Topics In Physics Research Articles

Analyzing Instructional Strategies in Science Education: A Dual Approach Combining Systematic Review and Secondary Qualitative Data Analysis

This study employed a dual research approach, incorporating both systematic review and secondary qualitative data analysis, to investigate instructional strategies and their rationales utilized by pre-service and in-service science teachers (PaIST) in physics topics. We chose widely recognized and readily accessible sources with extensive study coverage, including Web of Science, SCOPUS, Taylor & Francis Online, and ProQuest. Only four studies that conformed to our inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified for examination. The analysis unfolded in two phases: first, the identification of instructional strategies employed by PaIST, and second, the exploration of the underlying rationales guiding their choices. Our findings revealed a diverse array of instructional strategies, encompassing direct instruction, thought experiments, demonstrations, hands-on activities, think-pair-share, peer teaching, laboratory exercises, discussion/questioning techniques, drama, and real-life narratives. The rationales underpinning these strategies were multifaceted, aiming to enhance student motivation, stimulate cognitive development, facilitate collaborative group work, and foster meaningful learning experiences. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of various external strategies such as STEM education, out-of-school learning, and project-based teaching on students, pre-service and in-service science teachers appear hesitant to adopt these methods. Further research is needed to explore the barriers and factors influencing their instructional choices.

The ‘Universe in a Box’: a hands-on activity to introduce primary school students to cosmology

Abstract Physics Education Research shows that active learning and interdisciplinary strategies can enhance students’ engagement in physics. In primary school, the implementation of active learning pedagogies such as Inquiry-Based Science Education aims to encourage students’ autonomy and participation in their learning process. Indeed, active learning promotes pupils’ creativity, helping them develop the skills that increasingly determine their future employability and personal development, introducing them to STEM. In this regard, stories and storytelling can help improve teaching and students’ physics learning. Telling the Universe and its history can afford this job. The Big Bang, the Cosmic Microwave Background, and the formation of stars and planets are valuable tools for introducing primary school students to physics and the scientific method while fostering their curiosity about science. Moreover, it helps the instructors monitor the development of peculiar misconceptions on these topics, preventing them from fully understanding physics phenomena. In this paper, we present an innovative short-term program (one session of three hours) called ‘The Universe in a Box’ to introduce primary school students (grades 4–5, ages 9–10) to cosmology. We illustrate our design and the educational purposes of the program and present the outcomes from its implementation in five different laboratories in Sardinia, Italy, from 2022 to 2024 (60 students involved). This work can furnish a theoretical and methodological guide for primary school teachers and instructors on integrating formal curricula with contemporary physics topics using interdisciplinary approaches, engaging their students in STEAM (STEM plus Arts).

A Systematic Literature Review: Development of Physics Learning Research with Project-Based Learning Model in Indonesia

Project based learning (PjBL) plays a crucial role in helping students develop 21st-century skills. This study aims to assess the development of PjBL implementation in physics education in Indonesia through a systematic literature review. By analyzing articles published between 2017 and 2023, this research employs identification, screening, and in-depth analysis techniques to evaluate the content. Inclusion and quality assessments of the articles are conducted meticulously to ensure accuracy and avoid bias. A total of 24 relevant articles were identified, with most studies being experimental and involving high school students with sample sizes ranging from 22 to 48 students. The most common research instrument was tests, focusing on fluid topics, and the frequently measured variable was students' creative thinking skills. PjBL is often integrated with the STEM approach. Recommendations from this review include the development of PjBL on a wider range of physics topics and more comprehensive measurement of students' skills. Teachers are also advised to manage time allocation effectively when implementing PjBL. The limitation of this study is its exclusive focus on PjBL in Indonesia. Further research is recommended to explore the application of PjBL in enhancing critical thinking, problem-solving, and student literacy in less commonly tested physics topics such as Newton's Laws, Temperature and Heat, Electromagnetism, Light, and Waves

Correlated tunneling in high-order above threshold dissociative ionization of H2

Comprehension of photon-triggered molecular processes is essential in the study of various important topics in physics, chemistry, and biology. Here we propose a correlated tunneling picture to understand the dissociative ionization process of molecules in intense laser fields based on a quantum model developed in the framework of many-body S-matrix theory including nuclear vibrational motion. In this quantum correlation picture, the single ionization of H2 and the subsequent electron-ion recollision-induced dissociation are considered as an entangled correlated process. It enables us to attribute the interference pattern in the joint-energy spectra to combined effects of single-slit diffraction and multi-slit interference of correlated electron-nuclear wave packets in the time domain. Our work opens a new avenue to understanding molecular dissociative ionization processes in external fields.

