Electrification by rubbing different materials is a well-known phenomenon with a history that began more than five centuries B.C. ago. However, simple experiments can lead to contradictory or inconsistent results, and the history of this phenomena is plagued with non-intuitive results. For example, triboelectric charging by rubbing identical…

We present two simple classroom exercises designed to explain challenging concepts in conformation for students beginning organic chemistry. These macroscopic demonstrations serve as analogies to bridge students' understanding of flat two-dimensional drawings to real three-dimensional molecules. In the first demonstration, an apple is drawn from…

Learning progressions (LPs) are descriptions of successively more sophisticated ways of thinking about an idea over an extended period of time. The growing interest of researchers in learning progressions is grounded in the potential it holds to align curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Previous review of research on LPs by Duschl et al.…

The laser pointer has been widely used to demonstrate some simple optics phenomena, like reflection, refraction, total reflection, and diffraction. However, the rays of laser light cannot be seen in the air because the scattered light is too weak. Many physics teachers use milk or smoke to visualize rays of laser light in physics labs, but it is…

In this paper, we have demonstrated the feasibility of using digital technologies to study the behavior of rubber balloons. The experiment to study the behavior of balloons was presented in a new way using the Vernier measuring system, Logger Pro 3 software, Tracker and Google Sheets. This allowed to significantly optimize the work, reduce…

In this study, it is aimed to reveal the models related to star subject as one of the concepts of astronomy of prospective science teachers before and after the current instruction through model analysis. This modeling situation is expressed as a Grounded Mental Model (GMM), since there will be a mental modeling that is revealed according to what…

This paper proposes a simple method to design experiments for drawing the light paths at a lens to find its effective focal length and principal planes. In the designed experiments, long-exposure photography was used to record the light scattered using a moving sheet of paper, thus revealing the light path. According to the proposed experimental…

Physics-related tricks that use simple everyday materials, which many children attempt, are often entertaining, memorable, and motivate their interest to physics. One example is balancing a stick on a fingertip or open palm (Fig. 1). To balance a stick, there are two important aspects that must be considered: (1) the rotational dynamics of the…

Previous research has shown that students at almost all levels have misconceptions about both the shapes and sizes of celestial bodies in space. This study is essential to conduct on the students who take space topic in their schools for the first time This study aims at revealing fifth-grade students' alternative conceptions about the size of the…

Assessing scientific modeling competence (SMC) is challenging because of the multi-dimensionality of the construct and the potential variability of student performance across tasks. To deal with the challenges, this study applied Kane's validity framework to assess high-school students' SMC in Newtonian mechanics and examined how students'…

It is proposed a network approach for electric circuits simplification, that through a unified systematic procedure allows simplifying circuits of any complexity, and evaluation of the equivalent resistances, capacitors and inductors. Circuits to be simplified are characterized by their nodes, and by the elements of different types (resistances,…

The tidal forces generated by a black hole can be so powerful that they cause unlimited stretching, known as spaghettification. A detailed analysis of this phenomenon requires the use of Einstein's theory of general relativity. The aim of this paper is to offer an up-to-date and accessible analysis of spaghettification, in which the complex…

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge of prospective physics teachers on capacitors and electric field lines. Sample: The study group consists of 45 prospective physics teachers, 31 of whom are female, 14 of whom are male, studying at a state University in Turkey. Design and methods: A descriptive model was selected as the…

A popular introductory physics laboratory experiment is one focusing on Snell's law. This is straightforward to complete with lasers and prisms, but here we present an alternative version that guides the students through some of the major historical developments, recreating and analyzing significant experiments. The discovery of Snell's law has a…

Alpha-particle sources are widely used in industrial and medical applications. Such applications include smoke detectors, static charge eliminators, and radiation therapy. This paper is concerned with the detection of alpha particles. A number of techniques are known for the detection of alpha particles. Those techniques include the Geiger-Müller…