This study investigates Vietnamese undergraduate students’ conceptual difficulties in learning the Schrödinger equation and the wave function ψ, and examines whether a flipped.interactive teaching model can help reduce such difficulties. A mixed-method design was used with a total of 128 students enrolled in an introductory quantum physics course. Two comparable classes were formed: Class A followed a traditional lecture-based approach, while Class B received a flipped.interactive intervention that combined pre-class materials, in-class conceptual discussions, simulations, and guided reflection. Conceptual understanding was measured across four core topics: (i) physical meaning of the wave function ψ, (ii) distinction between eigenstate and eigenvalue, (iii) superposition and interference, and (iv) measurement and probability. Quantitative results show a moderate normalized gain for the traditional group (Class A, g = 0.21) and a substantial gain for the flipped group (Class B, g = 0.52, p < 0.001). An additional extended survey (n = 32) confirmed that the most persistent conceptual difficulties included treating ψ as a classical mechanical oscillation, interpreting |ψ| 2 as a mere algebraic square rather than a probability density, and misreading superposition as “being in two places at once.” Based on these findings, the paper proposes the notion of a Cognitive Quantum Condition (CQC) to provide a descriptive framework for interpreting the observed shift in reasoning from classical.deterministic reasoning toward quantum.probabilistic reasoning. This transition is illustrated through everyday metaphors previously observed in classroom interaction (e.g. six-faced dice for classical probability, the vector-sum view of “1 + 1 = 0” or “1 + 1 = 1.2,” and the idea that quantum reasoning becomes more salient when the learner’s “cognitive distance” is compressed, used here as a pedagogical analogy rather than a literal physical claim). The study contributes an adaptation of the international Physics Education Research (PER) framework to the Vietnamese context and offers a model to design future quantum mechanics instruction that targets conceptual change rather than procedural problem solving.

The International High School Teacher Programme (HST2025) at CERN provided educators with a unique opportunity to engage directly with frontier research in particle physics. More than a professional enrichment activity, the experience offers significant pedagogical benefits for students, enabling teachers to translate complex topics into engaging, accurate and accessible learning experiences. This paper reflects on how participation in the programme enhances classroom practice, connects high school physics to real-world research and inspires students to view themselves as part of the global scientific community.

This study explores NotebookLM, a Google Gemini-powered AI platform, that integrates Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) as a Socratic tutor for physics education. In this implementation, NotebookLM was configured to support students in solving conceptually oriented physics problems through a guided, questioning-based dialogue. When deployed as a collaborative tutor, the system restricts student interaction to a chat-only interface, promoting controlled and guided engagement. By grounding its responses in teacher-provided source documents, the AI tutor helps mitigate one of the major shortcomings of standard Large Language Models’ hallucinations, thereby ensuring more traceable and reliable answers. This work details the methodological design of the tutor, including the iterative development of a pedagogical “Training Manual”, and presents preliminary qualitative observations from demonstrations with pre-service and in-service teachers. These observations highlight both the promising potential of the tool and key pedagogical challenges, such as managing user motivation. While limitations remain, this work offers a promising and replicable model for educators seeking to implement grounded AI tutors in their own teaching contexts.

We present a new technique for solving two-dimensional boundary value problems (BVPs) in magnetostatics and current distributions. First, we prove a hitherto undiscovered analogy between magnetostatic fields in ferromagnetic media and the current density in a conductor. Next, we introduce a new quantity [Formula: see text], the stream function, and show that it is governed by a Poisson equation similar to those encountered in electrostatics while having a very intuitive physical meaning. This technique allows us to discover analytical expressions for various BVPs that previously required numerical methods. In particular, we calculate the actual resistance of a rectangular sheet and show that it is greater than the naive resistance predicted by the formula [Formula: see text]. This technique not only enables analytical solutions to previously intractable problems but also strengthens conceptual understanding for students by linking electromagnetic phenomena to visual and physical analogies, offering new pathways for teaching electrodynamics. Our technique also further highlights the similarities between electromagnetic fields and velocity fields in fluid mechanics, which has pedagogical uses in helping students understand electrodynamics.

Research findings showed that students are allegedly weak in processing visual information and understanding concepts from mathematical physics problems, including the gamma function problems. The solution offered is to utilize the Wolfram Alpha application. This research was conducted on second-year Physics Education study program students using a pre-experiment one-group pre-test–post-test research design. The test instrument used four visual thinking indicators and was classified as having a good level of reliability. Furthermore, the t-test results demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores, suggesting that Wolfram Alpha had a beneficial impact on students’ visual thinking abilities. This work also emphasizes the role of innovative digital tools in supporting quality education, as aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4).

We present a self contained derivation of the Wigner crystallization in a bidimensional one-component classical plasma.

In his 1972 book Science At the Crossroads, Helbert Dingle attacked the consistency of special relativity through a fallacious argument championed by the crank community even to this day. Dingle’s affair is a curious chapter in the history of physics and, more generally, science. We briefly review Dingle’s case from a historical and didactic perspective.

Physics education in world regions where electrification is not 100% reached faces the challenge to offer high quality teaching of the energy concept with a focus on including learning opportunities for creating innovations while maintaining material costs low and thereby achievable. The aim of this work is to perform a prototype of an energy collector made up of two main parts. The first part is formed by the piezoelectric system which, under external pressure, generates energy passing through the rectifier bridge and stored in the battery. The second part is formed by the solar photovoltaic generator producing electrical energy improved by the two-sided mirror technique. The obtained results have shown that the two-sided mirror technique could improve the PV output power by 13.29%. The total energy produced is adapted for low loads power consumption like portable devices or even flashlight. The circuit diagram has been simulated in Proteus software with ARDUINO UNO microcontroller and experimentally realized. Our contribution can be one relevant cornerstone in supporting physics educators in all regions of the world to stimulate young generation toward green energy resources and thereby bring electric power in places where direct access to the power grid is not provided.

Our aim in this study is to make use of the SOHO online images to create an activity for middle school students that will present them with the knowledge that the Sun rotates around itself. The activity is based on scientific inquiry and encompasses the steps of reviewing available images, making inferences, supporting these inferences with models, and testing the inferences. In the activity we conducted in two class hours with students of the ages 11–12, we observed that students were able to use the available images to arrive at the knowledge that the Sun does indeed rotate around itself. In this context, we believe the activity can serve as an alternative in situations where direct observation of the sun with a telescope is not possible and can be beneficial in middle school.