Empowering Students' Creative At The Utilization of Moodle-H5P with Flipped Classroom in Global Warming Learning to Enhance Students' Creative Attitudes

Fostering creative attitudes is essential in global warming learning, as it helps students think creatively and critically about complex environmental issues. This study aims to examine the impact of Moodle-based interactive media with H5P in flipped classroom settings on improving students' understanding of global warming in physics. The creative attitude indicators measured in this study include curiosity, imagination, collaboration, perseverance, risk-taking, openness to new experiences, independence and self-confidence in one's ideas, persistence, imagination and appreciation of fantasy, discipline and commitment to tasks, and collaboration and group trust. The research uses a pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest approach. Data were collected through tests, and analysis was conducted using ANOVA and N-Gain analysis. The findings reveal a significant improvement in students' creative attitude test scores after using Moodle H5P-based learning media, as shown by the ANOVA results. Additionally, the N-Gain analysis indicates that the improvement in students' creative attitudes falls into the moderate category. The use of Moodle H5P-based interactive media in a flipped classroom setting has a significant impact on enhancing students' creative attitudes, especially in understanding global warming. The use of Moodle H5P-based interactive media in a flipped classroom setting has a significant impact on enhancing students' creative attitudes towards understanding physics topics, particularly global warming.

Recent highlights from the BELLE and BELLE II experiments

The BELLE experiment at the KEKB collider in Tsukuba operated as a B-factory until 2018, making significant contributions to flavor physics. Building on this legacy, the BELLE II experiment, an upgraded version, now operates at the SuperKEKB energy-asymmetric e+e− collider. BELLE II has collected 424fb−1 of data, including 365fb−1 at the ϒ(4S) resonance. A wide range of physics topics can be studies with this data. In this proceeding, we review our latest results, which include tests of lepton flavor universality, Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa physics, searches for rare B-meson decays, and spectroscopy studies. We also discuss contributions to the gμ−2 prediction.

Student conceptual resources for understanding electric circuits

Physics Education Research has a rich history of identifying common student ideas about specific physics topics. In the context of electric circuits, existing research on students’ ideas has primarily focused on misconceptions, misunderstandings, and difficulties. In this paper, we take a resource-oriented approach to identifying common student ideas about circuits by characterizing ideas we see as generative “seeds of science” that could form the basis of more sophisticated understandings. Based on our analysis of 1557 university physics student responses to five conceptual questions, we identify four common resources for understanding circuits. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Exploring Students’ Openness Traits for Achieving Meaningful Learning in Modern Physics Concepts

Abstract This study aims to explore the openness traits possessed by students in realizing meaningful learning in modern physics learning. This study analyses how the openness traits possessed by learners contribute to mastery of modern physics concepts and relate them to classical physics concepts. Through quasi-experimental research methods, this study will analyze the correlation of openness traits possessed by students to the achievement of meaningful learning in modern physics concepts. This study found several findings in the form of a significant correlation between the openness traits possessed by students and the achievement of meaningful learning in the concepts of modern physical physics. Learners with higher openness tend to demonstrate a deeper understanding of complex concepts, engage more actively in critical thinking and problem-solving, and express tremendous enthusiasm for exploring advanced topics in modern physics. These students also often show a high willingness to collaborate and explore further related modern physics concepts to the relationship between classical and quantum physics. Based on the results of this research, it can be concluded that fostering and cultivating openness traits among learners has a high impact on achieving learning, especially in modern physics concepts that demand a high level of conceptual understanding and analytical skills. Educators and institutions can leverage these findings to design more inclusive and engaging learning environments that encourage and support the development of openness traits among learners, ultimately improving their overall academic success and proficiency in modern physics concepts.

Offline data processing system of the BESIII experiment

The BESIII experiment has been operating since 2009 and has received several upgrades, to study the τ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ au $$\\end{document}-charm physics utilizing the BEPCII accelerator. The BEPCII is a double-ring multi-bunch collider with a luminosity of 1×1033cm-2s-1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$1 \ imes 10^{33} \\, {\ ext {cm}}^{-2} \\, {\ ext {s}}^{-1}$$\\end{document} optimized at a center-of-mass (cms) energy of 2×1.89\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$2 \ imes 1.89$$\\end{document} GeV. The rich physics topics, long lifetime and the large volume of data present challenges to offline data processing. This paper describes the design and implementation of the offline software system to meet the requirements and challenges of BESIII, including offline software architecture, geometry management, database management, event data model and tag-based analysis.

