Basic Physics Courses Research Articles

Analytic solution of the lifeguard problem

A simple version due to Feynman of Fermat’s principle is analyzed. It deals with the path a lifeguard on a beach must follow to reach a drowning swimmer. The solution for the exact point, , at the beach-sea boundary, corresponding to the fastest path to the swimmer, is worked out in detail and the analogy with light traveling at the air-water boundary is described. The results agree with the known conclusion that the shortest path does not coincide with the fastest one. The relevance of the subject for a basic physics course, at an advanced high school level, is pointed out.

Actividades didácticas para el tono como cualidad del sonido, en cursos de física del nivel básico, mediadas por la tecnología digital

El propósito de este artículo es promover la comprensión del tono como cualidad del sonido y de los conceptos matemáticos asociados a su modelización, mediante el diseño y la aplicación de actividades didácticas. El concepto de sonido y sus cualidades forman parte del programa de estudios de segundo grado de la educación básica de física en México y del cuarto grado de secundaria en Colombia (edades entre 13 y 15 años). Para el diseño de las actividades se requirió el empleo de aplicaciones informáticas (apps) dispuestas en dispositivos móviles como laboratorio portable, un marco didáctico y el desarrollo de una propuesta de modelización. La experiencia se implementó en dos países y se desarrolló en cuatro fases. Se mostrarán evidencias del cambio conceptual en los estudiantes.

Students’ profile of heat and temperature using HTCE in undergraduate physics

Understanding heat and temperature are important to make strong fundamental of physics before understanding the other subject materials. This research aims to describe the students’ conception of heat and temperature using Heat and Temperature Conceptual Evaluation (HTCE) developed by Thornton and Sokoloff. This research subjects are 10 students of 3rd semester and 24 students of 5th semester Bachelor of Physics. The data collection methods are test and interview. The result are the students’ conception of heat and temperature, rate of cooling, calorimetry, rate of heat transfer, perception of hotness, specific heat capacity, change of phase, thermal conductivity. Students are getting difficult on understanding the concept of heat and temperature especially the concept of rate of cooling, change of phase, and rate of heat transfer. The average students’ correct answer is 44.88% of 34 students. The lowest mean score is the concept of RHT with the percentage of 17.65%. This research could be used to develop learning media on basic physics course.

Profile of Scientific Ability of Chemistry Education Students in Basic Physics Course

The weakness of scientific ability of students in college has been being a concern in this case, especially in terms of laboratory activities to support Laboratory Based Education. Scientific ability is a basic ability that must be dominated by students in basic physics lecturing process as a part of scientific method. This research aims to explore the indicators emergence of the scientific ability of students in Chemistry Education of Study Program, Faculty of Teaching and Education University of Palangka Raya through Inquiry Based Learning in basic physics courses. This research is a quantitative research by using descriptive method (descriptive-quantitative). Students are divided into three categories of group those are excellent group, low group, and heterogeneous group. The result shows that the excellent group and low group have same case that were occured decreasing in the percentage of achievement of scientific ability, while in heterogeneous group was increased. The differentiation of these results are caused by enthusiastic level of students in every group that can be seen in tables of scientific ability achievement aspects. By the results of this research, hoping in the future can be a references for further research about innovative learning strategies and models that can improve scientific ability and scientific reasoning especially for science teacher candidates.

EFEKTIVITAS PEMBELAJARAN FISIKA BERBASIS LESSON STUDY DENGAN MULTIREPRESENTASI UNTUK MELATIH KETERAMPILAN PROSES MAHASISWA PADA MATAKULIAH FISIKA DASAR I

