Physics Textbooks Research Articles

The Ether Concept from Spanish Physics Textbooks (1840–1950)

AbstractThe presence of the ether concept in the contents of 73 Spanish physics textbooks (secondary and first course university level) published in the period 1840–1950 is studied. The textbooks are a specially interesting learning tool in the Spanish society of this period, due to the rural character of the country, the capacity of the textbooks for frequent and repeated use as well as for dissemination over the entire state. Particularly, the content about heat, light and electricity is investigated. Whether the concept of ether appears in the general principles of the textbooks or not is also studied. Moreover, the work considers the evolution of the concept of ether by decades, showing different examples of how the ether was used to explain different physics phenomena. Furthermore, the social and historical context in which the textbooks were developed is discussed in detail. Outstanding amongst the different conclusions that are drawn is the disappearance of the concept of the ether during the third and fourth decades of the twentieth century.

Gender stereotypes in the physical education textbook

Gender stereotypes in media, including books, can play an important role in the process of gender identity construction. The purpose of this study is to analyze gender representation in Elementary School Physical Education, Sports and Health textbooks. The analysis was conducted by tabulating images and looking at the appearance of gender characters in the text in the elementary physical education books from grade one to grade six. Visibility and Firstness refer to the number of times a male or female character appears first in an exercise. Gender stereotypes (such as female characters doing rope games, male characters playing big ball games) were counted. Based on this data, it can be seen that in classes 1,2,4,5 and 6 there are more male images than female, only in class 3 there are more female images than male. Furthermore, the results of Gender Stereotyping data show that males are more dominant in Floor Gymnastics, Water Sports, Physical Fitness Activities, Invasion Games, Net Games, Maintenance of Reproductive Hygiene, Pencak Silat Martial Arts, and Athletics. In contrast gymnastics materials and Rhythmic Gymnastics Activities are dominated by women. Such stereotypes are considered as one of the ways in which gender identity is influenced and constructed. They can limit individuals' choices in relation to their roles, interests and aspirations, as individuals tend to conform to what is perceived as the gender norm in society.

Comparative Evaluation of Socioscientific Issues in Secondary Physics Curriculum and Textbooks

Comparative Evaluation of Socioscientific Issues in Secondary Physics Curriculum and Textbooks

«ОПТИКА» БӨЛІМІ БОЙЫНША ЭЛЕКТРОНДЫҚ ОҚУЛЫҚТАРДЫҢ ЗАМАНУИ БІЛІМ БЕРУ ҚҰРАЛЫ РЕТІНДЕ РӨЛІ

The article examines the effectiveness and role of the use of electronic textbooks in the education system. And, including in the section «Optics», optical phenomena and patterns are taken as a basis. The creation of electronic textbooks is one of the most pressing problems of the educational process today. The expansion of the use of modern information technologies has led to the need to develop electronic learning tools that increase the effectiveness of self-learning and the quality of learning for students. The use of electronic means in the learning process is effective for both the teacher and the student. The use of electronic learning tools in the educational process does not contradict the traditional teaching method, but rather complements the use of its achievements. Comparison parameters are also considered: page and rotation; reader's movement through the book; plane and depth; book block; personal appearance of the book; text; illustration; tactile sensations; reliability of information storage and accessible information update; one can say about the pros and cons of this and other types of books. The advantages of an electronic textbook in terms of printing are accompanied only by sound effects associated with its large information capacity and ease of use. With all the convenience of the e-book format, the reader may want to see it directly on the site if he does not want to download it, or, as in a bookstore, first view the publication and then decide whether to download it or not. The main disadvantages of the electronic textbook are due to its loss of personal artistic appearance. Currently, there are many tools for creating electronic textbooks. For example, the possibilities of the program SunRav BookEditor, SunRav BookReader, TurboSite, Flipsnack, EdApp, Canva, etc. are considered. In the article, we will define the role of analyzing the digital literacy of students using an electronic textbook. Examples of electronic forms of a physics textbook for grades 7-9 can be given.

