Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2006 Texas Section of the APS Joint Fall Meeting
Thursday–Saturday, October 5–7, 2006; Arlington, Texas
Session TSAAPT2: American Association of Physics Teachers |
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Chair: Harry Downing, Stephen F. Austin State University Room: UT Arlington, University Center Neches |
Saturday, October 7, 2006 10:30AM - 10:42AM |
TSAAPT2.00001: Effective Instructional Strategies for Pre-service Elementary School Science Courses Tom Callaway, John Moore The Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Department of Chemistry at Stephen F. Austin State University offer a team taught introductory physical science course for pre-service elementary school teachers which has demonstrated effectiveness in changing student attitude towards science. The course has served as a model for other science courses for pre-service teachers taught at our university. We present the results of pre/post-course surveys as evidence of our success. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 7, 2006 10:42AM - 10:54AM |
TSAAPT2.00002: Which Homework Method Renders Better Test Results: Daily Review Quizzes or Homework Quantity? Lionel D. Hewett Regular homework assignments are an essential component of any calculus-based physic course. But the traditional ``assign and grade'' technique is extremely labor intensive when it comes to grading the homework. Therefore, several alternative homework methods have been implemented in an effort to reduce the work load on the professor. One such method, Daily Review Quizzes, encourages students to come to class prepared. A second method, Homework Quantity, encourages students to work a large number of problems. This presentation describes these two methods and how each appears to impact student grades on the first test of the semester. Requests: Overhead Projector and PowerPoint Capabilities [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 7, 2006 10:54AM - 11:06AM |
TSAAPT2.00003: Introducing Nanoscience to High School Physics Teachers Eric Hagedorn During a two week workshop, local high school and middle school science teachers were introduced to three aspects of nanoscience: 1) size and scale, 2) atomic probe microscopy and 3) self-assembly. This collaborative effort of UTEP, the National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering (NCLT) and Purdue University combined both inquiry pedagogy and current nanoscience research. This paper provides more details about the workshop and the inquiry activities used as well as participating teachers' perceptions of the workshop. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 7, 2006 11:06AM - 11:18AM |
TSAAPT2.00004: Teaching of Astrobiology at UTA Manfred Cuntz In Fall 2003, the course ``Astrobiology'' has been introduced at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). This course is offered both at the graduate and undergraduate level, and is cross-listed between the Department of Physics, Department of Biology, and Department of Geology. The course is interdisciplinary in nature, encompassing selected topics of astronomy, stellar astrophysics, biochemistry, theoretical, evolutionary, and extremophile biology, geology, planetary science, and atmospheric physics. The outline of the course includes topics such as the nature and definition of life, origin and evolution of life on Earth, the search for life in the solar system, the possibility of life around different types of stars, including multiple stellar systems, stellar habitable zones, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), and the Fermi paradox. ``Astrobiology'' is now offered the third time, and has enjoyed a steady increase in popularity. In my presentation, I will discuss the underlying goals, my teaching experience, problems and opportunities, including feed-back from students. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 7, 2006 11:18AM - 11:30AM |
TSAAPT2.00005: Clickers in the Classroom Nilakshi Veerabathina Clickers are the electronic devices (look like TV remote controls) that students click to submit their responses to the questions asked by the teacher. Use of clickers is the fast and efficient way of taking attendance, getting immediate feedback, encouraging class discussion, and making the class interactive. Clickers have long list of merits, but there are also some common problems associated with their use. Clickers can also be misused by students. In my presentation, I will describe merits of clickers, how they are helpful for active learning, some problems and their possible solutions. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 7, 2006 11:30AM - 11:42AM |
TSAAPT2.00006: Blowing up the Earth Raymond Benge An occasional theme in science fiction involves blowing up a planet. In ``Star Wars,'' the Death Star blows up Alderan. In ``The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,'' a Vorgon destructor fleet blows up Earth to make room for a cosmic bypass. So, as an exercise for upper division students, or the more advance first year calculus based physics students, the energy needed to disassemble Earth can be computed. Assuming that advanced scifi aliens get their energy from matter-antimatter interactions, students can then compute the amount of antimatter needed to accomplish the task. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 7, 2006 11:42AM - 11:54AM |
TSAAPT2.00007: Update on the State Board of Education's Proposal for the 4 Years of Science Graduation Requirement Hugh Henderson After holding hearings on the 4 years of science requirements on September 14, 2006, the Texas State Board of Education gave its preliminary approval to requiring Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and one other lab-based science course for students on the Recommended and Distinguished Achievement Plans. Three TSAAPT officers gave testimony in support of the proposal. Implications for Texas schools in the areas of policy issues, professional development, and facilities will be discussed. http://tea.state.tx.us/sboe [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 7, 2006 11:54AM - 12:06PM |
TSAAPT2.00008: Measuring nano-meter thick metallic films using a non-contact laser probing Jean Pierre Seminega, V.\`{A}. Komotskii, S.M. \^{I}koth, Truman Black The diffraction analysis of a non-contact method of measuring the thickness of thin metallic films is presented. A range of the thickness from 10 nm to 150 nm is considered in this paper when using a 633 nm laser beam. The measurement result of the thickness of the film being studied is expressed in terms of the wavelength of the probing beam and the intensities of the zero and the first diffraction orders. The method does not require any information on the characteristics of the film sample being studied and is simple in carrying out. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 7, 2006 12:06PM - 12:18PM |
TSAAPT2.00009: Wind Chime Physics Pete Lohstreter, Richard Taylor, Richard Abbondanzio, Rachel Wyatt The Hockaday School is a private all girls school in North Dallas. We are in our fifth year of teaching Physics to all ninth grade students. This activity was designed to get the students out of their seats and into the lab doing physics. Investigating the physics of wind chimes is an easy way to involve the students by designing an experiment, collecting data, analyzing data, finding relationships and making and testing predictions using the new equation. Two questions were posed. 1- To determine the best place to hold a steel pipe so that when it was hit with a mallet it would ring for the longest time. We were excited to see that the class results agreed extremely well with the textbook value of .22 times the pipe length. 2- To determine the relationship between period and length. This involved measuring a sound wave graph recorded with a microphone connected to their laptop computer. It is interesting to see that the frequency is not a linear function of length as we expect with strings and organ pipes. Skills used and developed include data collection, uncertainty in measurement, graphic analysis and equation manipulation. This activity is used to introduce the basic nature of vibrations and lead-in to the study of the wave nature of sound and light. From student interviews we are convinced that we have met our goals, and that we have laid a firm foundation for our students' further studies in physics. [Preview Abstract] |
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