Student understanding of the application of Newton's second law to rotating rigid bodies
Hunter G. Close, Luanna S. Gomez, and Paula R. L. Heron
We report on an investigation of student understanding of rigid body dynamics in which we asked students in introductory calculus-based physics to compare the translational motions of identical rigid bodies subject to forces that differed only in the point of contact at which they were applied. Ther ... [Am. J. Phys. 81, 458 (2013)] published Mon May 20, 2013.
Quasicrystals: A Primer (2nd ed.).
Christian Janot and Walter Steurer
Abstract not available. [Am. J. Phys. 81, 478 (2013)] published Mon May 20, 2013.
Collimated blue light generation in rubidium vapor
Marcus B. Kienlen, Noah T. Holte, Hunter A. Dassonville, Andrew M. C. Dawes, Kurt D. Iversen et al.
We describe an experiment for generating and characterizing a beam of collimated blue light (CBL) in a rubidium vapor. Two low-power, grating-feedback diode lasers, operating at 780.2 nm (5S-->5P) and 776.0 nm (5P-->5D), respectively, provide step-wise excitation to the 5D excited state in rubidium. ... [Am. J. Phys. 81, 442 (2013)] published Mon May 20, 2013.
Using a mobile phone acceleration sensor in physics experiments on free and damped harmonic oscillations
Juan Carlos Castro-Palacio, Luisberis Velazquez-Abad, Marcos H. Gimenez, and Juan A. Monsoriu
We have used a mobile phone acceleration sensor, and the Accelerometer Monitor application for Android, to collect data in physics experiments on free and damped oscillations. Results for the period, frequency, spring constant, and damping constant agree very well with measurements obtained by other ... [Am. J. Phys. 81, 472 (2013)] published Mon May 20, 2013.
Photon charge experiment
A. Hankins, C. Rackson, and W. J. Kim
The deflection of a laser beam traveling through a modulated electric field is measured using phase-sensitive detection to place an upper bound on the photon charge. An upper limit of 10e is obtained. Our approach provides a simple experimental scheme for angle measurements and is suitable as a labo ... [Am. J. Phys. 81, 436 (2013)] published Mon May 20, 2013.
The Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick.
Benoit Mandelbrot and Dann Passoja
Abstract not available. [Am. J. Phys. 81, 477 (2013)] published Mon May 20, 2013.
Nuclear Forces: The Making of the Physicist Hans Bethe.
Silvan S. Schweber and Kurt Gottfried
Abstract not available. [Am. J. Phys. 81, 476 (2013)] published Mon May 20, 2013.
Evolution of Physics and Chemistry of Surfaces and Interfaces: A Perspective of the Last 40 Years
David K. Ferry
The Physics and Chemistry of Surfaces and Interfaces conference has maintained a focus on the interfacial and surface properties of materials since its initiation in 1974. The conference continues to be a major force in this field, bringing together scientists from a variety of disciplines to focus ... [J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 31, 048501 (2013)] published Fri May 17, 2013.
Effectiveness of technical listening training in Department of Acoustic Design of Kyushu University
Kazuhiko Kawahara, Masahiko Takada, and Shin-ichiro Iwamiya
What is the professional listening? Sound/Acoustic Professionals listening categorized into three phases. The ability to discriminate between different sounds. The ability to correlate the auditory difference with the physical properties of sounds. And the ability to imagine the proper sounds when g ... [POMA 19, 025023 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
Towards the development of objective difficulty measure in Technical Ear Training tasks
Atsushi Marui and Toru Kamekawa
Technical Ear Training is a method to improve the ability to focus on a specific sound attribute. It is also used to be able to communicate using the common language used in the industry such as Hz and dB. Although it is essential to gradually harden the task difficulty for successful technical ea ... [POMA 19, 025020 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
Learning acoustic phonetics by listening, seeing, and touching
Takayuki Arai
There is a huge volume of written textbooks available in virtually every modern field, including acoustic phonetics. However, in areas dealing with acoustics, learners often face problems and limitations when they deal with only written material and no audio or visual information. As one response to ... [POMA 19, 025017 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
A for play!
