American Association of Physics Teachers
Chesapeake Section

Friday, April 20
4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Science Education Reform: Force and Motion from Elementary School through College
Barbara J. Duch, bduch@udel.edu
Math and Science Education Resource Center, University of Delaware

Throughout this nation, science education reform is impacting classrooms from kindergarten to college. Unfortunately, many teachers are unaware of changes being made in how students are taught, what they are learning, and what impact this should make on their own teaching. The state of Delaware recently adapted grade-level performance indicators for student accountability in science that reflect the Delaware and national science content standards. In this workshop, participants will see and experience what students in Delaware's schools are learning about force and motion, and how the University of Delaware is using problem-based learning to teach those topics to college students.

Saturday, April 21

Loud and Clear
Rhett Herman, Radford University, rherman@radford.edu

This demonstration will show a method for making simple (not-so-loud-)speakers in a very short time. The materials used are small magnets, enamel-coated wire, and clear plastic cups. The main advantage of using the clear plastic cups is that all the inner workings of the speakers are easy to see, and thus allow for the logical followup questions regarding the Lorentz force and how the speakers produce their sound.

Problem-Based Learning Online Clearinghouse: Introductory Physics Curriculum
George Watson and Barbara Duch, University of Delaware, ghw@udel.edu and bduch@udel.edu

The University of Delaware's problem-based learning (PBL) initiative for reforming undergraduate science teaching is being expanded. We are developing instructional models and materials, which are accessible to faculty worldwide through an online clearinghouse. The database of problems, instructional models, evaluation tools, and Web-based resources effectively incorporate PBL across the content framework of introductory physics. Materials are being collected and reviewed for a wide variety of introductory physics courses. Selected clearinghouse problems are also being adapted to the high school setting. The structure of the clearinghouse, sample problems, and the submission/editing process will be presented.
PBL Clearinghouse

Physics Discovery: A new equation for falling objects
Ahmad Halim, Wilson High School, halim@jlab.org

For many years, a standard equation has been used to describe the motion of falling objects, namely Final velocity = Initial velocity + Time x Gravity regardless of the mass of the object or its shape. In reality, we know this is not true. As a matter of fact, the shape of the object does play an important role in describing the motion of falling objects, in that the air resistance is directly related to the shape of the object resulting in the drag force. The drag by its nature will delay the motion of the objects.

The author has discovered a new equation for falling objects that will include the mass of the object as well as its shape. Results obtained using the new equation reveal numbers closer to the reality than the classical equation.

Raising the Fluid Level: Giving More Attention to Fluids in the Physics Curriculum
William Ingham, James Madison University, inghamwh@jmu.edu

At JMU, we have added an elective sophomore-level introductory course in fluid mechanics in the belief that this subject has been underemphasized in physics curricula. This talk will describe the goals and content for the course, as well as what we have learned from teaching it for the past three years.

Crazy Ideas in Science
Robert Ehrlich, George Mason University, rehrlich@gmu.edu

To reach a wider audience it often helps to offer courses on subjects that go far outside the bounds of physics, but that have physics as an important element. Three examples would include How Things Work, Energy and the Environment, and The Nature of Time. Such courses might comfortably be offered under a physics number. As physicists we should also consider taking part in courses that go further afield. One such theme — crazy ideas in science — is the subject of a forthcoming book I have recently completed. The ideas of the book and its pedagogical value as the theme for an interdisciplinary science course will be described.

Laboratory-Based Introductory Physics at the University of Richmond
Michael Vineyard, Gerard Gilfoyle, and Philip Rubin, University of Richmond, mvineyar@richmond.edu

The calculus-based introductory physics course at the University of Richmond has been developed based on the Workshop Physics Project at Dickinson College [1]. This approach takes advantage of recent findings in physics education research and introduces students to the use of modern computer tools. It emphasizes active learning and the process of scientific inquiry in the study of directly observable phenomena. One section of the course was taught in the workshop format as a pilot in 1994-95. Based on the success of this pilot project, all calculus-based introductory physics courses have been taught in this format since the 1995-96 academic year. Each section has up to twenty-four students. The students work in groups of three and use a computer workstation and an extensive collection of scientific apparatus to investigate physical phenomena. The computers are used for the collection, analysis, and presentation of data, the modeling of physical processes, and the video analysis of motion. Formal lecture in the course is kept to a minimum. The role of the instructor is to help create the learning environment, assist in the experimentation, lead discussions, and engage in Socratic dialogue with students. The idea is that the students' time is better spent actively involved in direct inquiry and discussion than passively listening to lectures. Results on the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation [2], administered on the first and last classes of the first semester, indicate that the course is quite successful in improving students' conceptual understanding of mechanics. The presentation will begin with a brief history of microcomputer-based laboratories at the University of Richmond, followed by a description of the laboratory-based course and a discussion of our experiences with this format.

[1] P. Laws, "Calculus-Based Physics Without Lectures," Physics Today, 44(12), 24 (1991); "Workshop Physics: Learning Introductory Physics by Doing It," Change, 20 (July/Aug. 1991).
[2] Ronald K. Thornton and David R. Sokoloff, "Assessing student learning of Newton's laws: The Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation and the Evaluation of Active Learning Laboratory and Learning Curricula", Am. J. Phys. 66(4), 338 (1998).

This project has been supported in part through an Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement grant from the National Science Foundation (grant #9551066).

Using Mathematica in a Modern Physics Course
Larry Weaver, Towson University, lweaver@towson.edu

The physics group at Towson University recently obtained a site license for Mathematica, a software package that can perform both symbolic and numeric calculations; and like many schools, the physics program at Towson University requires that their majors take a one-semester theory-oriented introduction to modern physics course. The presenter will explain how they incorporated Mathematica into their most recent attempt at teaching this modern physics course.

Temperature Dependent Electrical Properties in Transparent Conducting Oxide Thin Films
Timothy Nagle, James Madison University, nagletj@jmu.edu

Transparent conductive thin films are in high demand due to their potential for use in liquid crystal displays, photovoltaic cells, space applications, and other electro-optical devices. Transparent ITO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by varying techniques. Such properties of the films as electrical resistivity, Hall coefficient, Hall mobility, and carrier concentration will be discussed, in addition to a summary of the experimental techniques employed. The temperature dependence of electrical properties was studied from 77K to room temperature. Also discussed are such surface properties as grain size and microstructure as measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).

Photoelastic Study of Non-Riveted Lap Joints
Deonna Woolard and William Pluim, Randolph-Macon College, dwoolard@rmc.edu

Riveted lap joints are among the most widely used joints in commercial manufacturing. With the development of new materials, such as composites, objects that were historically made from aluminum or other metals are being redesigned and rebuild out of non-metallic materials. Manufactures would like to create new lap joints made from modern adhesives instead of rivets. This would, in theory, permit the joint to distribute the load more effectively, increase the strength of the joint, and allow for dissimilar materials to be connected.

Photoelasticity has not been used extensively as a health monitoring technique for riveted lap joints. The Air Force and commercial airlines use Eddy Current and thermographic methods on their aircraft to look for cracks and disbonds caused from routine use. This talk will summarize the results from a photoelastic study conducted on non-riveted lap joints made from aluminum and Plexiglas.

"http://www.physics.udel.edu/csaapt/Spring2001/abstracts.html" Last updated April 22, 2001.