Search results for "Physics::Physics Education"
showing 10 items of 28 documents
Student knowledge and learning skill modeling in the learning environment `forces'In order to prevent further delays in publication this paper has be…
1998
Abstract In this paper we present a student module modeling knowledge states and learning skills of students in the field of Newtonian dynamics. Student data recorded during the exploratory activity in microworlds are used to infer mental representations concerning the concept of force. A fuzzy algorithm able to follow the cognitive states the student goes through in solving a task and to interpret the monitored changes is discussed.
Themes of nanoscience for the introductory physics course
2009
We present three experimental themes and one discussion theme that proved to be suitable for introducing nanoscience through topics that can be integrated into the existing introductory physics or teacher training courses. The experimental themes include two teaching models of an atomic force microscope (AFM) and an experiment with an elastic optical grating. They are all based on simple experiments that give also quantitative results and can be explained using basic physics theory.
3D-Printable Model of a Particle Trap: Development and Use in the Physics Classroom
2019
Quadrupole ion traps are modern and versatile research tools used in mass spectrometers, in atomic frequency and time standards, in trapped ion quantum computing research, and for trapping anti-hydrogen ions at CERN. Despite their educational potential, quadrupole ion traps are seldom introduced into the physics classroom not least because commercial quadrupole ion traps appropriate for classroom use are expensive and difficult to set up. We present an open hardware 3D-printable quadrupole ion trap suitable for the classroom, which is capable of trapping lycopodium spores. We also provide student worksheets developed in an iterative design process, which can guide students while discovering…
Multi-pixel Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode and wavelength shifting fibre readout of plastic scintillator counters of the EMMA underground experiment
2009
The results of a development of a scintillator counter with wavelength shifting (WLS) fibre and a multi-pixel Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode readout are presented. The photodiode has a metal-resistor-semiconductor layered structure and operates in the limited Geiger mode. The scintillator counter has been developed for the EMMA underground cosmic ray experiment.
Collisions and Mechanical Wave Propagation in Elastic Rods
2011
Some results from experiments intended to measure the propagation speed of sound waves produced by collisions between small bodies and metallic rods are analysed. Elementary models of elastic collision and of the reflection and transmission of waves at media boundaries are discussed and tested with experimental data, in the framework of a workshop on mechanical wave propagation that featured at the University of Palermo in a two-year graduate programme for prospective physics teachers and in courses for undergraduate engineering and physics students.
A pedagogical approach to the Boltzmann factor through experiments and simulations
2009
The Boltzmann factor is the basis of a huge amount of thermodynamic and statistical physics, both classical and quantum. It governs the behaviour of all systems in nature that are exchanging energy with their environment. To understand why the expression has this specific form involves a deep mathematical analysis, whose flow of logic is hard to see and is not at the level of high school or college students' preparation. We here present some experiments and simulations aimed at directly deriving its mathematical expression and illustrating the fundamental concepts on which it is grounded. Experiments use easily available apparatuses, and simulations are developed in the Net-Logo environment…
Two experiments to approach the Boltzmann factor: chemical reaction and viscous flow
2012
In this paper we discuss a pedagogical approach aimed at pointing out the role played by the Boltzmann factor in describing phenomena usually perceived as regulated by different mechanisms of functioning. Experimental results regarding some aspects of a chemical reaction and of the viscous flow of some liquids are analysed and described in terms of macroscopic variables whose temperature dependence is proportional to the Boltzmann factor. A description of a workshop implementing the approach in the framework of an undergraduate course for engineering education and some preliminary results about its pedagogical relevance are then reported.
Enseñanza de las ciencias : revista de investigación y experiencias didácticas
2021
Resumen basado en el de la publicación Resumen en inglés El tema de la energía es una parte muy importante de un curso de física, ya que proporciona un vínculo claro entre las diferentes secciones de física. Se analiza la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de la energía en el nivel secundario y se demuestra que los métodos tradicionales para enseñar energía: a) no consideran las ideas erróneas de los estudiantes, b) introducen la conservación de energía en mecánicas y termodinámicas, pero no aclaran si es un teorema o un principio, y c) no presentan la conservación de la energía como principio general de toda la física. Finalmente, se muestra un nuevo enfoque para la enseñanza de la energía. ESP
Elucidating the electron transport in semiconductors via Monte Carlo simulations: An inquiry-driven learning path for engineering undergraduates
2015
Within the context of higher education for science or engineering undergraduates, we present an inquiry-driven learning path aimed at developing a more meaningful conceptual understanding of the electron dynamics in semiconductors in the presence of applied electric fields. The electron transport in a nondegenerate n-type indium phosphide bulk semiconductor is modelled using a multivalley Monte Carlo approach. The main characteristics of the electron dynamics are explored under different values of the driving electric field, lattice temperature and impurity density. Simulation results are presented by following a question-driven path of exploration, starting from the validation of the model…
El papel del péndulo en el construcción del paradigma newtoniano
1992
This paper shows the important role of one of the most common instruments, the pendulum, in the construction of the newtonian paradigm. From the analysis of some interesting applications carried out by the greatest scientists of that time, we conclude that the appropriate use of the pendulum in the classroom can be an easy way to introduce historical and epistemological evolution of basic physical concepts.