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui efektivitas pembelajaran fisika berbasis lesson study denganmultirepresentasi pada matakuliah Fisika Dasar I. Subjek penelitian adalah mahasiswa tingkat pertamasebanyak 42 orang yang dibagi menjadi 2 kelas, yaitu kelas eksperimen dan kontrol. Instrumen pengumpulandata adalah tes keterampilan proses yang terdiri dari 5 item soal essay. Analisis data adalah analisis deskriptifuntuk melihat gambaran dari hasil belajar keterampilan proses mahasiswa dengan menggunakan kriteria dayaserap, efektivitas pembelajaran, dan ketuntasan belajar siswa pada saat pretest dan postest. Analisis datamenunjukkan daya serap rata-rata kelas adalah 9,28% dengan kategori kurang baik pada kelas eksperimenpretest sedangkan pada postest 17,78% kurang baik dan 9,30% dengan kategori kurang baik untuk kelaskontrol pada saat pretest dan 17,18% dengan kategori kurang baik, sedangkan efektivitas pembelajarandinyatakan kurang efektif dengan porsentase 0 % pada kelas eksperimen dan 0% untuk kelas kontrol padakategori kurang efektif, ketuntasan belajar mahasiswa secara klasikal 0% dan dinyatakan tidak tuntas padakelas eksperimen pretest dan 4,76% dengan kategori tidak tuntas postest, dan 0% pada saat pretest dengankategori tidak tuntas, 14,29% juga tidak tuntas untuk kelas kontrol postest, serta ketuntasan materi pelajaransebesar 0% dan dinyatakan tidak tuntas pada kelas eksperimen dan 0% tidak tuntas pada kelas kontrol baikpretest maupun postest. Dengan demikian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa penerapan pembelajaran fisika berbasislesson study dengan multirepresentasi efektif digunakan untuk proses pembelajaran mahasiswa padamatakuliah fisika dasar I pada materi tumbukan dan momentum.

The Use of Classroom Assessment to Explore Problem Solving Skills Based on Pre-Service Teachers’ Cognitive Style Dimension in Basic Physics Course

The aim of this study was to explore the use of assessment strategy which can measure problem solving skills of pre-service teachers based on their cognitive style in basic physics course. The sample consisted of 95 persons (male = 15, female = 75). This study used an exploratory research with observation techniques by interview, questionnaire, and test. The results indicated that the lecturer only used paper-pencil test assessment strategy to measure pre-service teachers’ achievement and also used conventional learning strategy. It means that the lecturer did not measure pre-services’ thinking process in learning, like problem solving skills. One of the factors which can influence student problem solving skills is cognitive style as an internal factor. Field Dependent (FD) and Field Independent (FI) are two cognitive styles which were measured with using Group Embedded Figure Test (GEFT) test. The result showed that 82% of pre-service teachers were FD cognitive style and only 18% of pre-service teachers had FI cognitive style. Furthermore, these findings became the fundamental design to develop a problem solving assessment model to measure pre-service teachers’ problem solving skills and process in basic physics course.

The bead on a rotating hoop revisited: an unexpected resonance

The bead on a rotating hoop is a typical problem in mechanics, frequently posed to junior science and engineering students in basic physics courses. Although this system has a rich dynamics, it is usually not analysed beyond the point particle approximation in undergraduate textbooks, nor empirically investigated. Advanced textbooks show the existence of bifurcations owing to the system's nonlinear nature, and some papers demonstrate, from a theoretical standpoint, its points of contact with phase transition phenomena. However, scarce experimental research has been conducted to better understand its behaviour. We show in this paper that a minor modification to the problem leads to appealing consequences that can be studied both theoretically and empirically with the basic conceptual tools and experimental skills available to junior students. In particular, we go beyond the point particle approximation by treating the bead as a rigid spherical body, and explore the effect of a slightly non-vertical hoop's rotation axis that gives rise to a resonant behaviour not considered in previous works. This study can be accomplished by means of digital video and open source software. The experience can motivate an engaging laboratory project by integrating standard curriculum topics, data analysis and experimental exploration.

Science Awareness and Science Literacy through the Basic Physics Course: Physics with a bit of Metaphysics?

