http://www.compadre.org/portal/ The latest material additions to the Compadre Portal. en-US Copyright 2013, ComPADRE.org webmaster@compadre.org webmaster@compadre.org Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:04:22 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.compadre.org/portal/services/images/LogoSmallPortal.gif http://www.compadre.org/portal/ 125 35 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=9121 This lab manual contains descriptions of a series of laboratories covering the ideal gas laws and ideal gas processes. These experiments are designed for introductory high school and college introductory physics, chemistry, and engineering courses. Each experiment includes the intended audience, learning goals, and a short introduction to the physics. The experiments include Boyle’s Law, work done in an isothermal process, adiabatic processes, thermodynamic cycles, and the heat capacity of a gas. These labs are designed for an adiabatic gas law apparatus developed at Andrews University. Thermo & Stat Mech/Models/Ideal Gas http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=9121 Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:04:22 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=9121 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12771 This website contains a history of research on global warming. It supplements a short monograph that tells the history of climate change research as a single story. The web site contains essays on a wide range of topics including factors that influence climate, data on climate changes, theories and models of climate, and societal issues. This material can be used as a resource for teaching about physics issues impacting society, sustainability, or scientific methods. Other Sciences/Environmental Science http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12771 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:16:31 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12771 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12766 In this blended activity supporting science and literacy skills, students explore how energy is transformed in a roller coaster. The resource features video, interactive assessment, and an animated tutorial -- blended with informative text and vocabulary skill-building. It was developed to promote deeper understanding of energy as an agent of change that moves the car along the track. The animation and video clip will help students visualize how potential energy is transformed to kinetic energy (and the reverse) through mechanical power and the force of gravity. The literacy exercises promote the language of science and accurate concept formation. Classical Mechanics/Work and Energy/Mechanical Power http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12766 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 07:22:03 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12766 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12765 In this 3-5 day multimedia module, students explore concepts of kinetic, potential, and total energy within different types of systems. Watch a video of engineers who recreate a medieval trebuchet (using only 14th century technology) and an animation of energy transformation in a roller coaster. Play with a digital mass-and-spring model and a projectile simulator. Finally, students will use computational reasoning in a hands-on golf ball activity. This lesson was designed to engage multiple sensory paths and styles of learning through video, interactive simulation, animations, lab activities, and informative text. Classical Mechanics/Work and Energy/Mechanical Power http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12765 Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:29:22 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12765 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12357 This file includes the lab manual write-up for the Au nanosphere and nanorod photoabsorption and scattering Lab experiment for the 2nd year Experimental Contemporary Physics Lab Course. In addition, several handouts are provided along with some additional information for instructors. This work was supported in part by by NSF Awards: ECCS #0701703, DMR #0707740 & DMR #1105121. The experiment can readily be upgraded to an advanced lab by giving more responsibility to the students for lab setup (give them an optical breadboard and parts) and by asking for more in-depth analysis and questions which require more knowledge and experimental skills to answer. Modern Physics/Nanoscience http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12357 Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:21:33 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12357 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12356 This file contains a description of the 2nd year undergraduate experimental contemporary physics lab course. It includes a) Course logistics, b) Pedagogical Intent for Course, c) Course syllabus, d) Miami Physics Dept. Group of Lab Experiments within the Research Model, and e) Methods of Assessment of Student Learning that we have used. Education Practices/Pedagogy http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12356 Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:08:23 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12356 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12764 This four-minute video clip features a team of engineers who recreate a medieval trebuchet, a device used to launch large projectiles. It gives a close-up look at the design process, which used only technologies available in the middle ages. The design team started with small physical models, ending with a massive device that hurls a piano. Kids will gain a deeper understanding of the mechanical advantage of levers and the importance of modeling a process before implementing a design (the first model was wobbly and dangerous). The concept of potential and kinetic energy is also explicitly addressed in the video. Classical Mechanics/Work and Energy/Simple Machines http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12764 Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:51:10 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12764 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12763 This page is the entry point for a large collection of free classroom-ready digital resources for teachers and learners. The science section contains thousands of editor-reviewed videos, games, interactive tutorials, and complete lesson plans. At the heart of the collections are the PBS and NOVA-created video clips, which the authors have used as the linchpins of modular lessons and mini-units. Most of the resources come with background information and suggested discussion questions. Registered users can save and share items in a personal folder. General Physics/Collections http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12763 Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:11:22 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12763 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12755 This paper describes an Easy Java Simulation (EJS) model for students to visualize Newtons 1st and 3rd laws, using frictionless motion and a spring collision during impact. Using Physics by Inquiry instructional (PbI) strategy, the simulation and its problem based inquiry worksheet aim to enhance learning of these two Newtonian concepts. We report results from Experimental (N=62 students) and Control (N=67) Groups in 11 multiple choice questions pre and post tests, conducted by three teachers in the school. Results suggest, at 95 percent confidence level, significant improvement for concept of Newtons 1st Law while not so for Newtons 3rd Law. A Focus Group Discussion revealed students confirming the usefulness of the EJS model in visualizing the 1st Law while not so much for the 3rd Law. We speculate the design ideas for constant velocity motion in the computer model coupled with the PbI worksheet did allow for making sense and experiencing of the 1st Law, where traditional pen-paper representations could not. Education Practices/Instructional Material Design/Simulation http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12755 Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:55:14 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12755 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12739 During spring 2010 six students enrolled in an advanced electronics lab worked in pairs on ill-structured capstone projects. They designed electronic circuitry to automate experiments that were completed in a previous advanced physics lab. Some ill-structured features of these capstone projects included open-ended goals, limited guidance from the instructor and the possibility of multiple solution paths. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with both the students and the instructor of the class, before and after the students worked on these ill-structured capstone projects to gauge the participants' expectations of the projects before they began and their views about these projects after they were completed. We report on the pre- and post-project impressions of the students and instructors regarding this ill-structured learning experience. Education Practices/Instructional Material Design/Project http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12739 Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:50:50 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12739 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12756 Studying the gravitational physics of the solar system is difficult in real life. This paper describes four pedagogical computer models that we have developed for active inquiry instruction in Singapore. These models are now being pilot tested in Singapore and are being improved through feedback from students and teachers. We hope other teachers will find these simulations useful and further customized them for the educational community. Education Practices/Teacher Preparation/Curricula http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12756 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 10:59:00 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12756 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=4896 The main concern of this SDSS project is to walk the student through the process of classifying stars. It begins by asking the student to make up his, or her, own classification system. Once the selection criteria is motivated, it explains how stars are categorized according to their spectral lines. A theoretical foundation is set by explaining the black body radiation and the origin of spectral lines. Finally the student is taught how to read the spectrum of a star and to look for characteristic features in it, that will facilitate the classification. Astronomy/Stars/Spectral Types http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=4896 Sat, 01 Jun 2013 13:42:28 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=4896 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12760 Over the past dozen years the WebPhysics and Open Source Physics (OSP) projects have produced some of the most widely used computer-based curricular materials for the teaching of introductory and advanced physics courses. These materials are based on Java applets called Physlets and on new OSP programs and authoring tools. This session describes how we use these materials in the Davidson curriculum to motivate and engage students in computational physics modeling. In addition to learning to program, students are required to write and communicate, to develop their graphical design skills, and to apply mathematical reasoning to complex problems. We will demonstrate how physics can be taught by modeling, and how this approach helps to deepen the understanding of the underlying physical principles while supporting computational thinking. Education Practices/Instructional Material Design http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12760 Sat, 01 Jun 2013 09:50:21 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12760 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12399 This is an interactive, on-line eText on the physics of sound. It is designed as an introductory course text and requires no previous physics exposure; I am using it in my physics of sound course for non-science majors in place of a hardcopy text. Brief introductions to physics concepts are provided as they are needed (and can be skipped if they are familiar to the reader). There is a little bit of algebra involved but not much. Oscillations & Waves/Acoustics http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12399 Sat, 01 Jun 2013 09:41:41 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12399 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12074 This HyperPhysics webpage contains a description of "color force" and "color charge." These are concepts in the "quark model," which explains interactions of protons, neutrons, and other particles. Numerous links provide background information. This page is part of the HyperPhysics Collection--many short, illustrated pages on various areas of physics and astronomy. Electricity & Magnetism/Electromagnetic Radiation http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12074 Fri, 31 May 2013 16:26:23 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12074 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=3902 This online exhibit on the life of Albert Einstein takes a somewhat less orthodox approach. How did an ordinary patent clerk with an undistinguished college record evolve into one of the most profound thinkers of all time, whose contributions to theoretical physics changed the world? Was it the structure of his brain (the exhibit delves into images of Einstein's brain taken after his death). Was it the support of key friends and family members at an early age? Was it his associations with noted physicists such as Max Planck? Einstein’s major achievements, his public and personal life, and his philosophy are all explored in this resource produced by the American Institute of Physics. Archived speech clips, photos, quotations, and essays serve to bring the exhibit to life. A “Site Contents” section provides an overview and facilitates navigation within the exhibit. General Physics/History http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=3902 Fri, 31 May 2013 16:23:40 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=3902 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12213 This video demonstration illustrates the parabolic motion of the center of mass of a moving object. Non-symmetric objects are tossed, first is full light and then black light. Black lights are used to show the motion of the center of mass marked with florescent paint. A distinction between the center of an object and the center of mass is also made. The video includes a short explanation of the demonstration. This video is part of a video demonstration collection created by the Physics Department at MIT. Classical Mechanics/Motion in Two Dimensions/Center of Mass http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12213 Wed, 29 May 2013 22:15:06 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12213 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12759 This NASA Science News webpage hosts a description of the brightest supernova ever observed, along with two telescopic images and an artist's illustration. The article describes a similar star relatively nearby in our own galaxy, with a photo included. Astronomy/Stars/Supernovae http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12759 Wed, 29 May 2013 20:06:45 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12759 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12758 This PBS Newshour page post a description of the surprising properties of the neutrino, and an explanation of how they are detected. Also, the text explains how the study of neutrinos can answer fundamental questions in physics. Modern Physics/Elementary Particles http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12758 Wed, 29 May 2013 15:08:42 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12758 http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12754 This Hyperphysics page hosts a description of Supernova 1987a. It includes the light curve, a photograph of the unusual remnant, and a graph showing the neutrino volley that announced the explosion. There is a link to a more general Hyperphysics page on supernovae. This page is part of the Hyperphysics collection of pages on introductory physics and astronomy. Astronomy/Stars/Supernovae http://www.compadre.org/portal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12754 Tue, 28 May 2013 17:10:14 EST http://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12754