Interaction of intuitive physics with computer-simulated physics

How do children solve force and motion problems in computer simulations without explicit knowledge of the underlying physics? This question was addressed by saving the keystroke input of 19 sixth-grade children in computer memory as each interacted with a simulated, frictionless object using Logo turtle-graphics. The keystroke sequences were first used to determine subject performance on the gamelike features of the simulation. A second analysis used the Newtonian structure of the program to investigate alternative methods for controlling turtle velocity. Five boys and five girls were interviewed during the simulation concerning the perceived relationship between keyboard input and turtle behavior. Subjects who could clearly state some keyboard effects did not score high on either computer analysis, yet achieved the most general solutions of the computer problem. They did so by exploring turtle behavior under a greater variety of conditions than the subjects who achieved partial solutions. For the successful subjects, the turtle was related by analogy to useful information from existing conceptions of motion.     

浅谈现代物理与物理观念的革新

对现代物理中相对论所革新的物理基本概念－－时空观、质能观和宇宙观做了简明的概述，说明更新物理观念的创新意识及其对发展创新思维方法的促进作用。     

Her physics,his physics: Gender issues in Israeli advanced placement physics classes

Gender gaps in physics in favour of boys are more prominent in Israel than in other countries. The main research question is to find out what gender issues are at play in Israeli advanced placement physics classes. Matriculation exam scores from approximately 400 high schools were analysed across 12 years. In addition, semi-constructed interviews were conducted with 50 advanced placement physics students (25 girls and 25 boys). In terms of participation, it was found that the ratio of girls to boys has been unchanged from 1988 to 2000 and is roughly 1:3. In terms of performance, it was found that the final matriculation scores of boys and girls are similar. However, breaking up the final scores into its two components - teachers' given grades and matriculation test scores - showed that boy's test scores are usually higher than girls' test scores, while girls' teachers' given grades are usually higher than boys'. Results from semi-constructed interviews pointed to two factors that are especially unfavourable to many girls: excessive competitiveness and lack of teaching for understanding. Girls' yearning for deep understanding is seen as a form of questing for connected knowledge. It is suggested that instructional methods that foster students' understanding while decreasing competitiveness in physics classes might contribute to girls' participation and performance in advanced physics classes while also supporting the learning of many boys.     

The history of physics and European physics education

In the last fifteen years a small group of European physicists has been working towards an approach to physics education based on the actual practices of physics research. The standard presentation through traditional textbooks plus didactic laboratory is rejected, and instead case studies contributing and borrowing from contemporary history, philosophy and sociology of science are provided. Analysis of original papers, scientific debates, institutional settings are often accompanied by reconstructions of important historical instruments. The resulting interplay between theories, instruments and experimental results offers a view of physics fascinating and entertaining, closer to the actual scientists' activities, deprived of many traditional ideological assumptions, open to the students interpretations and often in tune with contemporary findings of science educators. The group's activities are quietly flourishing, have acquired institutional recognition in the European Physical Society, and are now coordinated with the ones organized around the journal Science & Education and the International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group.     

On the history of national physics in physics teaching

At this time big and important transformations of the social system are taking place in my country. In consequence of this process, practically all concepts, notions, traditions and criteria are changing. So Slovak society is in need of new ideas. Undoubtedly, history may become a source of such ideas. One can expect this for the history of physics in Slovakia too.     

Gender differences in introductory undergraduate physics performance: University physics versus college physics in the USA

Efforts to ameliorate gender disparity in pursuit of science careers in the USA have focused on equalizing girls' participation in pre-college science courses and out-of-school activities. Our examination of nearly 1500 US college students at 16 universities found that gender and preparation both have an impact on success in introductory college physics courses. In terminal, algebra-based physics females perform better than their male classmates. However, in calculus based introductory college physics courses, which are prerequisite to advanced study in many fields, women do significantly worse than their male counterparts with the same background. For both genders, taking a high school course that limits coverage and concentrates more time in in-depth study is associated with better performance in college physics. We conclude that efforts to ensure the success of women entering the physical sciences should concentrate on increasing the depth and reducing the vast coverage of most high school physics courses as well as addressing the apparent bias in college courses that mark the first step in careers within scientific research and engineering.     

