Physics Education

The inverse-square law model for detection of radiation from an isotropic source deviates significantly from measurements when the distance to the source is comparable to the size of the detector, and when the detector distance is not known accurately. An improved description requires a knowledge of the solid angle of the detector as viewed from the source, and the allowance for a distance measurement offset. Corrected detection rate vs distance models are presented for the cases of circular and rectangular detectors, when the source lies along the central axis of the detector. The models, including a distance offset, are in good agreement with the measured detection rates of a gamma radiation source using a CosmicWatch detector, in common use in educational settings.

This article presents a simple and straightforward approach for determining Planck's constant by examining the radiation emitted from a Ferry-like black body configured as a hemisphere. The Ferry black body was maintained at a constant temperature of ∼98.5 °C through the continuous flow of steam within a double-walled structure. The radiation emitted from the inner blackened surface and through a small aperture at the bottom was captured by a sensitive T-type double-junction thermocouple. One junction of the thermocouple was connected to a silver disc to capture the maximum radiations emitted from the aperture, while the other junction was maintained at room temperature in silicon oil. The variation in thermo-electromotive force (E.M.F.) across the double junction was recorded as a thermal sensing signal when the junction attached to the silver disc was exposed to the black body radiation. For calibration of the double junction, the second junction was heated in silicon oil while the silver disc junction was maintained at room temperature, and the thermo-E.M.F. was recorded as a function of temperature, which was measured using a mercury thermometer. The Planck's constant obtained through this method was approximately $6.9 \times {10^{ - 34{\text{ }}}}$ Js, which closely aligns with the standard value of ∼$6.626 \times {10^{ - 34{\text{ }}}}$Js. The close correspondence between the measured and standard values of Planck's constant confirms the effectiveness of this method.

This study develops and implements a six-stage didactic sequence in modern and contemporary physics (MCP), focusing on photoluminescence, and evaluates its impact on student learning. The sequence follows the Three Pedagogical Moments framework and integrates practical experiments with theoretical discussions. The survey was conducted with 33 Brazilian high school students, and knowledge acquisition was assessed through diagnostic (pre-test) and summative (post-test) inquiries. The average correct answer rate increased from 31% to 89%, corresponding to a normalized gain of 0.85. These results indicate that the sequence enhances the comprehension of MCP concepts. Future work should refine and adapt this methodology for scalable application in diverse educational settings to support scientific literacy and STEM education.

Photographs captured by Apollo astronauts contain a lot of astronomical data that can be effectively extracted and mathematically analyzed when the images are integrated into a precise photogrammetric model. In this paper, we demonstrate that such a model can be used to present a wide range of tasks, effectively explaining numerous concepts in astronomy and mathematics to students at both the high school and university levels. Formulating and solving these tasks can enhance students' comprehension of fundamental astronomical concepts such as lunar orbital motion and libration, selenographic coordinates, and more importantly, foster the development of essential mathematical skills such as vector calculus, comprehension of spherical coordinates, photographic projections, and more.

It is known that blind and visually impaired (VI) students avoid choosing the Sciences and Technologies track in Secondary Education due to the inclusion challenges they faced in Basic Education, particularly the lack of adapted materials. To overcome this situation, investment in the development of tailored science materials is essential. This paper presents a study on the use of inclusive educational resources for sighted, blind, and VI students in a Portuguese middle school. The school integrates students with multiple disabilities alongside sighted students. The research focused on evaluating how 8th-grade students perceive the contents of sound waves using three inclusive educational resources. These resources were based on multisensory didactics—a tactile model, a slinky spring model, and a Swell paper model—and developed with inputs from VI students, blind students and teachers. These resources were tested with sighted students to assess their effectiveness in an inclusive setting. A questionnaire was administered to sighted students to analyse their perceptions of the inclusion of these materials in the classroom. The results revealed a high level of satisfaction, demonstrating that the multisensory approach enhanced students' understanding of their own learning. Based on the findings, the study suggests expanding the research to include more blind and VI students and additional Physics resources.

It is known that blind and visually impaired (VI) students avoid choosing the Sciences and Technologies track in Secondary Education due to the inclusion challenges they faced in Basic Education, particularly the lack of adapted materials. To overcome this situation, investment in the development of tailored science materials is essential. This paper presents a study on the use of inclusive educational resources for sighted, blind, and VI students in a Portuguese middle school. The school integrates students with multiple disabilities alongside sighted students. The research focused on evaluating how 8th-grade students perceive the contents of sound waves using three inclusive educational resources. These resources were based on multisensory didactics—a tactile model, a slinky spring model, and a Swell paper model—and developed with inputs from VI students, blind students and teachers. These resources were tested with sighted students to assess their effectiveness in an inclusive setting. A questionnaire was administered to sighted students to analyse their perceptions of the inclusion of these materials in the classroom. The results revealed a high level of satisfaction, demonstrating that the multisensory approach enhanced students' understanding of their own learning. Based on the findings, the study suggests expanding the research to include more blind and VI students and additional Physics resources.

