Physics

In case of inquiry-based education, the priority is the pupil's activity, developing his/her practical and research skills. We can use the knowledge and skills obtained by the pupil from other subjects. Applied informatics into physics seems to be a suitable application of digital literacy. Open IT tools are the ones of the available IT tools that bring several benefits to promote freedom of inquiry. An overview of open IT tools for physics education includes microprocessor kits with a variety of analog and digital electronic components, a large number of application software, simulation software, programming languages, libraries and development environments, web tools, virtual laboratories, data catalogs, hypertext documents and other auxiliary resources. Such open IT tools together with suitable open educational resources will be applicable in physics, mathematics, informatics and other subjects.

Calls for reform to instructional labs means many instructors and departments are facing the daunting task of identifying goals for their introductory lab courses. Fortunately, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) released a set of recommendations for learning goals for the lab to support lab redevelopment [1]. Here we outline the process we have undergone to identify a set of learning goals for the labs that operationalize those provided by the AAPT. We also provide two examples of newly developed lab activities that aim to meet those goals to demonstrate this operationalization. We aim to provide departments and instructors with a few ideas of a procedure that they can follow or a set of goals that they can use to align lab instruction with the AAPT learning goals.

The International Physicists' Tournament (IPT) 2019 dealt with 17 challenging problems. In this article, we present experimental as well as theoretical approaches exemplarily to one of these tasks. A ball placed on a hard and at surface can show oscillation movement when being hit by a jet of water from above. To explain the oscillations, a theoretical model is introduced and its predictions are compared to the experimental measurements. Furthermore, the structure of the IPT itself is characterized shortly in this article, as well as the idea of a new and innovative seminar which was set up at Erlangen University to prepare and assist students in taking part in International Physicists' Tournament. Furthermore, the educational relevance of physics tournaments like IPT for physics education at university is discussed in detail.

A workshop using dance to introduce particle physics concepts to young children is presented. The workshop is realised in the dance studio, the children assume complete ownership of the activity and dance becomes the means to express ideas. The embodiment of the physics concepts facilitates knowledge assimilation, while empowering the students with respect to science. Beyond the scientific and artistic benefits of this workshop, this approach aspires to overcome the barriers between art and science; and open new interdisciplinary horizons for the students.

Many professional physicists do not fully understand the implications of the Einstein equivalence principle of general relativity. Consequently, many are unaware of the fact that special relativity is fully capable of handling accelerated reference frames. We present results from our nationwide survey that confirm this is the case. We discuss possible origins of this misconception, then suggest new materials for educators to use while discussing the classic twin paradox example. Afterwards, we review typical introductions to general relativity, clarify the equivalence principle, then suggest additional material to be used when the Einstein equivalence principle is covered in an introductory course. All of our suggestions are straightforward enough to be administered to a sophomore-level modern physics class.

In a previous study, students' self-expressed learning orientations towards an exercise centered on self-monitoring one's ability to solve a pre-lab physics problem were identified from a post-test feedback survey given to an introductory algebra-based physics student population spanning six measured semesters, and examined as a potential variable in course performance, force and motion conceptual understanding, and attitudes towards learning physics. The sampled population, which primarily consists of life science majors, was also asked in the same feedback survey to discuss what portion or portions of the course were relevant to their respective choices of major. In this study, we examine the fact that about 50 students out of 218 sampled students, or 23% of the sample population, explicitly stated that they perceived no relevance at all of the course to their respective majors, whereas the other 168 students cited portions of the course or the entirety of the course as being relevant to their majors. A follow-up investigation of perceived relevance versus irrelevance shows that attitudes towards physics will experience more expert-like shifts for students who perceive relevance than students who do not; in particular, the attitudinal survey's item clusters that pertain to personal interest and real-world connections appear to show the strongest effect. Further examination showed that biology majors and health science majors (two distinctive sub-populations of life science majors) show similar pre-post trends for relevance vs. irrelevance perceptions, whereas students with a performance achievement goal appeared to bifurcate between a novice-like shift for perceived irrelevance and no attitudinal shift from pre to post for perceived relevance. Discussion includes emphasis on limitations imposed by institution type among other factors.

The article highlights the issues of personalized learning as the global trend of the modern ICTbased educational systems development. The notion, the main stages of evolution, the main features and principles of adaptive learning systems application for teachers training are outlined. It is emphasized that the use and elaboration of the adaptive cloud-based learning systems are essential to provide sustainable development of teachers education. The current trends and peculiarities of the cloud-based adaptive learning systems development and approach of their implementation for teachers training are considered. The general model of the adaptive cloud-based learning system structure is proposed. The main components of the model are described; the issues of tools and services selection are outlined. The methods of the cloudbased learning components introduction within the adaptive systems of teacher training are considered. The current research developments of modeling and implementation of the adaptive cloud-based systems are outlined.

The plasma is an ionized gas that responses collectively to any external (or internal) perturbations. Introducing micron-sized solid dust grains into plasma makes it more interesting. The solid grains acquire large negative charges on their surface and exhibits collective behavior similar to the ambient plasma medium. Some remarkable features of the charged dust grain medium (dusty plasma) allow us to use it as a model system to understand some complex phenomena at a microscopic level. In this perspective paper, the author highlights the role of dusty plasma experiments as a learning tool at undergraduate and post-graduate physics programs. The students could have great opportunities to understand some basic physical phenomena as well as to learn many advanced data analysis tools and techniques by performing dusty plasma experiments. How a single dusty plasma experimental device at a physics laboratory can help undergraduate and post-graduate students in the learning process is discussed.

On their way to an academic career in physics, Ph.D. students have to overcome difficulties at many levels. Beyond the intellectual challenge, there are also psychological, social and economic barriers. We studied the difficulties experienced by physics Ph.D. students in the Israeli universities, with special attention to gender-related issues. Among the hurdles that are much more significant for women than for men -- that we call ``the glass hurdles" -- we find gender-related discrimination, sexual harassment, physiological and psychological health issues, and challenges related to pregnancy and parenthood. We make recommendations for ways to confront and remove these barriers in order to provide female physicists with an equal opportunity to succeed.

PhysPort (this http URL) has become the go-to place for physics faculty to learn to apply research-based teaching and assessment in their classrooms. Usage has doubled every two years since the site was released in 2011, and 20% of all U.S. physics faculty are now verified educators on PhysPort. The lead author conceived of PhysPort in 2007 after meeting many physics faculty interested in incorporating results of physics education research (PER) in their classrooms but with no idea where to start. At the time, most PER results were buried in research journals not accessible to ordinary physics educators, and there was no central place to learn about results and implications for classroom practice. Throughout its development, PhysPort has been based on user research: we interview physics faculty about their needs, design the site based on those needs, and conduct usability testing to see how we meet those needs. PhysPort is a joint product of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and Kansas State University (K-State), with contributions from many universities, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and a library within the this http URL digital library. The site (originally called the PER User's Guide) was first funded by an NSF grant in 2009 and released in November 2011. This article presents an overview of resources on PhysPort, discussion of research and development of the site, and data on the continuing growth of site usage.