Volume 54 Issue 7, October 2016

The Physics Teacher

This month's cover depicts a scene from the merging of two black holes and the associated ripples in spacetime. The inset represents the subsequent chirp signal received by LIGO this past September, about a billion years later. See "Ripples in Reality" by Don Lincoln and Amber Stuver for more details about this new window through which to view the universe.

 

Columns

Figuring Physics, iPhysics Labs, Little Gems, Astronotes, For the New Teacher, Physics Challenge for Teachers and Students, Fermi Questions, Visual Physics, and Websights.

Papers

Specular Reflection from Rough Surfaces Revisited by Kensei Yasuda, Alvin Kim, Hayley Cho, Timofej Timofejev, Wojciech J. Walecki, James Klep, Amy S. Edelson, Abigail S. Walecki, Eve S. Walecki and Peter S. Walecki DOI 10.1119/1.4962772

Ripples in Reality by Don Lincoln and Amber Stuver DOI 10.1119/1.4962773

Einstein's Elevator in Class: A Self-Construction by Students for the Study of the Equivalence Principle by Efstratios Kapotis and George Kalkanis DOI 10.1119/1.4962774

Fan Cart: The Next Generation by Brian Lamore DOI 10.1119/1.4962775

Revisit: A Surprising Demonstration of Total Internal Reflection by Jiwon Lee, Yu Wha Cha, Yeon Su Jung, Eun Ju Oh, Ye Lin Moon and Jung Bog Kim DOI 10.1119/1.4962776

Using the Case Study Method in Teaching College Physics by Lior M. Burko DOI 10.1119/1.4962777

Measuring Intrinsic Curvature of Space with Electromagnetism by Mason Mabin, Maria Becker and Herman Batelaan DOI 10.1119/1.4962778A

A Sustainable Energy Laboratory Course for Non-Science Majors by Stephen A. Nathan and Fred Loxsom DOI 10.1119/1.4962779

Modeling Hidden Circuits: An Authentic Research Experience in One Lab Period by J. Christopher Moore and Louis J. Rubbo. DOI 10.1119/1.4962780

And the Survey Says… What proportion of high schools offer physics? by Susan C. White DOI 10.1119/1.4962781

Improving Critical Skills Using Wikis and CGPS in a Physics Classroom by H. E. Mohottala. DOI 10.1119/1.4962782

Let Students Discover an Important Physical Property of a Slinky by Philip Gash DOI 10.1119/1.4962784

Hitting the Goalpost: Calculating the Fine Line Between Winning and Losing a Penalty Shootout by Ralf Widenhorn. DOI 10.1119/1.4962785

Additional Resources

DNA Science Lesson & Digi-Kit

Inspired by an article from The Physics Teacher, this multidisciplinary lesson and digital resource collection is based on How Rosalind Franklin Discovered the Helical Structure of DNA: Experiments in Diffraction (Braun, Tierney, & Schmitzer, 2011). Click the image to access this resource.

 

Article Collections from TPT and AJP    

 

TPT Presents: Columns and other Collections from The Physics Teacher