8th Annual
Fall Meeting
A Joint Meeting of the NCS-AAPT, SESAPS, and SPS
November 6-8, 2003
http://www.physics.ncsu.edu/ncsaapt
The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort at Wrightsville Beach, NC
CALL NOW FOR RESERVATIONS: 910-256-2231 MENTION SESAPS
This is a joint meeting with SESAPS and the SPS and you may attend all sessions. Go to the following sites http://www.aps.org/meet/SES03/index.html and http://www.uncwil.edu/SESAPS03/ for further information.
Dues
If the date next to your name on the envelope is from the last century
and you do not renew your dues by December 31, 2003, your file entry will be
deleted. If it does not read 2004,
please send a cheque for $5 per year or $100 for a lifetime membership. (Presently, we have eight Life members.)
Notes
The first 100 registrants for this meeting will get a free PIRA CD.
The Spring 2004 Meeting will be held at Meredith College in Raleigh on March 26-27 hosted by Bill Schmidt.
The Fall 2004 Meeting will be held at Davidson College.
Awards
There is a $100 prize for the best undergraduate student paper, a $100 prize
for the best graduate student paper, and a prize of $150 towards expenses to
present a similar paper at a national meeting suitably noting the support of
the NCS-AAPT for the best pedagogical paper. Last spring, Ji-Seon Park
won the $100 prize for the best undergraduate student paper and Michael Paesler
won the $150 prize for the best pedagogical paper. Please keep notes and
make recommendations at this meeting to any section officer to aid in the
choice of winners. Many SPS papers will
be presented in the SESAPS Sessions so pay particular attention to them.
08:00 MA.001 Physics of Music
Jayanti Lahiri (Southern Polytechnic State University, Marietta, GA)
08:12 MA.002 Effects of Temperature and Humidity on Major League Baseballs
Victoria Gerstman (Miami Palmetto Senior High School), Brian Raue (Florida International University)
08:24 MA.003 Index of Refraction Profile in a Highway Mirage
Bryan Nelsen, James LoBue, Mark Edwards (Georgia Southern University)
08:36 MA.004 Solar Interactions on Spiral Petroglyphs
Brian F. Davis (University of North Carolina at Wilmington), Robert A. Preston (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology)
08:48 MA.005 Nanosprings, Another Piece of the Nanotechnology Puzzle
David McIlroy (Department of Physics, University of Idaho)
08:48 Nanosprings, Another Piece of the Nanotechnology Puzzle Invited Paper
David McIlroy, Department of Physics, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-0903, mailto:dmcilroy@uidaho.edu
Nanotechnology is being touted as the next significant advancement in science and technology. The proposed applications for nanotechnology range from biological sensors to nanorobotics, to name a few. In order to take nanotechnology from the realm of science fiction to reality we need determine what is possible, as dictated by the laws of physics, and what is not. Often times when approaching a new problem we have a tendency to over complicate the problem. Therefore, when developing nanomachines we should start simple. An excellent place to start is with toys. Toys are designed to perform complex functions using the simplest of designs. If we dictate that our toy performs a function or action then energy will be needed, as well as a means for storing energy. The simplest mechanism that satisfies these two requirements is a spring. In this presentation a summary of the efforts to develop nanosprings, springs that are about tens of nanometers, will be presented.
09:24 MA.006 Motivating Students to Learn Physics using WebAssign 4.0
John Risley (NC State University and Advanced Instructional Systems, Inc., Raleigh, NC)
09:36 MA.007 Teaching Technologies for the Introductory Physics Classroom
William McNairy (Dept. of Physics Duke University)
09:48 MA.008 An introduction to the Dieterici Equation and the van der Waal Equation
John Sheldon (Florida International University)
10:00 MA.009 Computer-Based Diffraction and Interference Experiments for Introductory Physics
R. Seth Smith (Francis Marion University)
10:12 MA.010 The Advanced Placement Physics Examinations: Test Development and Free-Response Section Readings
Terri McMurray (Career Center, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools), L. S. Cain (Physics Department, Davidson College)
10:24 MA.011 Science Professionals and the NC-PIMS Project
David G. Haase (The Science House and Physics Dept., NC State University), Jose' J. D'Arruda (Dept. of Chemistry and Physics, UNC Pembroke)
10:36 MA.012 Top-Down Physics
Michael Schillaci (Francis Marion University)
10:48 Teaching Kinematics Using a Case Study on Baseball Bats
Mary Creason, Duke University Department of Physics, Box 90305, Durham, NC
27708, 919-668-2659, FAX 919-660-2525, mary@phy.duke.edu
Use of high performance aluminium baseball bats in NCAA competition resulted in a controversy several years ago when several ball players were seriously injured or killed. Students are asked to examine the features of the equipment and its impact on various stakeholders in the communities of sports, academics, medicine, government, and business. Students develop methods of evaluating the equipment that are compared to those actually used.