Analiza comparată a curriculumului și a manualelor de fizică pentru clasa a VII-a din România, Rusia și Republica Moldova din punctul de vedere al susținerii conceptului de competențe de învățare pe tot parcursul vieții

In this paper, the lifelong learning competencies supported by physics textbooks for the 7th grade from Romania, Russia, and the Republic of Moldova were studied. Additionally, it was investigated whether there is any discrepancy between the competency units declared in the curriculum and the content and structure of the textbooks. A comparative analysis was conducted on Unit 2 “Mechanical Phenomena. Interactionsˮ from the Romanian textbook, Chapter 2 “Interaction of Bodiesˮ from the Russian textbook, and Chapter 2 “Interactionsˮ from the Moldovan textbook. It was found that the Romanian textbook emphasizes the development of technological skills and critical and analytical thinking through the conduct and analysis of experiment results within each lesson, as well as problem-solving skills by examining complex real-world situations. However, the Romanian curriculum lacks specific competency units for the learning unit. The Russian textbook is distinguished by a clear, structured, and concise presentation of the material, and the Russian curriculum includes a short list of cognitive objectives that fully reflect the constructivist nature of learning. It was established that the Moldovan textbook supports autonomous learning, problem-solving, and technological skills, corresponding in such a way to the curriculum.

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words: Perspectives of the Use of Images and Videos of Physical Findings in Virtual OSCE Teaching Sessions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in medical students' education being disrupted and a new direction of learning towards the online classroom, with students frequently learning to identify clinical signs via online conferencing platforms. Given this shift in student study techniques in the pandemic and post-pandemic era, we set out to analyse the confidence levels of students recognizing clinical signs in patients and the opinions and patterns of resources students would use to build up the knowledge and confidence for their future clinical practice. OSCEazy, a student-led medical education organisation, delivered an online teaching session and disseminated a questionnaire containing ten-point Likert scales, multiple-choice questions and free text options. The majority (over 75%) of respondents reported using digital resources to learn physical examinations. Most respondents were somewhat confident with recognising clinical signs during physical examinations (Median 7, IQR 6-8). Kruskal-Wallis H-test on students' impression of the quality of current OSCE materials showed a statistically significant difference between cohorts (X2(2) = 14.209, p = 0.014). A large proportion of students (98.41%) agreed that an online resources bank would be beneficial for their learning. Wilcoxon rank test showed a statistically significant preference for learning physical examinations using clinical images rather than videos (p = 0.014). A 29% of respondents mentioned the use of physical textbooks as a resource, while online platforms such as OSCE revision websites, YouTube and Google Images had become the mainstream platforms. The findings reported here suggest that there needs to be a greater emphasis on providing online image-based resources to support medical students in learning clinical signs. A resource containing these clinical signs would prove to be of benefit for students to access high-quality self-directed learning to identify and verify clinical signs.

Circular motion of a charged particle on the inner surface of a frictionless cone under the influence of an electric field due to an electric dipole

A common problem provided in elementary physics textbooks is the analysis of the circular motion of a point-like particle affected by a gravitational field on the frictionless inner surface of an inverted cone. In this research, we study the motion of a charged particle on the same surface subject to an electric field generated by an electric dipole placed at the bottom of the cone. We study negatively and positively charged particles and analyse the dynamics of both. We calculate the physical quantities such as speed, angular velocity, angular momentum, and mechanical energy. Furthermore, we determine all possible distances travelled by the particles measured from the dipole. We also discuss the stability of the circular orbit using the effective potential. Finally, we consider the particle’s motion on a generic surface formed by the revolution of the curve ρz around the vertical axis. We determine the differential equation of ρz , in which the kinematic variables including speed v, angular velocity ω, and angular momentum L are constant.

ANALYSIS OF THE QUALITY OF PHYSICS TEXTBOOKS IN THE 2013 CURRICULUM AND THE INDEPENDENT CURRICULUM

Similar things have also been done to support the implementation of the previous curriculum, namely the School Unit Level Curriculum and the 2023 Curriculum. This study aims to compare the quality of physics textbooks recognized by the Government in the 2013 Curriculum and the Independent Curriculum. The textbooks used as samples in this study are the 11th grade physics textbooks based on the 2013 Curriculum written by Sunardi, Paramitha Retno P., and Andreas B. Dermawan in 2016 published by Yrama Widya and the physics textbooks based on the Independent Curriculum written by Marianna Magdalena Radjawane, Alvius Tinambunan and, Suntar Jono in 2022 published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. This study uses a qualitative research approach, through literature studies. Data collection was carried out by tracing various library sources related to physics teaching materials for class XI semester I. Data processing was carried out using a comparative descriptive method which includes the method of presenting material, depth of material, novelty of content and evaluation instruments. From the results of the analysis, it was found that the physics textbook for class XI of the 2013 curriculum had better quality compared to the physics textbook for class XI of the Merdeka Curriculum both in terms of indicators of material presentation, depth of material, novelty of content and evaluation instruments.

