This study is about the dynamics of a sliding ladder leaning against a vertical wall. The results are understood by considering the motion divided in two parts: (i) for 0 = t = t[subscript s] with one degree of freedom, and (ii) for t > t[subscript s] with two degrees of freedom, where the separation is determined by the instance t[subscript…

This article describes how by using three points to make a line and comparing the graphs for water and oil, students can mathematically demonstrate that Gatorade dissolves in water much more readily than in oil. Students can also use units to understand and solve a multi-step problem by observing the color of each solution, making conductivity…

Students get a sense of realistic values for physical situations from texts, but more importantly from solving problems. Therefore, problems should use realistic values for quantities to provide needed practice. Unfortunately, some problems on tests and in textbooks do not use realistic values. Physical situations in electrostatics seem to be…

Winston Churchill once said of Russia that it was a riddle wrapped in mystery inside an enigma. Were the British Bulldog a physicist, he might have been talking of something other than our Slavic comrades. He might have been talking about an electron. This article covers the more modern representations of the electron. A brief reminder of the…

Under certain conditions a body of hot liquid may cool faster and freeze before a body of colder liquid, a phenomenon known as the Mpemba Effect. An initial difference in temperature of 3.2 °C enabled warmer water to reach 0 °C in 14% less time than colder water. Convection currents in the liquid generate a temperature gradient that causes more…

This study aims to examine nature of science themes, philosophical movements, and overall concepts covered in the documentary film, "Einstein and Eddington". A qualitative research method was used. In this study, the documentary film "Einstein and Eddington," the viewing time of which is 1 hour and 28 minutes, was used as the…

Gravity racing can be studied using numerical solutions to the equations of motion derived from Newton's second law. This allows students to explore the physics of gravity racing and to understand how design and course selection influences vehicle speed. Using Euler's method, we have developed a spreadsheet application that can be used to predict…

The motions of Newton's cradle, consisting of several steel balls hanging side-by-side, have been analysed in terms of a sound pulse that travels via points of contact among the balls. This presupposes a focused energy beam. When the pulse reaches the fifth and final ball, the energy disperses and dislocates the ball with a trajectory equivalent…

In this article construction of a simple and inexpensive test card which can be used to demonstrate the polarisation ability of sunglasses is described. The card was fabricated simply by using a piece of polariser sheet with one to three layers of cellophane tape fixed on it.

The new 9-1 GCSE courses in Physics include reference to both permanent and induced magnets. In this article I briefly examine the origin of ferromagnetism, diamagnetism and paramagnetism and suggest a number of helpful classroom demonstrations.

We safely remove the outer glass bulb from an incandescent lamp and burn up the tungsten filament after the glass is removed. This demonstration dramatically illustrates the necessity of a vacuum or inert gas for the environment surrounding the tungsten filament inside the bulb. Our approach has added historical importance since the incandescent…

For a decade or so there has been a new "hype" in educational research: it is called educational neuroscience or even neuroeducation (and neuroethics)--there are numerous publications, special journals, and an abundance of research projects together with the advertisement of many positions at renowned research centres worldwide. After a…

The September 2015 paper "Bouncing Back from 'Deflategate'" is a very interesting article from a physics viewpoint. However, we doubt that the National Football League (NFL) officials will bounce footballs and measure the coefficient of restitution to verify that the footballs remain properly inflated. The release of a few pounds per…

We have observed a nice example of chromatic dispersion due to refraction in water, in the form of color fringes bordering the black stripes that exist at the bottom of a swimming pool. Here we give a qualitative description of the phenomenon, explaining the role of the black stripes and the dispersive index of refraction of water.

The aim of the research is to create the classification for shock wave triple configurations and their existence regions of various types: type 1, type 2, type 3. Analytical solutions for limit Mach numbers and passing shock intensity that define existence region of every type of triple configuration have been acquired. The ratios that conjugate…