Physics Education Research (PER) focuses on understanding how students learn physics at all levels and developing strategies to help students with diverse prior preparations learn physics more effectively. New physics instructors are encouraged to visit http://PhysPort.org, a website devoted to helping instructors find effective teaching resources…

As part of the new education initiatives of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), an activity kit for teachers that includes a variety of lessons addressing acoustics for a range of students (K-12) has been created. The "Sound and Music Activity Kit" is free to K-12 teachers. It includes materials sufficient to teach a class of 30…

My unit on sound and waves is embedded within a long-term project in which my high school students construct a musical instrument out of common materials. The unit culminates with a performance assessment: students play the first four measures of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"--chosen because of the octave interval of the first two notes--in the key…

The advances of the digital age have made the duty and responsibility of the professor more complex and involved. The Internet has made powerful and useful tools available to us to disseminate knowledge in an interesting and effective manner. In this article, I discuss one such tool: Wikispaces (wikis)--a set of interactive web pages that can be…

Models are essential to the learning and doing of science, and systems thinking is key to appreciating many environmental issues. The National Science Education Standards include models and systems in their unifying concepts and processes standard, while the AAAS Benchmarks include them in their common themes chapter. Hyerle and Marzano argue for…

This paper provides examples of naturally radioactive items that are likely to be found in most communities. Additionally, there is information provided on how to acquire many of these items inexpensively. I have found that the presence of these materials in the classroom is not only useful for teaching about nuclear radiation and debunking the…

This article is intended to model the ascent of the space shuttle for high school teachers and students. It provides a background for a sufficiently comprehensive description of the physics (kinematics and dynamics) of the March 16, 2009, "Discovery" launch. Our data are based on a comprehensive spreadsheet kindly sent to us by Bill Harwood, the…

A growing number of physics teachers are currently turning to instructional technologies such as wireless handheld response systems--colloquially called "clickers." Two possible rationales may explain the growing interest in these devices. The first is the presumption that clickers are more effective instructional instruments. The second rationale…

Describes an ammeter that can be built for less than a dollar with commonly available parts to be used in circuits with 3-volt light bulbs. (WRM)

Describes the setup of a system that allows vibrations in two dimensions to demonstrate polarization states of light and particle spin. (WRM)

Examines the design and construction of a mini-sextant and its use in demonstrating Fresnel reflection, geometric optics, and several common optical techniques. A sidebar explains the basic use of the mini-sextant as a navigational tool. (WRM)

Explains some of the properties of refrigerator magnets by conceptualizing their makeup as a line of tiny, consecutive horseshoe magnets. (WRM)

Describes how to build a home-made pitching machine that can be used as a ball launcher in physics class. (WRM)

Explains how "Downy Ball" fabric softener dispensers can be used to demonstrate Newton's First Law in physics class. (WRM)

Presents guidelines for equipping physics labs with components from each of four technology-use categories: (1) computer interfacing; (2) modeling; (3) simulations; and (4) research-reference-presentation. Includes references to useful websites discussing educational technology. (WRM)