When Nature of Science Meets Quantum Physics: Insights from NOS Representation in Chinese Physics Textbooks

When Nature of Science Meets Quantum Physics: Insights from NOS Representation in Chinese Physics Textbooks

Landau levels for charged particles with anisotropic mass

The problem of the two-dimensional motion of a charged particle with constant mass in the presence of a uniform constant perpendicular magnetic field features in several undergraduate and graduate quantum physics textbooks. This problem is very important to studies of two-dimensional materials that manifest quantum Hall behavior, as evidenced by several major discoveries over the last few years. Many real experimental samples are more complicated due to the anisotropic mass of the electrons. In this work, we provide the exact solution to this problem by means of a clever scaling of coordinates. Calculations are done for a symmetric gauge of the magnetic field. This study allows a broad audience of students and teachers to understand the mathematical techniques that lead to the solution of this quantum problem.

MEREFLEKSIKAN NILAI ISLAMI MELALUI PENGEMBANGAN METERI FISIKA DI ACEH

The aim of this research is to develop a Physics textbook at the upper secondary level that reflects the values of Islamic education. The development of this physics book is also enrichment material using the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation) approach model. In developing the learning materials, 5 physics teachers were involved for five high schools in Aceh Besar, where 10 students were taken per school for a total of 50 students. At the analysis stage, researchers use self-evaluation to ensure the feasibility of the analysis. Apart from that, prototype II was also developed in the form of several chapters involving one religious lecturer. Furthermore, these chapters were tested directly on all students to see the students' cognitive and behavioral mastery over the centuries and whether their attitudes reflected correct Islamic values and were in accordance with the religious demands of being a Muslim. The results of the research show that: (1) the development of Islamic-based physics material can build students' cognitive and affective domains which are characterized by good behavior and mutual respect, (2) Physics books with an Islamic character curriculum make students appear polite and confident, (3) Teachers as curriculum developers and implementers feel responsible for taking anticipatory steps so that physics books in schools can truly reflect Islamic values as a whole, both in terms of validity and practicality.

Analysis of the suitability level of physics lessons with flood material

Background: Padang City is one of the cities that is prone to natural disasters such as floods. The integration of physical materials with flood materials is suitable to be applied in this city. In fact, in the field, in the Physics subject package book provided by the government, there has been no integration with natural disaster materials, especially floods. To integrate flood material into Physics material, an analysis is needed first to see the suitability of Curriculum Objectives on Physics material with flood material. Methods: By using qualitative descriptive research, using the nonprobability sampling technique which is Purposive Sampling, the researchers took samples of Physics textbooks for senior high school (tenth, eleventh, twelfth grades) used by schools in the city of Padang that use the 2013 Curriculum. Findings: Based on observations of 15 high schools in the city of Padang, the 2016 revised edition of High School Physics published by Erlangga is the book studied. Based on the results of the study, the most suitable class to be inserted in this material is eleventh grade because it has the highest level of suitability. On the contrary, twelfth grade is the least suitable class to insert this material. Conclusion: To improve the relevance and effectiveness of physics learning in high school in Padang city, it is necessary to develop teaching materials that integrate flood materials, especially for eleventh grade, where the highest level of suitability is found. Novelty/Originality of this Study: This study addresses a crucial gap by incorporating natural disaster education, specifically focusing on flood-related content, into the high school physics curriculum in Padang City, an area highly susceptible to such disasters. It distinctively integrates fundamental physics principles with practical disaster mitigation knowledge, aiming to improve students' understanding and preparedness for real-world natural phenomena.

How to Promote the Ability of Physics Teaching Materials Development through Team-Based Project Learning? An Action Research Evidence

This action research study investigates the use of team-based project learning to enhance the pedagogical competence of pre-service physics teachers, specifically focusing on their capacity to develop physics teaching materials. The study employed a five-stage strategy, which included the following steps: first action, observation, reinforcement, second action, and assessment. These phases formed a cycle of action research in a pedagogical course within the undergraduate program of physics education, specifically focused on teaching material development. Observation, assignments, product assessment sheets, and interviews were utilized to obtain data. The obtained data consists of quantitative data, namely performance value data related to both the process and product, as well as qualitative data in the form of interview findings. The findings indicate that 96% of pre-service teachers who engaged in material development courses through project activities had highly satisfactory marks, namely within the A- and A categories. This study emphasizes the significance of fostering efficient pedagogical techniques among prospective educators and provides data from an action research investigation. Furthermore, this research also assists in the preparation of pre-service physics instructors who possess the necessary skills to create physics textbooks. Participating in collaborative project activities allows pre-service physics teachers to gain essential skills, knowledge, and practical experiences that will prepare them for their future positions in the classroom.

