The article describes a new version of a demonstration experiment for the Maxwell distribution. In the first part students analyse the applicability of the Gaussian distribution to the projection of the particle velocities in the suggested experiment. Further, students observe two-dimensional distribution of particles by the modulus of velocity in…

In this study, we derived several formulas for the currents induced in a circular loop by a magnet connected to a spring-based simple harmonic oscillation system. In addition, we conducted an experiment for measuring the induced currents and compared the results with the theoretical prediction. It was confirmed that the prediction from the derived…

A video is taken of a road-sign mirage from the passenger seat in a car traveling at constant speed on a highway. The video spans the duration of seeing the mirage of the sign, viewing the vanishing of the mirage as the car approaches, and passing the road sign. The mirage angle, defined as the angle with respect to the horizontal at the moment…

Comfort whilst camping overnight during outdoor pursuits is based on pain free and warm sleeping arrangements and is highly dependent on the performance of the sleeping bag and sleeping mat. In adventurous and challenging situations, performance can contribute to safety and expedition success. From the manufacturer's point of view, thermal…

In classroom science laboratories, unlike a real science laboratory, the teacher can guide students away from potential dead ends and toward data that are most likely to result in accurate conclusions. Sometimes, though, allowing students to pursue dead ends and to collect "bad" data can provide especially rich learning opportunities.…

A simple mathematical formulation of Mach's principle is given based on a century of investigation into inertia, and used to check the results of Newton's famous bucket experiment.

In this paper we consider the main properties of cylindrical lenses and propose several demonstrational experiments that can be performed with them. Specifically we use simple glasses full of water to demonstrate some basic geometrical optics principles and phenomena. We also present some less standard experiments that can be performed with such…

This research documents the aims and the impact of a teaching experiment on how the absorption of light depends on the thickness of the absorbing medium. This teaching experiment is more specifically characterized as bringing to bear a "concept-driven interactive pathway". It is designed to make students analyse the absorption of light…

While observing the bounce heights of various kinds of sports balls dropped from different heights onto a variety of surfaces, we thought of the following question: Could measurements of drop and bounce heights of balls of different diameters, but of the same material, falling from different heights, but on the same surface, be expressed by a…

This "Science note" arose out of practical work involving the dilution of ethanoic acid, the measurement of the pH of the diluted solutions and calculation of the acid dissociation constant, K[subscript a], for each diluted solution. The students expected the calculated values of K[subscript a] to be constant but they found that the…

A simple experiment, suitable for performing in an undergraduate physics laboratory, illustrates electromagnetic induction through the water entering into a cylindrical rubber tube by detecting the voltage developed across the tube in the direction transverse both to the flow velocity and to the magnetic field. The apparatus is a very simple…

In two experiments, participants judged the average numerosity between two sequentially presented dot patterns to perform an approximate arithmetic task. In Experiment 1, the response was given on a 0-20 numerical scale (categorical scaling), and in Experiment 2, the response was given by the production of a dot pattern of the desired numerosity…

Nearly 50 years ago, Henry Bent published his groundbreaking article in this "Journal" introducing the "global" formulation of thermodynamics. In the following years, the global formulation was elaborated by Bent and by one of the present authors. The global formulation of the first law focuses on conservation of energy and the recognition that…

This article first notes the misinterpretation of a common thought experiment, and the misleading comment that "systems tend to flow from less probable to more probable macrostates". It analyses the experiment, generalizes it and introduces a new tool of investigation, the simplectic structure. A time-symmetric model is built upon this structure,…

This article presents a lab experience to study detergency from a physicochemical point of view intended for undergraduate students. By means of a simple experimental device, we analyze the influence of the surfactant concentration in both distilled water and tap water. Our method is based on the measurement of diffuse reflectances of polyester…