Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2006 Four Corners Section of the APS Fall Meeting
Friday–Saturday, October 6–7, 2006; Logan, Utah
Session D4: General Physics and Physics Education |
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Chair: Brian Pyper, Brigham Young University-Idaho Room: Eccles Conference Center Room 305 |
Friday, October 6, 2006 1:30PM - 1:42PM |
D4.00001: Quantum-mechanical time evolution and uniform forces Gary Bowman I consider the time evolution of an arbitrary initial quantum state subject to a spatially uniform but arbitrarily time-dependent classical force. Using the tools of Bohmian mechanics, I show that the state evolves as a free particle state, plus an overall motion arising from the classical force. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 6, 2006 1:42PM - 1:54PM |
D4.00002: Searching for photon rest-mass with ion interferometry Dan Christensen, Brian Neyenhuis, Ross Spencer, Dallin Durfee We will discuss a proposed scheme to search for a non-zero photon rest mass. This scheme could be more than 100 times more sensitive than previous experiments. The experiment would use an ion interferometer to search for variations in Coulomb’s inverse-square law predicted by the Proca equation. Analytical and numerical computations will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 6, 2006 1:54PM - 2:06PM |
D4.00003: Experiences Teaching Inquiry-Based Physics to Prospective Elementary School Teachers Bill Tiernan I will discuss my experience in teaching a laboratory-based introduction to physics intended for students in the elementary teacher education program at Mesa State College. This course was taught for three years and used the textbook and curriculum ``Physics by Inquiry'' developed by the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington. In this class students spend most of their time working on exercises and doing experiments, while the teacher circulates and engages students in discussions of their work. In addition to giving an overview of the curriculum I will talk about some of the successes, pitfalls, and difficulties in teaching such a course. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 6, 2006 2:06PM - 2:18PM |
D4.00004: Why are you in Physics, Anyway? Shem Thompson, Brian Pyper More students leave the major of physics for non-physics majors than visa versa. We surveyed a number of students to pin point their initial reasons to major in physics and their reasons for later leaving physics as a major. Our survey was patterned after Elaine Seymour's research in her book ``Talking about Leaving;'' her research addresses the issue of attrition in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering majors. The results of our surveys show that the biggest concern physics majors have towards majoring in physics is the fast pace and overwhelming nature of the curriculum. Even students who left a non-physics major to peruse a major in physics reported the Physics curriculum to be overwhelming, a concern they did not have towards their previous major. These same students press on toward their new major in physics inspired by career goals/ opportunities. The influence of career goals/opportunities made possible by majoring in physics appears key in attracting students who would be good at physics but are not initially attracted to the field. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 6, 2006 2:18PM - 2:30PM |
D4.00005: Threatened by Gender? Candice Humpherys, Brian Pyper A good deal of research has been done on the issue of stereotype threat.$^{1, 2}$ This research proposes that if a person identifies with a group of people that is negatively stereotyped for performance, then they will not perform as well as someone from the same group of people who is not made aware of the negative stereotype. The research we conducted investigates the legitimacy of stereotype threat based on gender in the area of science in the BYU-Idaho student population. Our results have significance in the current national debate about the lack of women pursuing careers in scientific disciplines. $^{1 }$Quinn, Diane M.; Spencer, Steven J.. (2001). The Interference of Stereotype Threat With Women's Generation of Mathematical Problem-Solving Strategies. \textit{Journal of Social Issues. }57(1):55-71. $^{2 }$Schmader, Tony, {\&} Johns, Michael. (2003). Converging Evidence That Stereotype Threat Reduces Working Memory Capacity. \textit{Journal of Personality and Social Psychology}. 85(3):440-452. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 6, 2006 2:30PM - 2:42PM |
D4.00006: Does Size Matter? Searching for Rhyme or Reason in Course-End Student Surveys in a Large, Eclectic Physics Department David Peak Over the past eight years, surveys of student opinion have been collected (near term-end) in all courses at Utah State University using the same survey instrument. The instrument consists of 25 questions, each of which can be responded to by choosing an integer ranking between 1 (``very poor'') and 6 (``excellent''). The University reports a statistical summary of all surveys each term in which all responses are treated equally irrespective of class size (a factor University administrators have asserted is negligible). Discussions of survey content at USU usually focus solely on two items: ``rate the course'' and ``rate the instructor.'' To some extent faculty tenure, promotion, and salary are based on these two aggregated data. Because of their possible impact on faculty careers, I have examined all responses in all surveys collected over the years in my department. Typical of social data, these results exhibit substantial variability and are highly non-normal. Appropriately treated, however, they reveal a significant class size dependence on the two ``rate the...'' global items. This fact harbors potentially important policy considerations for departments (like mine) that have a broad range of class enrollments. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 6, 2006 2:42PM - 2:54PM |
D4.00007: A Lecture Hall Sized Color Mixing Apparatus James Coburn A new apparatus built to demonstrate color mixing by addition in a large lecture hall will be presented. Details will be given on development, design, construction and presentation. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 6, 2006 2:54PM - 3:06PM |
D4.00008: Einstein's Meanders Bradley Carroll Everyone is familiar with the sinuous meandering of rivers. However, few people recognize Einstein's seminal contribution to our understanding of the origin and evolution of a river's winding channel. This talk will review Einstein's treatment of the fluid dynamics of river meanders. Its simplicity and elegance illustrates his belief that ``the whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.'' [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 6, 2006 3:06PM - 3:18PM |
D4.00009: Twisting Relativity Part II: Gravity Behaving Badly Jerry W. Jensen We take a second highly speculative look at relativity, rejecting special attributes by varying the medium of space as a function of mass. This time we challenge the veracity Newtonian laws of motion, as well as the time dilation property of special relativity. Space near mass is assigned two important properties: Impedance to motion and an opposing elastic field strength. Both attributes are functions of mass and motion relative to the local mass distribution. These properties provide testable predictions that contrast greatly with the behavior predicted by both the second law of relativity and Newton’s second law of motion. A quick perusal of the solar system reveals a cornucopia of stunning observables that are consistent with this abstraction. [Preview Abstract] |
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