The construction of a linear speaker array, which emits coherent sound radiation from multiple sources, is described. The device is an improvement over the two-speaker systems for demonstrating wave interference effects. The operation of the array is demonstrated with example data.

The PhiTOP® (or FTOP®) is a physics toy designed not only to act as a spinning top but also to appeal to the eye and to the scientifically curious mind.1 It is currently made in two versions, one from solid aluminum and the other solid brass. Each top is highly polished, and is elliptical in one cross section and circular in another. Its name…

The article presents the results of an experimental study on the motion of a neodymium magnet on an inclined duralumin plate. During experiments, the time of motion was measured, and the steady-state velocity of the magnet motion was determined. To measure the time, a robotic set was used, which made it possible to measure the time of the motion…

Oscillatory motion with damping proportional to the velocity is part of all upper-class physics courses and some introductory courses; however, the emphasis is primarily on the free amplitude decay. Microelectromechanical (MEMs) accelerometers allow the acceleration to be directly measured and the velocity and displacement to be derived from it.…

The High Road/Low Road race is often used as a qualitative prediction activity. A marble is released simultaneously on two elevated tracks that differ only in the middle section where the Low Road dips before finishing at the same height as the High Road. Typically a minority of students correctly predict that the Low Road will finish first. In…

The compensation pendulum is a pendulum that is constructed in a way that its length does not vary by changes of temperature. As the temperature of the air around the clock goes up, the rod of a regular pendulum clock mechanism expands and the clock runs slower. Historically, it has proven easier to compensate for changes in the ambient…

All physics is fascinating, but some stories are more exciting than others. A story that involves some of the most precise measurements ever made and a tantalizing discrepancy might be one of the most interesting. Throw in a 3200-mile journey, a heavily laden truck covered by a tarpaulin, closed-down highways with police escorts, and hushed…

Ametal leaf electroscope has often been used for teaching electrostatics. For example, Fig. 1 is a very early one demonstrating electrostatic induction with a gold leaf electroscope. Alternatively we can charge the electroscope by touching a charged object to it. In both cases, induction or charging, the metal leaves push away from each other for…

Electromagnetic induction, represented by either Faraday's law or the Lorentz force law, produces many paradoxes requiring careful examination and application of these laws. The paradoxical example of induction, presented herein, arose in a class and is resolved within the framework of special relativity.

This work is inspired by a recent article in a German newspaper about the question of whether a 360 degree turn on an ordinary swing, that is, a seat suspended by chains, is possible. Although the author correctly negates the question, his remarks about the trajectory of the rocking person remain imprecise. Thus, we direct our attention to cases…

Many of us teach that insects can see "invisible" ultraviolet light, but what demonstrations do we perform to illustrate this? Often UV can be used to cause fluorescence or phosphorescence, which can make its existence more visible. But, is it possible to create photographs or videos that convincingly illustrate the vision of insects? In…

In this paper we present a method to construct a simple, sturdy and inexpensive photogate to be used in elementary physics laboratories. The great advantage of the proposed design is that it has no transmitter-receiver alignment related problem at all and the receiver is nicely encapsulated which prevents any spurious light triggering the…

In this chapter we are interested in how undergraduate physics students in three countries experience the equations they meet in their education. We asked over 350 students in the USA, Australia and Sweden the same simple question: How do you know when you understand a physics equation? Students wrote free-text answers to this question, and these…

In recent years, hybrid education has gained attention for teaching and interacting with two groups simultaneously, where both teachers and students face challenges with interaction. We hypothesise that transactional distance plays a role in this. This study, aims to explore the characteristics of hybrid education in terms of interaction and…

Response to the continuing call to integrate scientific inquiry activities into high school education has taken different forms varying in student ownership, physical setting, time span, and mentoring resources. Important issues are how students perceive central dimensions of their experience, and the extent to which the inquiry framework design…