Bulletin of the American Physical Society
Fall 2015 Joint Meeting of the Texas Section of the AAPT, Texas Section of the APS and Zone 13 of the Society of Physics Students
Volume 60, Number 15
Thursday–Saturday, October 29–31, 2015; Waco, Texas
Session J6: AAPT - Physics Education II |
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Chair: Milijana Suskavcevic, University of Houston Room: E.125 |
Friday, October 30, 2015 3:30PM - 3:42PM |
J6.00001: Using Physics Applications to Teach Calculus Jill Marshall, David Allen, Richard Crawford Engineering and mathematics faculty from the University of Texas at Austin have developed a series of design activities to be implemented in the discussion sections of an introductory calculus sequence for engineers, with funding from National Science Foundation DUE grant 0831811. These modules include determining how to maximize the power output from a network of speakers and finding the optimum position to place supports for a dam, that is, the center of pressure. In each case students use calculus to model the physics of the situation and then construct a physical model to test the mathematical model. I will report results of a pilot implementation with students who did and did not take part in the design modules. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 3:42PM - 3:54PM |
J6.00002: Online Master's Courses in Physics for Teachers William Newton, Robynne Lock In Spring 2014 we began to develop a new Master's in Physics with Teaching Emphasis aimed at in-service high school teachers. We have developed 6 brand new Master's level courses in physics aimed specifically at teachers, and are in the process of transferring them online. The aim is to support physics teachers for whom physics was not their major subject by reinforcing their content knowledge, giving them access to physics education research, teaching them the background necessary to discuss with their students the current hot physics topics that make the popular media, and providing a forum for teachers to share teaching strategies and material. In this talk we discuss the strategies employed in the classes so far, their content, and early outcomes. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 3:54PM - 4:06PM |
J6.00003: Teaching Introductory Physics through Visual Computational Models Vicente Rojas Aguirre The creation and development of visual computational models can facilitate a student’s understanding of introductory physics and engineering. Through the exposure of simple programming instructions and scripts, students are engaged in developing 3D visual computational models that describe physical systems. Using Visual Python, a real-time 3D model of the Sun-Earth-Moon system was developed to explore Newton’s laws of motion and vector addition. A rocket with a mission to the moon was implemented to make the model more appealing to the student. This model and its further development is discussed. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 4:06PM - 4:18PM |
J6.00004: Laboratory experiment to measure the Maxwell speed distribution in two dimensions Joseph Kertz, Shon Watson, Michael Sadler A video of objects traveling on an air table in two dimensions can be used to measure their speed distribution and compare to the Maxwell distribution. Students track an object (puck) from a one-minute video taken at 30 frames per second, giving 1800 measurements of position and speed. During this time the puck experiences multiple collisions with each other and the walls. Various video analysis packages are available to extract the puck positions and velocities. Data from multiple students (tracking different pucks) are combined to give a robust statistical sample and to compare to the theoretical prediction. The technique will be demonstrated and results from a recent lab will be presented. The laboratory is appropriate for students studying thermodynamics in introductory physics. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 4:18PM - 4:30PM |
J6.00005: A Tool for Closing the Loop on Common Assessments Paul Walter, Gary Morris, Brenna Thompson, Spencer Skees We introduce a new tool for adoption by high school and college level physics teachers who use a common assessment such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). The tool uses a spreadsheet application to create a simple matrix that identifies the percentage of students that who select each possible pre-/post-test answer combination on each question of the diagnostic exam such as the FCI. From this, it determines changes in students’ understanding of concepts and common misconceptions. For those students that selected the wrong answer to a question on both of the pre-/post-tests, we also determine whether they are moving toward a ``better'' wrong answer. Feedback from the tool allows us to close the loop on assessment and better meet the needs of our students by tailoring our instruction in an informed way. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 4:30PM - 4:42PM |
J6.00006: Rolling Resistance of Wheelchair Wheels on Rough Surfaces: A Student-Designed Undergraduate Research Project Edward Hamilton, Karen Rispin, Tyler Johnson Students at LeTourneau University have designed and constructed the CARRT (Continuously Adjustable Rolling Resistance Tester), a mechanical system for studying the coefficient of rolling friction for isolated wheelchair wheels under many varying configurations and conditions. We present initial results for data collected with three different models of wheels, for both front and back wheels, and for both rough and smooth surfaces. This data confirms the anticipated general result that the smaller front wheels have a higher rolling resistance, as well as more unpredictable results for the variation between wheel models. We also present a simple physical model utilizing introductory Newtonian mechanics concepts of friction and torque, offering a presentation easily understandable to any first-semester physics student. [Preview Abstract] |
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