摘要:

Remarks by the Chairman of the Committee on Awards in presenting Victor F. Weisskopf the award of the 1975 Oersted Medal in recognition of his notable contributions to the teaching of physics.

ISSN:0002-9505    

DOI:10.1119/1.10385

出版商:American Association of Physics Teachers    

年代:1976

数据来源: AIP

摘要:

The American Association of Physics Teachers conferred Distinguished Service Citations on eight outstanding contributors to physics education: Walter Eppenstein, Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute; Kenneth W. Ford, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; Anthony P. French, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Wallace A. Hilton, William Jewell College; Melburn R. Mayfield, Austin Peay State University; Betty L. Pollack, University of Oklahoma; Frederick Reif, University of California, Berkeley; Julius H. Taylor, Morgan State University. The presentations were made by Sherwood Haynes, retiring past President of the Association, at its annual business session on 5 February 1976 in New York City.

ISSN:0002-9505    

DOI:10.1119/1.10386

出版商:American Association of Physics Teachers    

年代:1976

数据来源: AIP

摘要:

The Ptolemaic system of planetary motions is examined in detail in order to demonstrate its direct kinematical connection with a heliocentric system. Ptolemy’s planetary parameters are shown to be in good agreement, upon transformation, with modern values.

ISSN:0002-9505    

DOI:10.1119/1.10387

出版商:American Association of Physics Teachers    

年代:1976

数据来源: AIP

摘要:

Many physically important spatial integrals, such as those needed for finding electric or magnetic fields, can be calculated by a simple method based on elementary geometry, without the need to use the techniques of the calculus or advanced theorems (such as Gauss’s or Ampere’s laws). The method is practically useful, can provide physical insights, and is suitable for mathematically unsophisticated students in introductory courses. We explain this method by applying it to calculate the electric fields due to a uniformly charged plane, line, and spherical surface.

ISSN:0002-9505    

DOI:10.1119/1.10388

出版商:American Association of Physics Teachers    

年代:1976

数据来源: AIP

摘要:

An introductory biophysics course for science students who have previously taken two quarters of noncalculus physics is described. The goal of the one‐quarter course is to teach the students to use physics as a tool for understanding biological systems. Material covered emphasizes the physical principles of sound, light, electricity, energy, and information. Student response is favorable.

ISSN:0002-9505    

DOI:10.1119/1.10389

出版商:American Association of Physics Teachers    

年代:1976

数据来源: AIP

摘要:

We have recently completed the preparation of PSI materials (study guides and unit tests) for seven junior–senior level physics courses: Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Atomic Physics, Mathematical Physics, Physics and Computers, Astrophysics, and Relativity. Three additional courses—Solid State Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Quantum Physics—have been prepared by our colleagues. These are all elective courses at our institution and tend to have relatively low enrollments. By preparing them in the PSI format we are able to offer all ten courses every semester for any number of students with efficient use of faculty. A description of our materials, our mode of operation, and the reactions of students, faculty, and administrators are presented.

ISSN:0002-9505    

DOI:10.1119/1.10390

出版商:American Association of Physics Teachers    

年代:1976

数据来源: AIP

摘要:

This paper describes a PSI general physics course taught within the constraints of a small community college. The PSI format is described and student opinions of it are presented. The final exam grade distributions and the percentage of students completing the course are presented for the two semesters the course was conventionally taught, and for the two semesters the course was taught by PSI.

ISSN:0002-9505    

DOI:10.1119/1.10391

出版商:American Association of Physics Teachers    

年代:1976

数据来源: AIP

摘要:

Perhaps the most significant change in the transition from Aristotelian or medieval science to classical or Newtonian mechanics is the change from the Aristotelian view of ’’Omne quod movetur ab alio movetur’’ (’’All that is moved is moved by something else’’) to Newton’s first law or the principle of inertia that ’’Every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a right line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed on it’’ [I. Newton,Principia(Univ. of California Press, Berkeley, 1960), Motte’s translation revised by Cajori, p. 13]. In this paper we shall show that this is not a sudden change but rather that it has a long and detailed history in the medieval critiques of Aristotle’s physics. The treatment of the problems of motion in a void, projectile motion, falling bodies, and the inclined plane by medieval scientists makes this transition quite understandable.

ISSN:0002-9505    

DOI:10.1119/1.10392

出版商:American Association of Physics Teachers    

年代:1976

数据来源: AIP

摘要:

Microwaves are reflected from a fixed and a moving object and mixed in a diode detector. The Doppler beat frequency across the detector is used to drive a spark generator which issues sparks along an air track. The speed of light is easily obtained to three places from the microwave frequency and the average distance between the sparks. An inexpensive Gunn diode serves as both microwave source and detector.

ISSN:0002-9505    

DOI:10.1119/1.10393

出版商:American Association of Physics Teachers    

年代:1976

数据来源: AIP

摘要:

The characteristics of subharmonic and ultraharmonic modes appearing in the forced, steady‐state oscillations of weakly nonlinear systems are considered from the physical, rather than mathematical, viewpoint. A simple explanation of the differences between the two modes, and in particular of the threshold effect usually exhibited by subharmonic oscillations, is presented. The fundamental resonance in the case of weak excitation is also briefly considered.

ISSN:0002-9505    

DOI:10.1119/1.10394

出版商:American Association of Physics Teachers    

年代:1976

数据来源: AIP