The well-known artificial intelligence-based chatbot ChatGPT-4 has become able to process image data as input in October 2023. We investigated its performance on the test of understanding graphs in kinematics to inform the physics education community of the current potential of using ChatGPT in the education process, particularly on tasks that…

Hurricane and galaxy tidal effect are routine teaching topics in community college first year science courses, but there is a knowledge gap without a quantitative discussion of the physics of non-inertia frame. A survey of YouTube videos posted by Education Centers and professors showed that the hand-waving conceptual explanation is the most…

The trajectory of a ball in air is affected by aerodynamic drag and lift. In general, the trajectory needs to be calculated numerically since the acceleration varies with time in both the horizontal and vertical directions. If the trajectory remains approximately parabolic, then simple analytical solutions can be found, giving useful insights into…

To explain experiences of riders of rotating systems, such as a merry-go-round, some physics educators have employed the concept of 'centrifugal force.' However, others have suggested that the term is unnecessary in explaining experiences in rotating systems and that it encourages misconceptions surrounding circular motion dynamics. Owing to this…

Science education, particularly physics, remains a priority for many countries, as their future economic prosperity is closely linked to student success in science and technology. Given the persistent challenges faced by teachers in stimulating students' interest in this discipline, the integration of innovative teaching methods has become…

Teaching special relativity to lower-division students is challenging because results such as time dilation, length contraction, and frame dependence of simultaneity are counterintuitive. The literature is extensive, so only a brief list is given here, with articles divided roughly between discussions of general principles and calculations applied…

Eigentheory concepts are central in mathematics and physics; they serve multiple functions, such as symbolizing physical phenomena and facilitating mathematical computations. Words and meanings associated with eigentheory develop and vary over time, as do their associated symbols. In this study, we investigate how "eigen" develops over…

Simulation of physics phenomena is an indispensable part of experimental studies. Undergraduate and postgraduate physics students are often introduced to the simulation of various phenomena as one of the most important pedagogical tools. In this document, we demonstrate the simulations of the two-body decay of a particle and equilibrium states in…

An alternative method for obtaining analytical solutions of the time-independent Schrödinger equation (TISE) is developed and applied to 1-dimensional model quantum systems of interest in atomic and molecular physics. The method is based on proposing a wave function that is a product of two functions, one of them an integrating factor. The…

In this article, we will present the HEC BB bag, a simple but elegant model originally invented to help students imagine how air molecules move around in vacuum. The HEC BB bag is made by packing 20 to 30 BBs in a resealable plastic bag of several tens of square centimeters (see Fig. 1). When inflated fully via a straw, the volume of the bag is…

The problem of an electrically charged pendulum above a grounded conducting surface is examined using traditional analyses, such as forces, energy, and torque. The system was numerically modelled using a finite difference method and analysed. A number of classroom activities have been suggested.

A loop-the-loop experiment usually involves a ball rolling around a vertical loop. A different version of the experiment is described where a nut was allowed to slide around a vertical loop. In both experiments there is a large decrease in kinetic energy when the ball or the nut first enters the loop.

This paper contributes to understanding the effects of research governance on global scientific fields. Using a highly selective comparative analysis of four national governance contexts, we explore how governance arrangements influence the dynamics of global research fields. Our study provides insights into second-level governance effects, moving…

There is currently little physics education literature examining thinking and learning in graduate education and even less literature characterizing problem solving among physics graduate students despite this being an essential professional skill for physicists. Given reports of discrepancies between physics problem solving in the undergraduate…

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is an emerging technology that creates relevant text, images and other content from prompts. Large Language models (LLMs) are the most widely used of these GenAI forms. This technology already has applications in business and education. This paper tests GenAI's ability to apply physics to global problems…