Table of contents

Music: Here comes science that rocks Student trip: Two views of the future of CERN Classroom: Researchers can motivate pupils Appointment: AstraZeneca trust appoints new director Multimedia: Physics Education comes to YouTube Competition: Students compete in European Union Science Olympiad 2010 Physics roadshow: Pupils see wonders of physics

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The flow of electricity from one body to another has been known by man since we first learned how to gather an electric charge. In contrast to conventional wisdom, the process in the general case is not easy to explain. It is different in plasma in the Sun or in your colour TV display, in semiconductors inside your computer or TV set circuits, or in metals such as aluminium or copper connecting your TV to the mains and to the world outside. The electricity flow will also be different in electrolytes, for example, those filling your body (and brain), should you carelessly try to follow the same connections. Sometimes it depends on the amount of charge to be displaced, the shapes of bodies or even on the condition of the body surface. To understand all this, considerable knowledge of the structure and properties of matter is necessary.

This article examines secondary students' design of experiments after engagement in an innovative and inquiry-oriented module on heat transfer. The module consists of an integration of hands-on experiments, simulated experiments and microscopic model simulations, includes a structured series of guided investigative tasks and was implemented for a sample of 24 lower secondary (compulsory education) school students in Greece. A post-instructional assessment comprising written tests and interviews of the sample of students was employed. The findings revealed that after implementation of the module, a respectable number of the students showed ability in experiment design skills such as forming hypotheses and successfully describing experimental procedure.

Many students meet dipole–dipole potential energy quite early on when they are taught electrostatics or magnetostatics and it is also a very popular formula, featured in encyclopedias. We show that by a simple rewriting of the formula it becomes apparent that, for example, by reorienting the two dipoles, their attraction can become exactly twice as large. The physical facts are naturally known, but the transformation presented seems to underline the geometrical features in a rather unexpected way. The consequence of the features discussed is the so-called magic angle which appears in many applications. The present discussion contributes to an easier introduction of this feature. We also discuss the possibility of designing educational toys and try to suggest why this formula has not been written down frequently before this work. A similar transformation is also possible for the field of a single dipole. In this case we found one such formula on the Web, but we could not find any published detailed discussion for this case either.

Based on a photograph, the density of a watermelon floating in a pail of water is estimated with different levels of simplification—with and without consideration of refraction and three-dimensional effects. The watermelon was approximated as a sphere. The results of the theoretical estimations were verified experimentally.

How do siphons work? Some see atmospheric pressure, explicitly or implicitly, as a crucial factor in siphon action. Others explain that a siphon works due to a difference of water weights in unequal arms. According to the latter view, siphon action is analogous to the action of a pulley or to the behaviour of a chain that is moving over a tube. In this article, we show that a siphon made from non-uniform tubing disproves the validity of the pulley analogy. Our pedagogical experiments were inspired by the critique that Hero formulated many years ago.

Amusement park physics is a popular way to reinforce physics concepts and to motivate physics learners. This article describes a novel physics competition where students use simple tools to take amusement park ride measurements and use the data to answer challenging exam questions. Research into the impact of participating in the competition reveals positive effects such as the acquisition of experimentation skills and improved attitudes towards physics.

Introductory physics laboratories have seen an influx of conceptual integrated science over time in their classrooms with elements of other sciences such as chemistry, biology, Earth science, and astronomy. We describe a laboratory to introduce this development, as it attracts attention to the voltage induced in the human brain as it is initiated by the change in the magnetic flux due to the Earth's magnetic field and movement. This simple and enjoyable experiment will demonstrate how basic concepts in physics and geology can help us think about possible health effects due to the induced voltage.

The computer game of quantum minesweeper is introduced as a quantum extension of the well-known classical minesweeper. Its main objective is to teach the unique concepts of quantum mechanics in a fun way. Quantum minesweeper demonstrates the effects of superposition, entanglement and their non-local characteristics. While in the classical minesweeper the goal of the game is to discover all the mines laid out on a board without triggering them, in the quantum version there are several classical boards in superposition. The goal is to know the exact quantum state, i.e. the precise layout of all the mines in all the superposed classical boards. The player can perform three types of measurement: a classical measurement that probabilistically collapses the superposition; a quantum interaction-free measurement that can detect a mine without triggering it; and an entanglement measurement that provides non-local information. The application of the concepts taught by quantum minesweeper to one-way quantum computing are also presented.

We propose a simple, direct estimate of the Sun's diameter based on penumbra observation and measurement in a two-level approach, the first for middle-school pupils and making use of simple geometrical arguments, the second more appropriate to high-school students and based on a slightly more sophisticated approach.

Millikan's oil-drop experiment is one of the classic experiments from the history of physics. Due to its content (the determination of the elementary charge) it is also among those experiments that are frequently used and discussed in teaching situations. Disappointingly, a review of the educational literature on this experiment reveals that its implementation in teaching situations is not especially successful. Using a collaborative approach, we have attempted to develop an understanding of the difficulties that students encounter with this experiment. In our approach, apart from evaluating students' lab reports, we used questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Additionally, we have used the historical development of the oil-drop experiment as a resource for restructuring the educational use of the experiment, and we have attempted to develop a more thorough understanding of the experiment through an analysis of the data generated in the experiment and its mathematical treatment. As a result, we suggest a different use of the apparatus that appears to result in less frustration of the students as well as a better understanding of the experiment and its difficulties by the students.

We investigate the electromagnetic induction phenomenon for a falling, oscillating and swinging magnet and a coil, with the help of a datalogger. For each situation, we discuss the salient aspects of the phenomenon, with the aid of diagrams, and relate the motion of the magnet to its mathematical and graphical representations. Using various representation modes to guide student thinking on how the variation of the magnetic flux can be used to predict the induced electromotive force should help students develop a deeper and more coherent conceptual understanding of the phenomenon.

The topic of coupled oscillations is rich in physical content which is both interesting and complex. The study of the time evolution of coupled oscillator systems involves a mathematical formalization beyond the level of the upper secondary school student's competence. Here, we present an original approach, suitable even for secondary students, to investigate a coupled pendulum system through a series of carefully designed hands-on and minds-on modelling activities. We give a detailed description of these activities and of the strategy developed to promote both the understanding of this complex system and a sound epistemological framework. Students are actively engaged (1) in system exploration; (2) in simple model building and its implementation with an Excel spreadsheet; and (3) in comparing the measurements of the system behaviour with predictions from the model.

Tops are mentioned in classical literature and references are even found in the ancient world. For many children a top is one of the first mechanical toys that they play with by themselves, yet a full appreciation of their motion is rare. My hope is that this article will stimulate the reader's interest in tops, will help with the first stages of understanding, and will provide inspiration for looking into the subject further. As a result of this, teachers will be happy and have the confidence to discuss these wonderful toys with their pupils.

The article discusses tops and spinning objects of various types, and relates them to some of the physical principles that they demonstrate.

INTERVIEW Science explores new worldsDavid Southwood is director of science at the European Space Agency and has worked on many space missions. He speaks to David Smith about his work in this role.

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