Until the 1980s, it is well known and practiced in Indonesian Basic Physics courses, to present physics by its effective technicalities: The ideally elastic spring, the pulley and moving blocks, the thermodynamics of ideal engine models, theoretical electrostatics and electrodynamics with model capacitors and inductors, wave behavior and its various superpositions, and hopefully closed with a modern physics description. A different approach was then also experimented with, using the Hobson and Moore texts, stressing the alternative aim of fostering awareness, not just mastery, of science and the scientific method. This is hypothesized to be more in line with the changed attitude of the so-called Millenials cohort who are less attentive if not interested, and are more used to multi-tasking which suits their shorter span of attention. The upside is increased awareness of science and the scientific method. The downside is that they are getting less experience of the scientific method which intensely bases itself on critical observation, analytic thinking to set up conclusions or hypotheses, and checking consistency of the hypotheses with measured data. Another aspect is recognition that the human person encompasses both the reasoning capacity and the mental- spiritual-cultural capacity. This is considered essential, as the world grows even smaller due to increased communication capacity, causing strong interactions, nonlinear effects, and showing that value systems become more challenging and challenged due to physics / science and its cosmology, which is successfully based on the scientific method. So students should be made aware of the common basis of these two capacities: the assumptions, the reasoning capacity and the consistency assumption. This shows that the limits of science are their set of basic quantifiable assumptions, and the limits of the mental-spiritual-cultural aspects of life are their set of basic metaphysical (non-quantifiable) assumptions. The bridging between these two human aspects of life, can lead to a “why” of science, and a “meaning” of life. A progress report on these efforts is presented, essentially being of the results indicated by an extended format of the usual weekly reporting used previously in Basic Physics lectures.

The Assessment of Student Performance in the Practicum Activity of Basic Physics Course

Abstract This study was aimed at obtaining factual information on 1) the assessment of Basic Physics course learning achievement of Physics Education students of the Tarbiyah and Teacher Training Faculty of IAIN Raden Intan Lampung that includes process and product assessment and 2) the results of the implementation of assessment on student performance during the practicum component of the course. The study employed Elliot’s Model of Action Research Study, which is a mixed method in nature. It focused on improving instructional condition as the responsibility of the respective lecturer to make it more responsive to the existing needs .Indeed, it requires commitment of all parties involved in the instructional process to participate and collaborate for improved learning achievement, particularly of the Basic Physics course, to be obtained. In conclusion, based on the process and findings of the action research study, the implementation of performance assessment has significantly improved student learning achievement in the Basic Physics course.Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendpatkan informasi faktual mengenai 1) penilaian hasil belajar Fisika Dasar Pendidikan Fisika Fakultas Tarbiyah dan Keguruan IAIN Raden Intan Lampung yang meliputi penilaian proses dan kinerja, dan 2) hasil implementasi penilaian prestasi mahasiswa selama praktikum. Penelitian menggunakan Penelitian Tindakan Kelas Model Elliot, yang merupakan metode campuran. Penelitian fokus kepada peningkatan kondisi pembelajaran sebagai tanggungjawab dosen yang bersangkutan untuk membuatnya lebih responsif dengan kebutuhan yang ada. Tentunya, hal ini membutuhkan komitmen dari seluruh pihak terkait dalam proses pembelajaran untuk berpartisipasi dan berkolaborasi untuk peningkatan hasil pembelajaran, khususnya mata kuliah Fisika Dasar. Dapat disimpulkan, berdasarkan proses dan temuan penelitian tindakan kelas, penerapan penilaian kinerja secara signifikan meningkatkan prestasi belajar mahasiswa pada mata kuliah Fisika Dasar. How to Cite: Yuberti, Nomida, D., Nuriah, T. (2016). The Assessment of Student Performance in the Practicum Activity of Basic Physics Course. TARBIYA: Journal Of Education In Muslim Society, 3(1), 121-130 doi:10.15408/tjems.v3i1.3397. Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15408/tjems.v2i1.3397

Music through the skin—simple demonstration of human electrical conductivity

The conduction of electricity is an important topic for any basic physics course. Issues of safety often results in teacher demonstration experiments in front of the class or in extremely simple though—for students—not really fascinating (not to say boring) hands on activities for everybody using 1.5 V batteries, cables and light bulbs etc. Here we briefly review some basic facts about conduction of electricity through the human body and report a simple, safe, and awe inspiring electrical conduction experiment which can be performed with little preparation by a teacher involving the whole class of say 20 students.