J. H. Hamilton, Vanderbilt University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Nashville, TN 37235, j.h.hamilton@vanderbilt.edu
Rajive Tiwari, Department of Physics and Mathematics, Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, NC 28012, 704-825-6756, Fax: 704-825-6239, mailto:RajiveTiwari@bac.edu
Science education in Indian colleges was rather neglected up until the middle of the 19th century. St. Xavier's College in Calcutta was one of the first ones to introduce a science curriculum. Fr. Eugene Lafont, a Jesuit priest from Belgium and a Physics educator, joined St. Xavier's in 1864 and over the next forty years helped cultivate an interest in Physics. His contribution was not limited to the college alone but touched the civic life of the entire city. The paper looks at the life and work of Fr. Lafont in the context of the British rule of India at the time.
Harlan Devore, Physics Teacher, Cape Fear High School, 4762 Clinton Road, Fayetteville, NC 28301, Hdev48@aol.com, (910) 484-8948
Excel worksheets provide a very versatile template that teachers can use to create self-checking guided practice activities for their science students. Excels flexible formatting allows insertion of diagrams, images, even movie clips. Its built-in = IF( ) function can check student answers and provide immediate feedback, rewarding students with a smiley face for correct answers. Using the = RAND( ) function, Excel can create multiple forms of an activity sheet so that each student has a different version. Interactive Excel allows you to create guide practice drills that fit your course objectives, not just the content selected by a textbook publisher. Examples of possible Interactive Excel activity sheets include practice word problems, self-guiding labs, simulations of physical phenomena, clozes, crossword puzzles, and labeling drills. You can download samples of Interactive Excel at: http://collaboratory.nunet.net/hou/i_excel/interactive_excel.htm
Ed
Ladenburger, camathmrl@yahoo.com
Co-Presenter: Terri McMurray, Career Center, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, 1615 Miller Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, 336-727-8181, FAX: 336-727-2115, themact@earthlink.net
Modeling
Instruction attempts to enhance student achievement through a constructivist
approach to learning. Each unit is
begun with a paradigm experiment. The
instructor guides students through the preliminary experimental design. Students complete the design and perform the
experiments that allow discovery of the graphical and mathematical models they
use throughout the course. We will
present the paradigm experiment that leads to the development of Newtons
Second Law. We will focus on the
mathematical manipulations that allow students to combine data from two
experiments into one very useful formula.
This work is funded in part by a grant to UNC-Greensboro from the National
Science Foundation Teacher Enhancement program, Grant #ESI-9911848.
Jack Curtis, Pender Learning Center, Science Dept., 798 Hwy 117 S, Burgaw, NC 28425, 910-259-0156, FAX 910-259-0157, jcurtis124@hotmail.com
The Modeling Method of teaching science has been a great way to reach my students, when customized by a few necessary adjustments. Our school is different from most public schools because we serve students who are abused in some manner, are usually from broken homes and who do not respond to traditional education. These deficiencies have caused many of these students to adapt by displaying delinquent behavior in order to get attention or mask academic problems.
Changes must be slow and require a lot of prior preparation in order to keep anxiety in check. To achieve the desired results, I try to get the students to come up with answers using prodding questions (Socratic dialogue). The overall result has been encouraging in the interest the students are beginning to show.
This work is funded in part by a grant to UNC- Greensboro from the National Science Foundation Teacher enhancement program, Grant # ESI-9911848.
12:24
Lunch and Business Meeting
Lunch will be buffet style and consist of choices among sweet and sour three bean salad, tomato, cucumber, red onion and black pepper Vinaigrette, new potato salad with roasted pepper, creamy cole slaw, Southern fried chicken, roast leg of pork with root vegetables and pan gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, red rice, two squash medley, cheese slices, assorted pies and cobblers with homemade whipped cream, pink lemonade, sweet tea and iced tea.
Besides normal business items there is a request to consider making May 1st the date for officers to begin their terms rather than after the Spring Meeting ends. We should also discuss whether the secretary-treasurer office should be made into two separate positions. There will be several door prizes despite our not having vendors formally at the meeting.