AUTOMATIC SOLVING OF PHYSICS WORD PROBLEMS

We present a system that solves simple physics word problems (PWPs) stated in the English language. The main feature of the system is that it is deterministic and yields a correct solution based on real physics formulas. The program generates the solution in a tabular form, showing givens, unknowns, and solution steps. We performed a thorough analysis on the previous work in this field. Most of the research was accumulated in math word problem (MWP) solvers. We have found that these programs are not capable of solving problems from Ukrainian physics textbooks. We identified several types of physics problems: theoretical, value conversion, value comparison, unknowns finding, value change. We developed separate problem-solving strategies for each type. The program uses named entity recognition (NER), a technique in natural language processing (NLP), to identify key elements in the problem text. We created a set of rules for marking these entities. Then, problem type recognition is performed. Depending on the type, the list of entities is converted into the internal problem representation. Value conversion and comparison problems are easy to handle. We developed a recursive algorithm for solving unknowns-finding problems which turned out to be a simplified version of Stanford Research Institute Problem Solver (STRIPS) algorithm. However, developing a universal algorithm for solving value-change problems presents a significant challenge. We believe this problem type belongs to the NP-hard class, indicating inherent difficulty in finding optimal solutions. The interface of the program is a web-application. The user can type the problem text and see the solution on a web page. Additionally, the result of NER is presented. Constructing a general problem solver is challenging. While our program can solve basic physics problems, complex problems involving forces, energy, etc., remain unsolved. However, our solver has great potential for future development. We have thoroughly analyzed its capabilities and limitations and proposed ideas for future research.

Molecular Weight-Dependent Physiochemical Behaviors of Calcium Carbonate Chains.

The regulation of physiochemical behaviors by changing molecular weights is an important cornerstone of polymer physics. However, similar correlations between molecular weights and properties have not been discovered in inorganic ionic compounds. In this work, we prepared a calcium carbonate specimen with a semiflexible chain topology analogous to those of polymers. The molecular weights of the calcium carbonate chains, which ranged from 3400 to 54 100 Da, were directly correlated to their physiochemical behaviors, including gel point, zero shear viscosity, and plateau modulus. The calcium carbonate chains showed similar polymeric characteristics, including shear thinning, thixotropy, entropic elasticity, and viscoelasticity. These features agreed with recent theories and formulas in polymer physics textbooks. On the basis of this understanding, the mechanical properties of calcium carbonate-based gels could be altered by changing their molecular weights. This study could represent a fusion of inorganic chemistry and polymer physics with similar molecular weight-dependent behaviors and material properties, establishing an alternative pathway for designing future inorganic materials.

Whose work matters? A tool for identifying and developing more inclusive physics textbooks

The lack of representational diversity and role models in physics, including in our textbooks and curricular materials, is an oft-cited contributing factor to the continuing dramatic under-representation of women and people of color in physics. In this work, we develop an automated, Python-based tool for identifying the names and demographics of scientists who are mentioned in indices and chapters of physics textbooks, enabling authors, publishers, and users of physics textbooks to rapidly analyze the demographics of these texts. We quantitatively validate the automated tool using standard machine learning metrics, attaining high accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 scores. The tool is then used to demonstrate two of the many potential applications: examining whose work is mentioned in the entire collection of textbooks used in a representative four-year undergraduate physics major curriculum as well as an analysis of the demographics of scientists mentioned in a selection of ten introductory physics textbooks. Both of the sample analyses result in a similar portrait, showing that the undergraduate physics textbooks examined in this work focus overwhelmingly on work attributed to White men of European, British, and North American descent. This work points to an urgent need for the physics education community, including textbook publishers, authors, and adopters, to work together to broaden our portrayals of physics to reflect the vast diversity of scientists, both historically and contemporaneously, who are working in this field.

Analysis of Physics Textbooks Used in Senior High School for Insertion of the Nature of Science

The study analyzed two grade X physics textbooks published by Erlangga and Yudhistira. The analyzed textbooks emphasized the insertion of four aspects of the nature of science (NOS), consisting of science as a body of knowledge, science as a way of investigating; science as a way of thinking; and science and its interaction with technology and society. The content analyzed is the subject matter in the odd semester. The raters consisted of one physics lecturer (rater 1) and two teachers (rater 2 and 3). The raters used the scoring rubric developed by the researchers based on indicators from the four aspects of NOS. The results stated that Erlangga’s Textbook inserted (a) the first 58.46% of the NOS aspects; (b) 26.28% second aspect of NOS; (c) 31.78% of the third aspect of NOS; and (c) 16.86% of the fourth aspect of NOS. Also, the results in Yudhistira’s book revealed that (a) the first 49.55% of the NOS aspects; (b) 13.88% second aspect of NOS; (c) 24.55% third aspect of NOS; and (d) 12.01% of the fourth aspect of NOS. The percentage of inter-rater agreements ranged from 70-88%. The percent agreement strengthens with the interval of kappa value from 0.60 to 0.88. The results indicated that the two books devoted half of the learning material that reflected science as a body of knowledge but neglected science as a way of investigating, and science and its interaction with technology and society.
 Keywords: physics textbooks, insertion, nature of science