Meaning making through use of interactive whiteboards during physics group work. A case study from engineering education

This paper presents a case study of how the interactive whiteboard (IWB) may facilitate collective meaning-making processes in group work in engineering education. In the case, first-year students attended group-work sessions as an organised part of a basic physics course at a Norwegian university college. Each student group was equipped with an IWB, which the groups used to write down and hand in their solutions to the physics problems. Based on a Vygotskian, dialectical stance, this study investigates how the students used the IWB in the group-work situation. From qualitative analysis of video data, we identified four group-work processes where the IWB played a key role: exploratory, explanatory, clarifying and insertion. The results show that the IWB may facilitate a 'joint workspace', a social realm in which the students' dialogues are situated.

Education reform with the support of the faculty--introduction of a supplementary education program including teacher support and individual guidance

To deal with declining levels of academic ability and motivation among students (a situation attributable to fewer high school graduates, a greater number of universities, and the diversification of entrance examination methods), one must comprehend the conditions of faculties collectively, and take appropriate measures. Using the results of examinations carried out in each grade as indices, we examined levels of academic ability and established various support programs based on the results. Basic chemistry, biology, and physics courses were designed to help first-year students acquire essential academic skills. For second, third, and fourth-year students, two types of support programs were implemented: supplementary instruction to help students improve their understanding of basic topics in pharmaceutical sciences, and an e-learning system to promote self-study, requiring minimal assistance from teachers. Although educational benefits were observed in many students, the number of learners whose understanding failed to improve as a result of the support programs continued to increase. Consequently, The Support Section for Pharmaceutical Education opened in October 2011 to address these concerns. The support section functions mainly to provide individual assistance to students who lack strong academic abilities, and provides teachers with information useful for educational reform. Here, we describe the educational support provided by our faculty and its effectiveness.

The motion of a leaking oscillator: a study for the physics class

This paper is essentially about the general form of Newton’s second law for variable mass problems. We develop a model for describing the motion of the one-dimensional oscillator with a variable mass within the framework of classroom physics. We present a simple numerical procedure for the solution of the equation of motion of the system to be implemented by students and teachers. Interesting qualitative concepts as well as quantitative results for the focused problem are presented. The topic has pedagogical value from both the theoretical and experimental point of view. However, this paper considers only theoretical aspects of the problem. It is aimed at basic physics courses at undergraduate level.

Students’ use of the interactive whiteboard during physics group work

This paper presents a case study of how the interactive whiteboard (IWB) may facilitate collective meaning-making processes in group work in engineering education. In the case, first-year students attended group-work sessions as an organised part of a basic physics course at a Norwegian university college. Each student group was equipped with an IWB, which the groups used to write down and hand in their solutions to the physics problems. Based on a Vygotskian, dialectical stance, this study investigates how the students used the IWB in the group-work situation. From qualitative analysis of video data, we identified four group-work processes where the IWB played a key role: exploratory, explanatory, clarifying and insertion. The results show that the IWB may facilitate a ‘joint workspace’, a social realm in which the students’ dialogues are situated.

Medindo a temperatura de um gás no regime de micro-Kelvin

O desenvolvimento científico nos permite trabalhar hoje com gases em temperaturas muito inferiores aos 10-6 K. Estes gases, uma vez obtidos por técnicas de resfriamento óptico, precisam ser caracterizados com relaçãao às suas propriedades termodinâmicas. a a medida da temperatura. Dentre tais propriedades está a medida da temperatura. Neste trabalho mostramos de forma tutorial como são medidas tais baixas temperaturas, através de técnicas de tempo de voo. Tais técnicas combinam conhecimento básico de mecânica, termodinâmica dentre outros tópicos convencionalmente estudados nos cursos básicos de física.