Developing and implementing an Einsteinian science curriculum from years 3–10: A. Concepts, rationale and learning outcomes

Abstract There has been a growing realisation that school science curricula do not adequately reflect the revolutionary changes in our scientific understanding of the 20th century. This discrepancy between current school education and our modern scientific understanding has led to calls for the modernisation of the science curriculum. Although there have been attempts to introduce topics of Einsteinian physics (i.e. quantum physics and relativity) to school education, often at the secondary level, we still lack a seamless curriculum in which modern science concepts are gradually introduced in primary and middle schools. Guided by the Model of Educational Reconstruction and following a mixed-methods research design, the Einstein-First project aims to address this gap. Einstein-First has developed and implemented an Einsteinian curriculum from Years 3–10 (students aged 7–16) that resolves the disconnect between science in schools and modern scientific understanding. This paper presents the concepts and rationale for the Einstein-First learning approach, as well as a summary of learning outcomes in six Australian schools with 315 students across Years 3–10. Our generally positive findings lay the foundation for informed curriculum development and school education that provides all students with awareness and appreciation of the fundamental concepts that underpin the technologies of the modern world.

Elasticity in Daily Life: A Potential Topics in Learning Physics

As a branch of natural science, physics explores the fundamental properties of matter and energy and their interactions. This study specifically examines the concept of elasticity—the ability of an object to return to its original shape after removing an external force—and equilibrium, which are crucial in understanding various physical phenomena. The research aims to highlight the practical applications of elasticity and equilibrium principles in daily life across multiple fields. Additionally, it seeks to underscore the importance of physics education in preventing misconceptions about these fundamental concepts. The findings suggest that effectively applying elasticity and equilibrium principles can enhance problem-solving in everyday scenarios. However, there is a critical need to improve physics education, particularly in literature and practical simulations, to mitigate common misconceptions and enhance understanding.

Construction of a Science Teacher's Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge in the Gifted Class

This study examines a science teacher's pedagogical content knowledge during instruction on the topics work and energy, simple machines, and friction force in a gifted class. The research adopts a single case study approach, employing qualitative methods. The participant is a middle school science teacher, and data collection tools include interviews, observations, card-sorting activities, and lesson plans. The main findings of the study are: (1) gifted students required additional science practice beyond the scope of the traditional curriculum, (2) the participating teacher encountered challenges when designing and implementing enrichment activities, (3) the characteristics of gifted students positively influenced the development of the teacher's pedagogical content knowledge, and (4) the presence of gifted students prompted a shift in the teacher's science teaching orientation from traditional methods to reform-based practices. Teachers need to have additional knowledge bases or Pedagogical Content Knowledge components. Notably, the research underscores the relevance of the knowledge of enrichment curriculum and knowledge of characteristics of gifted students in the training of science teachers, along with the crucial role of STO in the education of gifted students, especially in the context of teaching physics. These findings offer significant implications for the curriculum designed for gifted students, particularly concerning the teaching and learning of physics topics.

Optimize the event selection strategy to study the anomalous quartic gauge couplings at muon colliders using the support vector machine and quantum support vector machine

The search of the new physics (NP) beyond the Standard Model is one of the most important topics in current high energy physics. With the increasing luminosities at the colliders, the search for NP signals requires the analysis of more and more data, and the efficiency in data processing becomes particularly important. As a machine learning algorithm, support vector machine (SVM) is expected to to be useful in the search of NP. Meanwhile, the quantum computing has the potential to offer huge advantages when dealing with large amounts of data, which suggests that quantum SVM (QSVM) is a potential tool in future phenomenological studies of the NP. How to use SVM and QSVM to optimize event selection strategies to search for NP signals are studied in this paper. Taking the tri-photon process at a muon collider as an example, it can be shown that the event selection strategies optimized by the SVM and QSVM are effective in the search of the dimension-8 operators contributing to the anomalous quartic gauge couplings.

Comparing physical therapist clinical specialists to experienced nonspecialists on physical activity education for patients with heart failure: A modified retrospective cohort study.

The purpose of this study was to compare the knowledge and practices of specialist and experienced nonspecialist physical therapists in performing patient education about physical activity with patients with heart failure (HF). Responses on a nationwide anonymous online survey were used to compare specialist and experienced nonspecialist physical therapists on knowledge and frequency of providing physical activity related education to patients hospitalized with acutely decompensated HF. Responses to survey items were scored on 5-point scales ranging from "Strongly agree" to "Strongly disagree" or "Always" to "Never."Mann-Whitney U statistics were used to compare specialist and experienced nonspecialist responses and Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests were used to examine the gap between knowledge and practice. Twenty-seven specialists and 43experienced nonspecialists completed the survey. Both groups were similar in age, and experience treating patients hospitalized with acutely decompensated HF. Both groups "strongly agree" that they had the required knowledge and skills to educate patients with HF on the physical activity topics. However, specialists more often than experienced nonspecialists provided education on topics such as how to monitor vital signs during physical activity ("most of the time" vs. "about half of the time") that promoted patient confidence and safety during exercise. Specialists demonstrated a smaller gap between knowledge and frequency of providing patient education than experienced nonspecialists on three of the four patient education topics. Specialist physical therapists treating patients with HF in the inpatient hospital setting provided patient education on physical activity at a level more closely matching their skills and the clinical practice guideline than did experienced nonspecialists. Physical therapy clinical specialists practicing in the inpatient hospital setting may improve patient outcomes and lower costs to the health care system by improving physical activity adherence and thereby may reduce avoidable hospital readmissions.