Nominations for the positions of the Secretary-Treasurer (Mary Creason is the only nominee), Two-Year College Representative, and Vice-President are being sought for the election at the Spring 2004 Meeting.
Wolfgang Christian and Mario Belloni, Physics Department, Davidson College, Box 6926, Davidson, NC 28035, wochristian@davidson.edu , mailto:mabelloni@davidson.edu
Open Source Physics, OSP, is a new NSF-funded curriculum development project that is developing and distributing a code library, programs, and examples of computer-based interactive curricular material. The project will make a large number of ready-to-run Java simulations using the GNU open source model.
In order to achieve widespread distribution and to obtain feedback for this material, the OSP project hosted two half-week workshops during summer 2003. This first workshop focused on educational software development and the second workshop focused in writing curricular material. Workshop participants were expected to contribute at least one curriculum module to a public domain curriculum library and to offer refinements and suggestions for the development of new materials. Examples of the material developed at the workshop will be presented.
A second set of workshops will be conducted summer 2004 in Florida at Eckerd College.
Partial funding for this work was obtained through NSF
grant DUE-0126439.
1:48 Physlet-Based Ranking Tasks: From Introductory
Physics to Quantum Mechanics
Mario Belloni and Wolfgang
Christian, Physics Department, Davidson College,
Box 6910, Davidson, NC 28035-6910,
704-894-2320, FAX: 704-894-2894,
mailto:mabelloni@davidson.edu
We have used Physlets (small, scriptable, Java applets created at Davidson College) to produce a variety of Ranking Task exercises (RTEs). RTEs are conceptual questions that require students to rank variations of a physical situation according to some stated criteria (like velocity, acceleration or work). Our Physlet-based RTEs are different than the traditional RTEs because students are required to view and analyze several animations before ranking variations of a physical situation. Some of the exercises we have created are Physletized versions of original pencil-and-paper RTEs, while others have been created from scratch. Examples of Physlet-based RTEs from introductory physics to quantum mechanics will be presented.
http://webphysics.davidson.edu/mjb
http://webphysics.davidson.edu/physletprob/
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (DUE-0126439).
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Saturday, November 8, from 2-3 PM. NCS-AAPT meeting attendees are welcome.
Moorad Alexanian, Physics Department, UNCW, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403-5606, mailto:alexanian@uncw.edu
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2:00 Using Physlet
Physicsฎ: A New Teachers Perspective
Jo Bellanca, Davidson College, Department of Physics, Davidson, NC 28035, 704 894 2077, Fax: 704 894 2894, jobellanca@davidson.edu
I will describe my experience
using the new book Physletฎ Physics to complement Giancolis Physics during my first semester of college teaching. Physlet
Physics is a 327-page interactive textbook and CD with over 800
Physlet-based exercises for the teaching of introductory physics. The greatest benefit I have seen of Physlets
is its depiction of motion. Physlets show motion in real time, a huge
improvement over a static blackboard diagram with equations. Physlets also display dynamic parameters, vectors and
graphs simultaneously with the
motion so that students can see how variables change as the motion
develops. In addition, with Physlet Physics a student can run a
physics scenario over and over again to zoom in on different aspects of the
animation for further exploration or reinforcement. Examples that I used as in-class demonstrations, in-class
problems, and homework will be presented
Thomas R. Tretter, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2701 Homestead Rd. Apt. 1407, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, 919-969-6756, FAX: 919-962-1533, mailto:tretter@email.unc.edu
Size matters. In fact, size is a crucial characteristic that determines much of an organisms or a structures form and function, how it interacts with the world, and what properties are significant. Conceptions of scaling are recommended as a unifying theme for students to use to help them integrate ideas across the various fields within and beyond science. This paper will describe an activity that is designed to help students understand the concept of the varying surface-area-to-volume ratio as the scale changes dramatically. Godzillas huge size has dire implications for her bone strength, and by the end of this activity students will realize that bigger isnt always better or stronger.
