This paper describes two examples of teaching situations in which the idea of infinity arises, and supports the conclusion that infinity is not a physical reality but a very powerful and useful mathematical device which facilitates modelling and the solution of problems in physics.

The purpose of this publication is to bring attention to some physics problems whose answers seem to be paradoxical and, at first glance, do not agree with a limiting case check. Solving a problem on the motion of a system consisting of two masses and a spring, it is natural to examine the answer by considering a case when a spring constant is…

Is a suction cup at the bottom of a bathtub subject to an upward force from the surrounding water, even if there is no water under it? A student question, posted in a teacher facebook group on a Monday morning, led to a discussion involving 21 comments with 225 replies offered by 16 teachers during the next few days, including several simple…

An apparatus of the 70s for measuring thermal conductivity in different materials is used to visualize, through an infrared thermal imaging approach, temperature fields and the heat diffusion process. The observed temperature profiles also suggest solid grounds for a fair mathematical modelling of this phenomenon.

This paper demonstrates how the transcendental number "e" may be arrived at by observing the discharge of a capacitor through a fixed resistor and then modelling the system using a simple step-wise procedure. The experimental phase makes use of the Arduino microcontroller, while simple modelling of the system is carried out by means of…

Research has identified several students' misinterpretations of the principles of the photoelectric effect (PE). Students cannot interpret the formula using the graph's context despite the linear dependence inherited in it. Many studies pointed out that the graphical representation of kinetic energy of the ejected electrons versus frequency of…

Pole vaulting, the aim of which is to jump over a crossbar with the help of a long flexible pole, is considered to be one of the most complicated and technically demanding motions in track and field athletics. Pole vault performance is basically influenced by the energy exchange between the vaulter and pole. It depends on the sprinting, jumping…

In this paper the muscular activity will be treated from a physical point of view, considering the main physical parameters that can be quantified. A brief and simple theoretical treatment will be followed by some homeworks for students. The problems have a difficulty degree typical of an undergraduate class, and the arguments have been chosen…

We present a simple activity based on the liquid-drop model which allows secondary school students to explore the uses of mathematical models and gain an intuitive understanding of the concept of binding energy, and in particular the significance of positive binding energy. Using spreadsheets provided as supplementary material, students can…

In 2017, almost everywhere in the world, there was a boom in sales of fidget spinners. A toy that has 'multi-lobes' that can rotate freely from a thrust performed with the fingers. Thereby, we analysed the physics concepts that involved in this toy, such as angular and linear velocity. We did the analysis using the software Tracker, a laboratory…

The present article demonstrates a way of programming using an Excel spreadsheet to teach Fourier series expansion in school/colleges without the knowledge of any typical programming language. By using this, a student learns to approximate partial sum of the n terms of Fourier series for some periodic signals such as square wave, saw tooth wave,…

The article proposes a new research object for a general physics course--the vapour Cartesian diver, designed to study the properties of saturated water vapour. Physics education puts great importance on the study of the saturated vapour state, as it is related to many fundamental laws and theories. For example, the temperature dependence of the…

In 2016, we (seven high school students from a school in Plock, Poland) participated in the CERN Beamline for Schools competition. Together with our team coach, Mr. Janusz Kempa, we submitted a proposal to CERN that was selected as one of two winning proposals that year. This paper describes our experiment from the early days of brainstorming to…

We describe a simple experiment about sliding friction of an object moving with non-constant speed along an inclined plane. This experiment can be used to study the entire dynamical process of force and motion in various ways, depending on the mathematical level of the students. We discuss how video measurement and analysis, and mathematical…

A physical pendulum with a magnetic load is proposed for comparison of linear and nonlinear oscillations. The magnetic load is repelled by permanent magnets which are disposed symmetrically relative to the load. It is established that positions of the pendulum and the magnets determine the dependence of restoring force on displacement of the load.…