7,975 research outputs found
Optimal payload rate limit algorithm for zero-G manipulators
An algorithm for continuously computing safe maximum relative velocities for two bodies joined by a manipulator is discussed. The maximum velocities are such that if the brakes are applied at that instant, the ensuing travel between the bodies will be less than or equal to a predetermined amount. An improvement in the way this limit is computed for space manipulators is shown. The new method is explained, test cases are posed, and the results of these tests are displayed and discussed
Learning physics in context: a study of student learning about electricity and magnetism
This paper re-centres the discussion of student learning in physics to focus
on context. In order to do so, a theoretically-motivated understanding of
context is developed. Given a well-defined notion of context, data from a novel
university class in electricity and magnetism are analyzed to demonstrate the
central and inextricable role of context in student learning. This work sits
within a broader effort to create and analyze environments which support
student learning in the sciencesComment: 36 pages, 4 Figure
Turning off the Lights: How Dark is Dark Matter?
We consider current observational constraints on the electromagnetic charge
of dark matter. The velocity dependence of the scattering cross-section through
the photon gives rise to qualitatively different constraints than standard dark
matter scattering through massive force carriers. In particular, recombination
epoch observations of dark matter density perturbations require that
, the ratio of the dark matter to electronic charge, is less than
for , rising to for .
Though naively one would expect that dark matter carrying a charge well below
this constraint could still give rise to large scattering in current direct
detection experiments, we show that charged dark matter particles that could be
detected with upcoming experiments are expected to be evacuated from the
Galactic disk by the Galactic magnetic fields and supernova shock waves, and
hence will not give rise to a signal. Thus dark matter with a small charge is
likely not a source of a signal in current or upcoming dark matter direct
detection experiments.Comment: 19 pages, 2 figures; v2 - figures fixed, references adde
Magnetism in SQUIDs at Millikelvin Temperatures
We have characterized the temperature dependence of the flux threading dc
SQUIDs cooled to millikelvin temperatures. The flux increases as 1/T as
temperature is lowered; moreover, the flux change is proportional to the
density of trapped vortices. The data is compatible with the thermal
polarization of surface spins in the trapped fields of the vortices. In the
absence of trapped flux, we observe evidence of spin-glass freezing at low
temperature. These results suggest an explanation for the "universal" 1/f flux
noise in SQUIDs and superconducting qubits.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
A New Methodology for Developing A Self-Report Psychodiversity Questionnaire: Update and Future Directions For A Work in Progress
A novel self-report methodology for the construction of a multidimensional questionnaire measure of psychodiversity is described and preliminary findings from three exploratory studies examining construct validity in relation to indices of well-being are discussed. Arising from these empirical endeavours, the notion of metamotivational state specific psychodiversity is proposed. The need for additional item generation for the combined alloic-autic and masterysympathy pairs is acknowledged. Suggestions are made for further research developing and using the resultant measure both within and beyond Reversal Theory
Unstable Nonradial Oscillations on Helium Burning Neutron Stars
Material accreted onto a neutron star can stably burn in steady state only
when the accretion rate is high (typically super-Eddington) or if a large flux
from the neutron star crust permeates the outer atmosphere. For such situations
we have analyzed the stability of nonradial oscillations, finding one unstable
mode for pure helium accretion. This is a shallow surface wave which resides in
the helium atmosphere above the heavier ashes of the ocean. It is excited by
the increase in the nuclear reaction rate during the oscillations, and it grows
on the timescale of a second. For a slowly rotating star, this mode has a
frequency of approximately 20-30 Hz (for l=1), and we calculate the full
spectrum that a rapidly rotating (>>30 Hz) neutron star would support. The
short period X-ray binary 4U 1820--30 is accreting helium rich material and is
the system most likely to show this unstable mode,especially when it is not
exhibiting X-ray bursts. Our discovery of an unstable mode in a thermally
stable atmosphere shows that nonradial perturbations have a different stability
criterion than the spherically symmetric thermal perturbations that generate
type I X-ray bursts.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal, 22 pages, 14
figure
Understanding and Affecting Student Reasoning About Sound Waves
Student learning of sound waves can be helped through the creation of
group-learning classroom materials whose development and design rely on
explicit investigations into student understanding. We describe reasoning in
terms of sets of resources, i.e. grouped building blocks of thinking that are
commonly used in many different settings. Students in our university physics
classes often used sets of resources that were different from the ones we wish
them to use. By designing curriculum materials that ask students to think about
the physics from a different view, we bring about improvement in student
understanding of sound waves. Our curriculum modifications are specific to our
own classes, but our description of student learning is more generally useful
for teachers. We describe how students can use multiple sets of resources in
their thinking, and raise questions that should be considered by both
instructors and researchers.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, 28 references, 7 notes. Accepted for
publication in the International Journal of Science Educatio
Blogging in the physics classroom: A research-based approach to shaping students' attitudes towards physics
Even though there has been a tremendous amount of research done in how to
help students learn physics, students are still coming away missing a crucial
piece of the puzzle: why bother with physics? Students learn fundamental laws
and how to calculate, but come out of a general physics course without a deep
understanding of how physics has transformed the world around them. In other
words, they get the "how" but not the "why". Studies have shown that students
leave introductory physics courses almost universally with decreased
expectations and with a more negative attitude. This paper will detail an
experiment to address this problem: a course weblog or "blog" which discusses
real-world applications of physics and engages students in discussion and
thinking outside of class. Specifically, students' attitudes towards the value
of physics and its applicability to the real-world were probed using a
26-question Likert scale survey over the course of four semesters in an
introductory physics course at a comprehensive Jesuit university. We found that
students who did not participate in the blog study generally exhibited a
deterioration in attitude towards physics as seen previously. However, students
who read, commented, and were involved with the blog maintained their initially
positive attitudes towards physics. Student response to the blog was
overwhelmingly positive, with students claiming that the blog made the things
we studied in the classroom come alive for them and seem much more relevant.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figure
Sustaining Educational Reforms in Introductory Physics
While it is well known which curricular practices can improve student
performance on measures of conceptual understanding, the sustaining of these
practices and the role of faculty members in implementing these practices are
less well understood. We present a study of the hand-off of Tutorials in
Introductory Physics from initial adopters to other instructors at the
University of Colorado, including traditional faculty not involved in physics
education research. The study examines the impact of implementation of
Tutorials on student conceptual learning across eight first-semester, and seven
second-semester courses, for fifteen faculty over twelve semesters, and
includes roughly 4000 students. It is possible to demonstrate consistently
high, and statistically indistinguishable, student learning gains for different
faculty members; however, such results are not the norm, and appear to rely on
a variety of factors. Student performance varies by faculty background -
faculty involved in, or informed by physics education research, consistently
post higher student learning gains than less-informed faculty. Student
performance in these courses also varies by curricula used - all semesters in
which the research-based Tutorials and Learning Assistants are used have higher
student learning gains than those semesters that rely on non-research based
materials and do not employ Learning Assistants.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, and other essential inf
- âŠ