The ontologies students use--their conceptions about the nature of entities--impact the way they learn physics and reason through physics problems. We investigate students' capacities for flexible use of ontologies in a modern physics context, focusing on students' reasoning around two quantum entities (photons and electrons) for three canonical…

This paper develops the ideas of "The Pedagogical Power of Context: Iterative Calculus Methods and the Epidemiology of Eyam" (French "et al." 2018 "J. Phys. Educ."), where we considered the application of the Euler method to solve epidemiological problems. Our purpose was to convey some examples of school level work…

This paper describes ten simple thermal imaging experiments designed primarily for upper secondary students, but usable with younger pupils as well. The author's primary motivation was to come up with a meaningful use for a thermal imaging camera even if the teacher only has a short time to work with it--in the extreme case, only one lesson in…

Shoulder pathologies among the adult population are increasing, causing a high concern in health-educational institutions. The aim of this research is to take a step further and to conduct a detailed study of the relationship between the application of Jackins technique and a postural education program for people affected by shoulder problems.…

Introductory physics lab instruction is undergoing a transformation, with increasing emphasis on developing experimentation and critical thinking skills. These changes present a need for standardized assessment instruments to determine the degree to which students develop these skills through instructional labs. In this article, we present the…

This paper reports on the measurement of a magnetic field due to the coil carrying current by using the magnetic sensor in a smartphone as an alternate to the relatively expensive magnetic sensor probe. The location of the magnetic sensor in the smartphone was known by mapping the value of the magnetic field due to the permanent magnetic bar so…

In five experiments, we examined the conditions under which participants remembered true and false information given as feedback. Participants answered general information questions, expressed their confidence in the correctness of their answers, and were given true or false feedback. In all five experiments, participants hyper'corrected' when…

Reformed experimental activities (REActivities) are an innovative approach to the delivery of the traditional material in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. A description of the design and implementation of REActivities at both a four- and two-year institution is discussed. The results obtained using a reformed teaching observational…

The purpose of this study is to explore factors that affect exclusively physical, virtual and both a Virtual-Physical (VP) and Physical-Virtual (PV) sequence of manipulatives within Studio Physics environment. In this environment students actively work together to learn through real world experimentation and simulation based activities. Activities…

The "multiculturalist" and "universalist" approaches to science education both fail to recognize the strong continuities between modern science and its forerunners in traditional societies. Various fact-finding practices in indigenous cultures exhibit the hallmarks of scientific investigations, such as collectively achieved…

Presentation of a previously trained Pavlovian conditioned stimulus while an organism is engaged in operant responding can moderate the rate of responding, a phenomenon known as Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer. Although it is well known that Pavlovian contingencies will generate conditioned behavior that is temporally organized with respect to…

Although for most of the time the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN collides protons, for around one month every year lead ions are collided, to expand the diversity of the LHC research programme. Furthermore, in an effort not originally foreseen, proton-lead collisions are also taking place, with results of high interest to the physics…

The abstract nature of electric potential difference (voltage) can make it a difficult concept to grasp, but understanding the relative nature of voltage is central to developing a conceptual understanding of electric circuits. In laboratory situations, I see these conceptual difficulties manifest when students have difficulty placing voltmeter…

Considering the large number of magnetic stirring hot plates that are damaged or unused in chemical laboratories, this Technology Report presents guidelines for students to be able to diagnose problems, and repair and maintain magnetic stirring hot plates using common and low-cost parts, or even repurposed materials. In addition, this paper…

The classic demonstration illustrating Lenz's law by dropping a magnet through a copper pipe is presented using household aluminum foil right out of the box. Then comes the surprise. The teacher presents an aluminum foil cylinder with a missing lengthwise slice (cut before class). Will the demonstration still work? Students are amazed at the…