新课程标准下新教材的初探

文章主要通过对高中物理新教材(司南版)和旧版教材的对比,从设计、内容、评价、课程目标等多个方 面进行比较和讨论,以期体会新教材所渗透的崭新的现代教育理念。在文章的最后,也提出了自己的一些困惑,希望能 与大家共同探讨。     

浅谈物理学前沿与基础物理教学

回顾了国内外物理学前沿在教学中运用的概况，阐述了将物理学前沿引入到基础物理教学中的重要意义，提出了如何将物理学前沿引入到基础物理教学中的几点看法。     

浅谈物理日记

物理日记,就是学生以日记的形式记述他们对每次教学内容的理解和学习体会,评价教师教和自己学的得失,提出自己对教学的要求,向老师请教自己在学习中遇到的知识上和心理上的疑惑等.下面根据我的教学实践谈谈物理日记的内容、要求及功能.     

Snippets of physics

One of the celebrated results in black hole physics is that black holes have a temperature and they emit a thermal spectrum of radiation. Though a rigorous derivation of this result requires quantum field theory, a flavour of the essential ideas can be provided at an elementary level as indicated here. T Padmanabhan works at IUCAA, Pune and is interested in all areas of theoretical physics, especially those which have something to do with gravity. This is based on an article originally published by the author in Physics Education, Vol. 24, p.67, 2007.     

Snippets of physics

The idealized flow of fluid around a spherical body is a classic textbook problem in fluid mechanics. Interestingly enough, it leads to some curious twists and turns and conceptual conundrums. T Padmanabhan works at IUCAA, Pune and is interested in all areas of theoretical physics, especially those which have something to do with gravity.     

Snippets of physics

Electromagnetic fields carry not only energy and momentum but also angular momentum. The angular momentum of the field can lead to some curious results like the one which is described here. T Padmanabhan works at IUCAA, Pune and is interested in all areas of theoretical physics, especially those which have something to do with gravity. This is based on an article originally published by the author in Physics Education, Vol. 23, No.4, p.285, 2006.     

Snippets of physics

Thomas precession is a curious effect in special relativity which is purely kinematical in origin and illustrates some important features of the Lorentz transformation. It also has a beautiful geometric interpretation. We will explore these in this and the next installment. T Padmanabhan works at IUCAA, Pune and is interested in all areas of theoretical physics, especially those which have something to do with gravity.     

Snippets of physics

The Foucault pendulum is an elegant device that demonstrates the rotation of the Earth. After describing it, we will elaborate on an interesting geometrical relationship between the dynamics of the Foucault pendulum and Thomas precession discussed in the last installment¹. This will help us to understand both phenomena better. T Padmanabhan works at IUCAA, Pune and is interested in all areas of theoretical physics, especially those which have something to do with gravity.     

Snippets of physics

Variational principles play a central role in theoretical physics in many guises. We will discuss, in this instalment, some curious features associated with a couple of variational problems.     

Snippets of physics

The fact that an accelerated charge radiates energy is considered an elementary textbook result in electromagnetism. Nevertheless, this process of radiation (and its reaction on the charged particle) raises several conundrums about which technical papers are written even today. In this installment, we will try to understand why an accelerated charge radiates in a simple, yet rigorous, manner.     

Snippets of physics

We continue our exploration of random walks with some more curious results. We discuss the dimension dependence of some of the features of the random walk, describe an unexpected connection between random walks and electrical networks and finally discuss some remarkable features of random walk with geometrically decreasing step-length.     

Snippets of physics

The Coulomb problem, which corresponds to motion in a potential that varies as r ⁻¹, has a peculiar symmetry which leads to a phenomenon known as ‘accidental’ degeneracy. This curious feature exists both in the classical and quantum domain and is best understood by studying a more general potential and obtaining the Coulomb problem as a limiting case.     

Snippets of physics

Few processes in nature are as ubiquitous as the random walk which combines extraordinary simplicity of concept with considerable complexity in the final output. In this and the next installment, we shall examine several features of this remarkable phenomenon.