliptical and equilateral triangle cross-sections. Students can find pipe cross-sections from solutions of Laplace's equation in two dimensions, and then plot the…

A uniformly accelerated observer can build his proper system of coordinates in a delimited sector of the flat Minkowski spacetime. The properties of the position and time coordinate lines for such an observer are studied and compared with the coordinate lines for an inertial observer in a Penrose-Carter diagram for this spacetime.

Good use of multiple representations is considered key to learning physics, and so there is considerable motivation both to learn how students use multiple representations when solving problems and to learn how best to teach problem solving using multiple representations. In this study of two large-lecture algebra-based physics courses at the…

This paper describes a model of analogy, analogical scaffolding, which explains present and prior results of student learning with analogies. We build on prior models of representation, blending, and layering of ideas. Extending this model's explanatory power, we propose ways in which the model can be applied to design a curriculum directed at…

Undergraduate and graduate physics and chemistry books usually state that combining the gas laws results in the ideal gas law. Leaving the derivation to the students implies that this should be a simple task, most likely a substitution. Boyle's law, Charles's law, and the Avogadro's principle are given under certain conditions; therefore, direct…

Explosions and fires--these are what many students are waiting for in science classes. And when they do occur, students pay attention. While we can't entertain our students with continual mayhem, we can catch their attention and cater to their desires for excitement by saying, "Let's make rockets." In this activity, students make simple, reusable…

In this paper I propose that interest in "narrative" within the human sciences is comparable to interest in "chaos" within the natural sciences. In their respective ways, theories on narrative and theories on chaos are aimed at appreciating the dynamics of complex, multi-dimensional systems which otherwise resist our attempts to predict, measure,…

In this note, a simple proof of the Generalized Ceva Theorem in plane geometry is presented. The approach is based on the principle of equilibrium in mechanics. (Contains 2 figures.)

This project is the first systematic study of the organizational structure, communications patterns, and archival records of industrial physicists in the U.S., and it provides general guidelines for understanding and documenting their work. The study confirms that the organization and management of industrial R&D is volatile, changing in response…

The aim of the study is to determine pre-service and high school physics teachers' ideas about simple electric circuits. In this study, a test containing eight questions related to simple electric circuits was given to the pre-service physics teachers (32 subjects) that had graduated from Balikesir University, Necatibey Faculty of Education, the…

In this paper we describe and discuss simple, inexpensive optical experiments used to simulate x-ray and electron diffraction according to the Debye-Scherrer theory. The experiment can be used to address, at the high school level, important subjects related to fundamental quantum and solid-state physics.

Of all sports, ice hockey is possibly the one with the widest array of physics elements in it. The game provides many examples that can bring physics to life in the classroom. Ice hockey (or just "hockey" as many Canadians would say) sees athletes sliding on ice at high speeds and in various ways, shooting and slapping pucks, and…

The widely used PASCO laboratory equipment is an excellent way to introduce students to many topics in physics. In one case, PASCO's equipment may be too good! Various experiments exist for calculating the kinetic coefficient of friction by measuring the acceleration of a sliding object under some constant force. With ever more accurate equipment,…

The requirement for a method of capturing problem solving on a whiteboard for later replay stems from my teaching load, which includes two classes of first-year university general physics, each with relatively large class sizes of approximately 80-100 students. Most university-level teachers value one-to-one interaction with the students and find…