Daniel Butko
The task was straightforward; design and build a playhouse to be raffled for a charitable organization. A team consisting of students, volunteers, and faculty banded together to not only meet the requirements but to exceed the typical preconceived ideas of a totally enclosed miniature home. Based ... [POMA 19, 025015 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
Black box measurements Using a family of electrical circuits as a tool for self-guided learning in acoustical engineering
Bernardo H. Murta, Jessica Lins, Sergio Aguirre, Stephan Paul, Eric Brandao et al.
A partnership between Brazil's first undergraduate program in Acoustical Engineering and the Institute of Technical Acoustics of RWTH Aachen University yielded a didactic project that uses the engineering software MATLAB with the ITA-Toolbox to teach acoustic measurements. Simple electrical circuits ... [POMA 19, 025014 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
Teaching acoustics at architect students using digital tools
Delphine Bard, Tina-Henriette Kristiansen, and Eva Fruhwald Hansson
At the School of Architecture, Lund University Sweden, courses are taught in different ways. A large part of the education during year one and two is held as "studios", doing creative (individual) project work. Usually acoustics courses rather correspond to the traditional engineering education styl ... [POMA 19, 025013 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
Mechanical bent-type models of the human vocal tract consisting of blocks
Takayuki Arai
In our previous work, we developed several physical models of the human vocal tract and reported that they are intuitive and helpful for students studying acoustics and speech science. Models with a bent vocal tract can achieve relatively realistic tongue movements. These bent-type models had either ... [POMA 19, 025012 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
Popular papers with short case stories on acoustics and vibration for practical engineers and students
Roman Vinokur
One of the reasons for using foam wedges or cones in hemi-anechoic rooms is a gradual change of the acoustical impedance in order to reduce the reflection of incident sound waves from the sound absorbing walls. By analogy, popular papers on science (in particular, in acoustics and vibration) facilit ... [POMA 19, 025011 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
A design of an impedance tube for teaching acoustic material properties and laboratory techniques
Chelsea E. Good, Aldo A. Glean, Joseph F. Vignola, John A. Judge, Teresa J. Ryan et al.
The design and implementation of an adaptable acoustic impedance tube for instructional use will be presented. This system, which was designed for use in a graduate-level laboratory environment, is in accordance with ASTM standard E1050-98. The system is configurable for both horizontal and vertical ... [POMA 19, 025010 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
Teaching principles of outdoor sound propagation using football game measurements
Kent L. Gee, Tracianne B. Neilsen, Alan T. Wall, and Nicholas J. Eyring
As part of a sound system evaluation at Brigham Young University's football stadium, measurements were made before and during games by an upper-level undergraduate acoustics class. The measurement experience provided significant training opportunities for the students. Teams of students used sound l ... [POMA 19, 025007 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
Creating interactive acoustics animations using Mathematica's Computable Document Format
Daniel A. Russell
The computational and graphical prowess of Mathematica has long made it a powerful educational tool for creating effective animations of acoustic and vibration phenomena [D. Russell, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 106, 2197 (1999) and V.W. Sparrow and D.A. Russell, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 103, 2987 (1998)]. Onc ... [POMA 19, 025006 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
Using your ears: A novel way to teach acoustics
Lauren Ronsse, Dominique J. Cheenne, and Sarah Kaddatz
Auditory simulations of physical phenomena pertaining to acoustics have been developed to enhance student learning and understanding of these conditions. The demonstrations range from simulations of fundamental concepts, such as reverberation, flutter echoes, reflections, and room modal effects, to ... [POMA 19, 025005 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
Acoustic interference and diffraction experiments in the advanced laboratory class
Andrew Morrison
Many acoustic analogues to classical optics experiments can be performed with low-cost ultrasonic transducers. Mounts for the ultrasonic transducers have been designed to be produced with desktop 3D printing technology. The designs are open and available for use and modification. Examples of experim ... [POMA 19, 025004 (2013)] published Tue May 14, 2013.
Sixteen years of Collaborative Learning through Active Sense-making in Physics (CLASP) at UC Davis. (arXiv:1205.6970v2 [physics.ed-ph] UPDATED)
ePrint arXiv http://arXiv.org/