Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2018 Joint Spring Meeting of the Texas Sections of APS, AAPT, and Zone 13 of the SPS
Volume 63, Number 8
Thursday–Saturday, March 22–24, 2018; Stephenville, Texas
Session C4: AAPT |
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Chair: James Espinosa, Weatherford College Room: Science 109 |
Friday, March 23, 2018 2:30PM - 2:42PM |
C4.00001: Physics Teachers of the Nineteenth Century Jill Marshall As physics teachers we should be well aware of women who are known for their contributions to the teaching of physics, beginning with Melba Newell Phillips, the first woman president of the American Association of Physics Teachers. But many in our community are unaware of the contributions, particularly in pre-college and informal settings, of the women of the Nineteenth Century. Before physics was designated as part of the accepted high school curriculum in the 1893 report of the Committee of Ten, these women worked to demonstrate, describe and explain what was then known as natural philosophy in homes, schools, and lecture halls. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, March 23, 2018 2:42PM - 2:54PM |
C4.00002: Applying Ampere's Force Law to Jacob's Ladder Basel Hamad, James Espinosa Jacob's ladder can be seen in many physics departments. The classical upward motion of the plasma arc is usually explained by the buoyant force of the heated air around the arc. We will review Ampere's force law and apply it to this demonstration experiment. Our results indicate that this almost forgotten 19th century physical law gives a good explanation of the Jacob's ladder. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, March 23, 2018 2:54PM - 3:06PM |
C4.00003: Examination of Course Alignment Using Simulated Students Jonathan Perry, Tatiana Erukhimova, William Bassichis Introductory physics provides a foundation of both conceptual knowledge and problem-solving skills which are used in subsequent coursework. It is therefore vital that introductory coursework be well aligned within the undergraduate curriculum to prepare students for new material encountered beyond the first year. Recent results using q-matrices have shown an indication of appreciably strong alignment of course content between Introductory Physics Mechanics and a sophomore engineering Statics {\&} Dynamics course. In this work, a further test of alignment is presented using a probabilistic model of simulated student knowledge. This model, which incorporates elements of Item Response Theory, uses the previously developed q-matrices for these courses to predict course grades in the sophomore level course. The predicted grades are then compared to actual grades, from academic records, to determine success of the model. Potential improvements to this model will also be discussed. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, March 23, 2018 3:06PM - 3:18PM |
C4.00004: Initial Student Reactions to In-House Videos for Lab Instruction Lionel Hewett At last year's spring physics conference I reported on making some relatively simple in-house videos to help prepare our students to perform the experiments expected of them in our undergraduate E{\&}M laboratories. This year I will present an analysis of the feedback data we received from the students when we first began implementing these short introductory videos. More specifically, I will show what the students liked and disliked about the videos; how they felt the videos could be improved; and how the video introductions compared with the live demonstrations they saw in other physics laboratories. The conclusion of the matter is that our videos need to be improved significantly before they can accomplish their intended purpose. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, March 23, 2018 3:18PM - 3:30PM |
C4.00005: Ring Model Applied to the Precession of Mercury Tanner Farley, James Espinosa The orbit of Mercury precesses at a total rate of 5600 arc seconds; astronomers believe that 5025 arc seconds can be attributed to inertial effects. The gravitational forces from the other 7 planets produce a rate of 535'', leaving a 43 arc seconds unaccounted. We will present a solar system model that replaces each of the outer 7 planets by rings and introduce Ritz's force law to describe the force that the sun exerts on Mercury, resulting in a unified Newtonian calculation of the remaining 578''. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, March 23, 2018 3:30PM - 3:42PM |
C4.00006: Teaching Graduate Electrodynamics Interactively: A Report from the Trenches. David Donnelly I had the opportunity to teach graduate electrodynamics in the fall 2016 semester. Because I have converted all of my instruction to methods using interactive engagement, I was forced to look for ways to introduce interactive engagement into what is arguably the most challenging course in the standard graduate curriculum. I will report on the types of activities I had the students engage in during class, as well as a new approach to assessment. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, March 23, 2018 3:42PM - 3:54PM |
C4.00007: Student Perceptions of GlowScript Blocks Computational Activities in Introductory Mechanics Kushal Das, Hunter Close The Physics Department at Texas State University introduced computational modeling into introductory mechanics using the GlowScript Blocks platform (https://trinket.io/glowscript-blocks, also developed at TXST). Students work on the computational modeling activities during the first 30 minutes of their laboratory sessions. The overall goals of the activities are to enhance student engagement with and positive feelings about computational modeling in physics and to build familiarity with some concepts from computational modeling in physics. This program is intended to prepare physics students for more formal instruction in computation throughout the undergraduate physics curriculum. A survey administered at the end of Fall 2017 indicates that students prefer the instructional strategy of building blocks with visible model code to the strategy of editing given blocks with hidden model code. Most students also agree that learning computation is important for their future career. Examples and themes from student responses will also be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, March 23, 2018 3:54PM - 4:06PM |
C4.00008: A Review of Jeffrey's Arguments against Plate Tectonic Theory Gissell Obregon, James Espinosa Plate tectonic theory is the dominant model of terrestrial evolution. It was primarily developed by Wegener to account for the similarities in geological formations across the oceans. Wegener met stiff resistance from the geological community. Not until the 1960's did geologists and geophysicists accept continental drift theory. Unfortunately for their science, they chose to ignore Sir Harold Jeffrey's arguments against this theory which gained valuable data from the orbits of artificial satellites and from the lunar landings. We will review his main argument against plate tectonic theory. [Preview Abstract] |
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