2:24 An Eight-Parameter Function for Simulating Model Rocket Engines
Thomas A. Dooling, Department of Chemistry and Physics,
University of North Carolina at Pembroke, PO Box 1510, Pembroke, NC 28372, 910.521.6595,
Fax: 910.521.6638 tom.dooling@uncp.edu
Model rockets are an old favorite of physics teachers. They are easy to make, students love them and they provide a physical system that is much more complex than the routine physics problems in class. There have been many papers analyzing model rocket motion including Robert Nelsons and Mark Wilsons comprehensive paper in the March 1976 issue of The Physics Teacher. Model rockets provide an interesting problem in modeling since they undergo drag, mass loss, and a variable force function. Modeling the rocket engine accurately involves an extended list of force values that is interpolated for the time desired. To make the modeling of the force function and mass loss more compact, an eight-parameter function has been developed. This function accurately models the force functions shape and the total impulse. The general features of the function will be discussed and results of fits to a variety of model rocket engines will be shown.
Aaron Titus, Department of Chemistry and Physical Science, High Point University, 833 Montlieu Ave, High Point, NC 27262, mailto:titus@mailaps.org
One of my goals is to teach students to model physical systems by making assumptions, applying fundamental principles, and carrying out the appropriate calculation. A great application of modeling is a model rocket. The forces on the rocket are complicated enough that it's not a standard "constant acceleration" problem. However, there are only three forces on the rocket (gravitational force of the earth, thrust of the engine, and air resistance) and the change in the mass of the rocket is relatively small. These attributes make it a great system to study in lab. Students measure the force of thrust on the rocket using a force probe, determine an equation for the thrust as a function of time, and write a VPython program to model the motion of the rocket. They realize that assumptions like "neglect air resistance" result in a very poor model and can later modify their model to include air resistance. In this talk, I'll discuss the experiment, data analysis, and modeling of the model rocket.
2:48 Elon University Robotic Observatory (EURO)
Miranda N. Phillips, Elon University, Campus Box 3634, Elon,
NC 27244, 336-226-5243, Fax: 336-278-6545, mphillips@elon.edu
Elon University has recently initiated an undergraduate research project, to build a small automated robotic observatory for under $10,000. We have purchased a Technical Innovations ROBO-DOME ($3750), a 10โ Meade LX200GPS telescope ($2730), and an SBIG ST-7XME astronomy camera ($2700). In this talk, I will discuss our activities, which have centered around equipment testing, learning the software (CCDSoft, CCDOPS, TheSky, TPoint, Digital Dome Works), integration, and Near Earth Object (NEO) imaging and research. Two students constructed the dome base as an engineering project spring semester, and three students worked over the summer of 2003. Several students have participated in various aspects of the project, including construction of the
John Kolena, NC School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC, 27705,
(919)416-2767, mailto:kolena@ncssm.edu
ds9 is an astronomical image processing software package for
FITS images that runs in Windows, Macintosh, and Unix environments.
However, ds9 is particularly well suited for analyzing Chandra X-ray
Observatory data. Because Chandra
records the arrival time, direction, and energy of each incoming photon, the
software can generate x-ray spectra (photon counts as a function of energy) and
light curves (photon counts as a function of time) in addition to images.
Although the full power of ds9 is exploitable only with the FTOOLS applications
running in a local Unix environment, ds9 enables Win/Mac users to generate
requests for data manipulation (on any object in the Chandra public domain) to
the Chandra servers for processing. The
requested data are then returned to the user within minutes. Examples of
supernova x-ray spectra (with identified emission lines) and time-varying x-ray
binaries (with periodicities determined via power spectra) will be shown.
Edward H. Hellen, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402, 336 334-3233, 336 334-5865 fax, mailto:ehhellen@uncg.edu
Bifurcation diagrams are a convenient and aesthetically interesting way of displaying the variety of behaviors exhibited by nonlinear systems. From a mathematical point of view, perhaps the simplest nonlinear system is a finite-difference equation with a quadratic return map. It is well known that this system exhibits a range of behaviors: stability, periodic oscillations, and chaos. Here we generate experimental bifurcation diagrams from simple inexpensive electronic circuits that perform analog computations of finite-difference equations with quadratic return maps. The bifurcation diagrams, including one based on the logistic equation, are easily displayed on an inexpensive 20 MHz analog oscilloscope or on high-end digital storage scopes. The experimental bifurcation diagrams agree well with analytical and computational predictions. This experiment is well suited for providing an introduction to nonlinear dynamics to students taking an electronics course.
This research was supported by an award from Research
Corporation.