A ‘conveyor belt’ model for the dynamic contact angle

The familiar Young contact angle measurement of a liquid at equilibrium on a solid is a fundamental aspect of capillary phenomena. But in the real world it is not so easy to observe it. This is due to the roughness and/or heterogeneity of real surfaces, which typically are not perfectly planar and chemically homogeneous. What can be easily detected, and in a repeatable way, are advancing and receding contact angles. In this paper, we discuss a simple model which accounts for the onset of advancing and receding contact angles measured by the Wilhelmy microbalance, one of the most powerful techniques for contact angle measurements. The model also explains the experimental observation that advancing and receding contact angles become closer to each other when the system is gently ‘shaken’, by supplying mechanical energy in an appropriate way. The model may be pedagogically useful in introducing students and teachers to aspects of capillary phenomena which are not usually discussed in basic physics courses.

Training: Often the missing link in using NDT methods

Nondestructive test (NDT) methods are indirect methods that rely on the interactions of some type of mechanical or electromagnetic radiation with internal irregularities. Differences in response are used as indicators of the presence of these irregularities. Often the underlying physics are complex and not the type of information that most civil engineering students have studied, other than in basic physics courses. Yet civil engineers are called upon often to evaluate structures using various types of advanced NDT methods. Successful application of these advanced methods requires that persons taking the data and analyzing the data have a good understanding of the principles of the methods, how to set up data acquisition parameters for optimum results, and how to interpret recorded data. This requires investing resources in training, which is too often neglected because of budgeting or scheduling constraints. Lack of training can lead a user to arrive at incorrect conclusions from the NDT survey, which will cast a negative image on the NDT method. Thus when planning on acquiring NDT equipment, the budget should include sufficient funding for proper training. The benefits will outweigh the initial cost. This paper uses the impact-echo method as an example to illustrate the kind of basic information that should be understood by all members of the team conducting an evaluation using this method. The topics covered include: basic principles of stress-wave propagation and reflection; the vibrational response of plate-like structures and prismatic members; frequency domain analysis of waveforms; frequency content of impact force; selection of data acquisition parameters; and minimum detectable flaw size.

An exact solvable model of rocket dynamics in atmosphere

In basic physics courses at undergraduate level, the dynamics of self-propelled bodies is presented as an example of momentum conservation law applied to systems with time-varying mass. However, is often studied the simple situation of free motion or the motion under the action of a constant gravitational field. In this work, we investigate the more realistic case of time-dependent motion of an ascending rocket subjected to a quadratic drag exerted by the earth atmosphere. Interestingly, the resulting rocket equation of motion falls into a Riccati equation. Detailed solutions of the model differential equations are presented and discussed.

Similarity theory and dimensionless numbers in heat transfer

We present basic concepts underlying the so-called similarity theory that in our opinion should be explained in basic undergraduate general physics courses when dealing with heat transport problems, in particular with those involving natural or free convection. A simple example is described that can be useful in showing a criterion for neglecting convection heat transfer effects in a given experimental situation.

Coherent teaching and need-based learning in science: an approach to teach engineering students in basic physics courses

In the present paper, we propose an alternative, based on constructivism, to the conventional way of teaching basic physics courses at the university level. We call this approach ‘coherent teaching’ and the underlying philosophy of teaching science and engineering ‘need-based learning’. We have been applying this philosophy in practice in a basic physics course at the Department of Engineering Physics and Mathematics of Helsinki University of Technology. Here we present the main ideas of the new approach and how we have implemented them, as well as discuss how coherent teaching has affected the students' opinions about the course and how it has changed the learning results.