A spectrogram of a singer's vibrato presents a striking way to introduce students to frequency, Fourier spectra, and modulation. Vibrato is discussed from the perspectives of the physicist and the musician. A dramatic spectrogram is included where coauthor soprano Michel suppresses her vibrato so that acoustical characteristics can be compared to…

When students of the of the physical sciences transition from school to university, they discover that knowledge of calculus is as vital as arithmetic, and that there is precious little useful information written without calculus. However, the lack of calculus in pre-university physics studies persists, especially in its application to the…

The basic physics of the flute is presented from the perspective of a professional flutist. The flutist can control loudness, pitch and to some extent timbre. Oscilloscope images are provided to compare changes in these three fundamental sound characteristics. Readers can view a video (Ruiz 2017 "Video: The Flute"…

The implementation of theatre as a didactic tool for teaching science provides a new perspective on the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in the construction of meaningful learning experiences. Gamification and collaborative work are functional strategies to teach scientific concepts in a creative way. However, there are still conceptual…

Numerical simulations are playing an increasingly important role in modern science. In this work it is suggested to use a numerical study of the famous perihelion motion of the planet Mercury (one of the prime observables supporting Einsteins general relativity) as a test case to teach numerical simulations to high school students. The paper…

For this article, we use a 3D printer to print a surface similar to universal gravitation for demonstrating and investigating Kepler's laws of planetary motion describing the motion of a small ball on the surface. This novel experimental method allows Kepler's laws of planetary motion to be visualized and will contribute to improving the…

Carrying out classroom experiments that demonstrate Boyle's law and Gay-Lussac's law can be challenging. Even if we are able to conduct classroom experiments using pressure gauges and syringes, the results of these experiments do little to illuminate the kinetic theory of gases. However, molecular dynamics simulations that run on computers allow…

This paper focuses on the use of software developed by the authors that allows the visualization of the motion of a charged particle under the influence of magnetic and electric fields in 3D, at a level suitable for introductory physics courses. The software offers the possibility of studying a great number of physical situations that can…

The recent introduction of inexpensive high-speed cameras offers a new experimental approach to many simple but fast-occurring events in physics. In this paper, the authors present two simple demonstration experiments recorded with high-speed cameras in the fields of gas dynamics and thermal physics. The experiments feature vapour pressure effects…

This paper describes an interactive tool for analysis of data from the ATLAS experiment taking place at the world's highest energy particle collider at CERN. The tool, called HYPATIA/applet, enables students of various levels to become acquainted with particle physics and look for discoveries in a similar way to that of real research.

Thermal cameras offer real-time visual access to otherwise invisible thermal phenomena, which are conceptually demanding for learners during traditional teaching. We present three studies of students' conduction of laboratory activities that employ thermal cameras to teach challenging thermal concepts in grades 4, 7 and 10-12. Visualization of…

Object A is in circular motion relative to object B if object B is in circular motion relative to object A. A way of visualizing the relative circular motion of two objects is presented with a simple procedure for a classroom demonstration. (Contains 7 figures.)

A simple interface between VPython and Microsoft (MS) Office products such as Word and Excel, controlled by Visual Basic for Applications, is described. The interface allows the preparation of content-rich, interactive learning environments by taking advantage of the three-dimensional (3D) visualization capabilities of VPython and the GUI…

This article takes a brief walk through two complex cultures, looking at similarities and differences between them. Visual perception is vital to both art and science, for to see is to understand. The article compares how education in each subject fosters visualization and creative thinking.