Evaluation of Critical Thinking Elements: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Physics Textbook Grade IX

Critical thinking skills are essential in the 21st century in all academic and overall life. This skill is among the 4Cs of the twenty-first century that enable learners to analyze information, argumentation evaluation, decision making, and problem-solving. The purpose of the current study is to analyze the 9th-grade physics textbook about the development of critical thinking skills among students. A purpose sampling technique was utilized to select the physics textbook. Nvivo 12 software was used as a facilitator to get the analysis of the document after importing it in PDF format through the qualitative content analysis method. Passages and activities regarding critical thinking skills development were identified. As per the analysis of the document, five aspects were extracted regarding the development of critical thinking skills, encouragement of inquiry-based tasks, promotion of application and problem-solving, development of analysis and evaluation, creative thinking, and connection of concepts towards real-life situations. There are different examples from the textbook that promote open-ended questions, practical problems, analysis, and creative exercises to challenge students to think critically with the application of their knowledge. Through engagement in inquiry-based activities, data analysis, problem-solving, evaluation, and creativity, the learners of the twenty-first century can develop the capability of critical thinking with innovation and logic.

Comparative study of problem solving skill development features in Japanese and Indonesian high school physics textbooks

Despite both Japan and Indonesia incorporating critical thinking skill development into their educational curricula, Japanese students exhibit higher problem-solving abilities. To investigate the role of physics textbooks in nurturing problem-solving skills, a comparative and content analysis method was employed, focusing on two textbooks: The Basic Physics High School Textbook for Science by Sukenshuppan (JP-SKN) and Fisika 1 untuk Jurusan IPA by Tiga Serangkai (ID-TS). Foshay's teaching principles for problem-solving skills served as the analytical framework, consisting of 12 key points to identify problem-solving teaching features within the textbooks. Explicitly stated sub-chapters and consistently recurring implicit elements within each chapter were recognized as book features. The analysis revealed that JP-SKN encompasses a greater variety of problem-solving skill development features compared to ID-TS. While the quality of these features may differ, JP-SKN contains 16 book features aligned with problem-solving teaching principles, surpassing the 12 found in ID-TS. JP-SKN employs diverse approaches to foster problem-solving skills, including case studies, graphs, tables, illustrations, and interactive digital content. Its "Thinking Learning" feature (思考学習) encapsulates numerous problem-solving principles, providing instructions, structured problems, and encouraging the formulation of mental models for problem resolution. Conversely, ID-TS incorporates additional elements beyond problem-solving, such as promoting teamwork, scientific attitude, and offering numerous practice questions. These findings offer valuable insights and references for the development of learning resources that aim to promote critical thinking skills within Indonesia's new curriculum. Furthermore, they serve as a starting point for future research to explore how both countries interpret their respective curriculum mandates when designing representative textbooks, particularly concerning high school Physics subjects.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Physics Teaching Books Newton’s Gravity Force

The purpose of this research is to test the validity and feasibility of physics textbooks that have been developed based on Problem Based Learning (PBL) on Newton's gravitational force material. This research uses development research methods. The validation sheet is used as a research instrument. The validation sheet was validated by two experts and declared valid according to predetermined criteria. Textbook validation data was collected from two experts, one textbook media expert and one physics material expert. There are two aspect criteria that are tested for validity, the form of dialogical and interactive presentation of language and the contextual nature of textbooks. The purpose of this research approach is to describe the effectiveness, validity and feasibility of using physics textbooks. The research results obtained are the percentage of aspects of dialogic and interactive language validation as well as aspects of contextual nature that have been tested by material experts obtained an average percentage of 87.5%, which means that the physics textbooks that have been developed are included in the feasible criteria. The results of the research tested by media experts on aspects of dialogic and interactive language as well as on aspects of contextual nature both obtained an average percentage of 100%. This means that a physics textbook based on Problem Based Learning (PBL) on Newton's gravitational force is very feasible to be tested based on validity testing by one material expert and one media expert.