Computer-controlled In-class Feedback System for Interactive Lectures

Instructors who wish to implement an interactive lecture style, such as peer instruction, have the need to collect feedback from students in a lecture environment. We present a computer-controlled electronic circuit that allows for quick, rigorous, and accurate measurement and reporting of student feedback in the lecture environment

Measuring \u3cem\u3eg\u3c/em\u3e with a Joystick Pendulum

A method for experimentally measuring g, the Earth\u27s gravitational acceleration, is presented. This method uses a computer joystick and computer as the primary measuring device. If a computer is available, it costs almost nothing to implement, and can be adapted for use as a high school or undergraduate lab exercise, or as a lecture demonstration

Illustrating Physics with Ray-Traced Computer Graphics

This paper provides a brief introduction to using ray-traced computer graphics for creating illustrations to be used in physics teaching. The article focuses on Povray, a freely available ray-tracing software program. We have found that a ray-traced illustration produced with this software provides a final-image quality that is far superior to hand-drawn illustrations and those produced using standard click-and-draw computer drawing software. Techniques for illustrating time-dependent scenarios are discussed as well

Web-Based Student Data Collection and Assessment

Gathering information from students for learning assessment is a critical need of any teacher. In this paper, the tech-savvy instructor is introduced to basic techniques of creating custom, web-based, student-data collection software. Despite widespread deployment of generalized course management systems, the author argues that small, ultra-customized data collection methodologies, can be of great help in collecting and assessing student input, reducing demands on paper, and easing the familiar grading bottleneck while satisfying an individual\u27s pedagogical needs

Computational problems in introductory physics: Lessons from a bead on a wire

We have found that incorporating computer programming into introductory physics requires problems suited for numerical treatment while still maintaining ties with the analytical themes in a typical introductory-level university physics course. In this paper, we discuss a numerical adaptation of a system commonly encountered in the introductory physics curriculum: the dynamics of an object constrained to move along a curved path. A numerical analysis of this problem that includes a computer animation can provide many insights and pedagogical avenues not possible with the usual analytical treatment. We present two approaches for computing the instantaneous kinematic variables of an object constrained to move along a path described by a mathematical function. The first is a pedagogical approach, appropriate for introductory students in the calculus-based sequence. The second is a more generalized approach, suitable for simulations of more complex scenarios

Community outreach with Play-Doh® electronics

It never fails: you’re in your office and the phone rings. Your department head says, “Hi! Fifty kids are coming to campus in 30 minutes. Can you meet with them and give them a one-hour hands-on activity that will make them excited about physics?” Likely you’ll run to your demonstration room and grab anything that’ll generate a bright light or cause something to explode or levitate, right? In recent years, we’ve taken a more systematic approach to hosting visitors by developing a ready-to-go hands-on activity that provides opportunities for learning about DC electric circuits

Computer sound card assisted measurements of the acoustic Doppler effect for accelerated and unaccelerated sound sources

An approach to experimentally measuring the speed of a moving object by direct application of the Doppler effect for sound is discussed. The method presented here uses a Windows computer and sound card to record Doppler shifted sound from a moving source. This sound card approach allows for direct acquisition of Doppler shifted sound intensity as a function of time, affording much analytical and pedagogical freedom in undergraduate lab instruction. In addition, the acquisition of such data allows for the experimental study of not only constant velocity sound sources, but of accelerated sound sources as well

Computer-Guided Solutions to Physics Problems Using Prolog

By posing a continual stream of pertinent questions, a nonmathematical computer program can prod freshman physics students toward an analytical solution to one-dimensional kinematics problems