A simulation of diffraction patterns using a lock-in detection code

We show that diffraction patterns can be directly simulated by a computer program implementing a lock-in algorithm. The two distinct physical topics, namely, single-slit diffraction and lock-in detection, are juxtaposed to highlight the common underlying physical principle in the context of the power spectrum of source signals arising from Fourier analysis.

The Influence of Different Solar System Planetary Ephemerides on Pulsar Timing

Pulsar timing offers a comprehensive avenue for exploring diverse topics in physics and astrophysics. High-precision solar system planetary ephemeris is crucial for pulsar timing as it provides the positions and velocities of solar system planets including the Earth. However, it is inevitable that inherent inconsistencies exist in these ephemerides. Differences between various ephemerides can significantly impact pulsar timing and parameter estimations. Currently, pulsar timing highly depends on the JPL DE ephemeris, for instance, the Pulsar Timing Array data analysis predominantly utilizes DE436. In this study, we examine inconsistencies across various ephemeris series, including JPL DE, EPM, and INPOP. Notably, discrepancies emerge particularly between the current ephemeris DE436 and the earliest released ephemeris DE200, as well as the most recent ephemerides, e.g., DE440, INPOP21A, and EPM2021. Further detailed analysis of the effects of ephemeris on geometric correction procedures for the conversion of measured topocentric times of arrival is presented in this study. Our researches reveal that variations in the Roemer delays across different ephemerides lead to distinct differences. The timing residuals and the fact that these discrepancies can be readily incorporated into the subsequent pulsar parameters, leading to inconsistent fitting estimates, suggest that the influence of errors in the ephemeris on the timing process might currently be underappreciated.

Exclusive charmonium production at the electron-ion collider in China

We investigate the exclusive J/ψ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$J/\\psi $$\\end{document} production at the future Electron-ion collider in China by utilizing the eSTARlight event generator. We model the cross-section and kinematics by fitting to the world data of J/ψ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$J/\\psi $$\\end{document} photoproduction. Projected statistical uncertainties on J/ψ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$J/\\psi $$\\end{document} production are based on the design of a central detector, which consists of a tracker and vertex subsystem. The precision of the pseudo-data allows us to probe the near-threshold mechanism, e.g. the re-scattering effect. The significance of the forward amplitudes is discussed as well. The design and optimization of the detector enhance the potential for exploring the near-threshold region and the realm of high four-momentum transfer squared, which is of particular interest on several physics topics.

Realizing laser-driven deuteron acceleration with low energy spread via in situ D2O-deposited target

Generation of quasi-monoenergetic ion pulse by laser-driven acceleration is one of the hot topics in laser plasma physics. In this study, we present a new method for the in situ deposition of an ultra-thin D2O layer on the surface of an aluminum foil target utilizing a spherical D2O capsule. Employing a 1019 W/cm2 laser, we achieve the acceleration of 10.8 MeV deuterons with an energy spread of ΔE/E = 4.6% in the most favorable shot. The energy spread depends on the exposure time of the D2O capsule in the vacuum chamber. This method has the potential to extend its applicability to other ion species.

Enhancement of YBCO superconductivity by chemical surface treatment

Even though high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates has been studied for almost 40 years, it remains one of the most puzzling topics in modern physics. It is well known that most of its electrical properties strongly depend on doping and superconducting current is conducted through the CuO2 layers. From a scientific and technological perspective, YBa2Cu3O7−x (YBCO) poses significant challenges due to its low chemical stability, leading to potential alterations in its properties when exposed to various gasses, solvents, and solutions. In our study, we investigated the effects of various solvents on the metal-to-superconductor transition (MST) of YBCO. Additionally, we explored the potential to enhance the MST through exposure to solvents, along with proposing mechanisms to explain this enhancement.

Examining Students' Explanations of Some Physics Topics with Diagrams and Association of Them with Daily Life

Examining Students' Explanations of Some Physics Topics with Diagrams and Association of Them with Daily Life