We present an educational activity concerning the experimental investigation of the randomness of the coherer effect observed in granular conducting materials. For this purpose, we built different coherers that allowed us to easily measure their electric resistance. The dispersion of the experimental data have been characterized by calculating the mean, standard deviation, and relative standard deviation of the measured values. The histograms have been compared with the corresponding Gaussian distribution function. The proposed experimental activity can be easily carried out in classroom, at secondary and high school physics laboratory. It gives the opportunity to teach/learn concepts concerning topics of electromagnetic wave transmission and detection at an elementary level and also to contribute to increase student's engagements in physics.

We have developed an activity using simulation hardware called the Quantum Teleportation & Superdense Coding toolkit. The toolkit contains classical electronic components, such as circuit boards and cables, that mimic the behaviour of quantum gates. The activity was designed to be accessible to upper-secondary school students who are not familiar with the mathematical formalism often used for teaching quantum mechanics. Groups of upper-secondary school students that have visited our university during outreach initiatives have participated in the activities, and we report on our experiences of introducing the toolkit for this group of students.

Remarkable advances in quantum information science and technology (QIST) have taken place in recent years. However, they have also been accompanied by widespread misinformation. This paper provides suggestions for how educators can help students at all levels and especially early learners including those at the pre-college and college levels learn key QIST concepts so that they are less likely to be misinformed, e.g. by online unvetted resources. We discuss findings from interviews with five college educators, who are quantum researchers, about their views on countering misinformation in QIST and provide suggestions for how educators can help their students learn QIST concepts so that they do not become misinformed.

If two spherical magnets approach each other on a horizontal surface they will be attracted and either collide head-on or end up spinning around each other. In the latter case, the initial linear momentum is converted to angular momentum.

There are currently more than 9000 active satellites orbiting the Earth (2024 ESA Space Environment Report www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Space_Debris/ESA_Space_Environment_Report_2024). Most of them are used for communications: radio, telephony, televisión and internet. Some of them help ships steer a safer course at sea. Others give us warnings about hurricanes and storms, and do the same for forest fires and icebergs. Some more have military applications. Many observation satellites take photographs of the Earth and then send them to a ground station for processing and dissemination. To take photographs it is first necessary to stabilize the satellite, avoiding oscillations or spins. The aim of this article is to show how to stabilize a satellite using the principle of conservation of angular momentum. Only basic knowledge of classical mechanics is necessary to understand how to achieve it. The applied method is especially relevant for the stabilization of small satellites, which are often used by colleges, universities and even some high schools for many different purposes. Pursuing this goal, we will use the motor with a coupled wheel from an old DVD drive, an angular rate sensor and a microcontroller. The experimental results are shown at the end of the article. Additionally there is a video that shows how stabilization takes place.

In order to extend the available sensors of smartphone experiments with cheap microcontroller-based external sensors, the smartphone experimentation app 'phyphox' has been extended with a generic Bluetooth Low Energy interface. Since its application requires an in-depth understanding of the underlying technologies, the direct use of that interface for educational purposes is limited. To avoid this difficulty, the functionality was encapsulated into an Arduino and MicroPython library. With these, also educators and learners with only rudimentary programming knowledge can integrate an app-based interface into microcontroller projects with only few lines of code. This opens a wide range of new learning opportunities, which are described exemplarily.

A pickleball is a hollow plastic ball with many holes in its surface. An interesting question is whether it floats or sinks in water.

Despite significant recent advances in applied nuclear physics (NP) research, the teaching of these topics in high schools has remained largely unchanged and often marginal. We have developed an educational pathway on NPs for high school students that combines active innovative methodologies including puzzles, questionnaires, inclusive teaching, and an inquiry-based learning approach. The content is presented differently from traditional textbooks and established practices. To evaluate the effectiveness of this approach, we implemented the activity in a final-year high school class (13th grade) composed of low-performing students. We present the outcomes of oral examinations, written tests, and satisfaction surveys.

If a spherical magnet is projected at high speed on a horizontal surface, it travels in a straight line path. A more surprising result is that it follows a random path when launched at low speed, due to its interaction with the earth's magnetic field.