S. M. Shafroth, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3255, 919-962 301, Fax: 919 962 0480 mailto:shafroth@physics.unc.edu and
J. D. Brownridge, Department of Physics, Applied Physics and Astronomy, State University of New York at Binghamton, P.O. Box 6000, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000, 607 777 4370, Fax 607-777 2546, mailto:jdbjdb@binghamton.edu
We used home-made crystal x-ray generators for teaching1 X-Ray physics as well as for research2 at Chapel Hill and at Binghamton. We will show how a commercially produced X-ray generator can be used in teaching. Radiation safety; X-ray absorption using materials of different thicknesses and compositions and X-ray collimation can be studied with a survey meter. X-ray radiograms of objects like broken chicken wings can be made with dental film. X-ray spectroscopy of crystal and target X-rays as well as X-ray fluorescence and Compton energy shift with angle can be observed with an energy sensitive X-ray detector and pulseheight analyzer.
1. S. M. Shafroth and J. D. Brownridge, CP
475 American Institute of Physics, Applications of Accelerators in Research
and Industry, Edited by J. L. Duggan and I.L. Morgan, 1100 (1999)
2. James D. Brownridge and Stephen M. Shafroth, Appl. Phys. Lett. 83, 1 (2003)
Presented work continues development of the recurrent approach discussed in previous presentations [1] of the Physics Labs with Flavor series, dedicated to improvement of effectiveness of the teaching-learning process throughout hands-on experience.
The Track of Discovery is usually full of Dramatic
experience. The three layer presenting
information method was replaced by the Dramatic Talk method, which was
already successfully used in Lectures on Physics [2 - 5].
While the Recurrent approach enhances learning and helps students comprehend the material by using learned material to predict and test the results within the same lab, the dramatic element of the process employs emotional component into the cognition process and motivates students learning.
This method was tested in Introductory and General Physics labs at the College of Charleston for both non-science majors and science, including Physics, majors.
The teaching-learning effectiveness has been increased and positive feedback was received from students and faculty at the College and some other Universities.
Learn how to bring flavor into any lab by making it shot for your grade type of a lab.
1. M.
Agrest. Physics Labs with Flavor: Recurrent approach. SACS-AAPT Spring 2003 Meeting.
Coastal Carolina University. March 28-29, 2003.
2.-5. M. Agrest. Lectures on Physics. Volumes I-IV. Tavenner Publishing Company, 2002. ISBN 1-930208-54-5; ISBN 1-930208-67-7; ISBN 1-930208-54-3; ISBN 1-930208-57-X
Physics students (and teachers) like demonstrations. Good demonstrations are hard to come by, especially when budgets are tight. This session presents six demonstrations made from low-cost materials along with instructions for making them. The demonstrations are: four demonstrations with a surplus magnet (force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field, electromagnetic induction, a magnetic hill, and eddy currents); impulse and inertia, resonance tubes for the velocity of sound, beats, and harmony; a shop-made rotating chair; resistors in series with a load; and a recoiling incline.
Vendor Sponsors
We do not have facilities for vendors at this meeting. We would like to thank our recent sponsors and look forward to their future support: Thomson Learning/Harcourt, Addison-Wesley, Pearson/Prentice-Hall, North Carolina State University, the American Association of Physics Teachers, Spectrum Techniques, TEL-Atomic, Vernier, TeachSpin, WebAssign, and Pasco. Please keep them in mind as you prepare to purchase books and materials.
We would be happy to hand out advertisements and accept door
prizes in vendors' names at no charge.
Send them to John Hubisz.
Accommodations/Directions Go to the SESAPS site at http://www.uncw.edu/sesaps03/
Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort, 1706 N.Lumina Avenue, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480, 877.330.5050 toll free, 910.256.2231 local, 910.256.9208 fax, SunSpree@Wrightsville.SunSpreeResorts.com
Take Interstate Highway 40 East to its end in the Wilmington area. It changes to State Highway 132. Stay on it and follow Smith Creek Parkway to US 74 and then left on N. Lumina.
(Note:
We still need a good count for lunch by November 3rd, so if you are
coming, please send me a note even if you have not submitted a Registration
form.).
Registration Form
Name (Please clearly letter) . ..
Preferred Mailing Address .
(include extended ZIP Code) .
Phone
E-mail .
Registration Information
Member $15.00 (includes Saturday lunch)
Non-Member $20.00 (includes Saturday lunch) ..
Student $7.00
Workshop (Arthur Bryant) $2.00 . . . . . ... . ...
Dues ($5.00 per year or $100 lifetime)
Total . . . . . . .
Please make checks out to "NCS-AAPT" and mail to: John Hubisz,
Dept. of Physics, Box 8202, North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC
27695-8202