Building Thinking (Physics) Classrooms

The book Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl has made waves in the mathematics teaching world over the past several years. With a philosophy very similar to that of the Modeling curriculum, Liljedahl's “Thinking Classroom” methods are built on the idea that “thinking is the precursor to learning.” I have spent the last two years trying out some of Liljedahl's methods in my Physics I classes. I will discuss how I have been using vertical whiteboards, randomized groupings, and “consolidation from the bottom” to increase engagement and encourage collaboration.

LaTeX Worksheets

For the past couple years, I have typeset all of my worksheets and other teaching materials in LaTeX. Here is a repository containing all of my worksheets, with a CC0 license.

Copernicus, Galileo, and the Scientific Method

I explore some of the historical circumstances of Galileo and the Copernican Revolution in order to nuance how the actual practice of science differs from the Scientific Method as we discuss it in the textbooks, relying heavily on Thomas Kuhn’s fascinating book The Copernican Revolution: Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought.

Experiences teaching ICP to Multilingual Learners

After spending a few years teaching multilingual inclusion sections of Integrated Chemistry/Physics, I discuss strategies I use to support students who are learning the English language.

Analog Telephone Physics

I discuss the basic analog telephone circuit and some of the old analog switching mechanisms at the telephone office. I also talk about the practice of ‘phone phreaking,’ the precursor to modern computer hacking, in which (mostly) high school and college kids learned how to manipulate the phone system in ways it was never intended to work.

Graphical Analysis of Lab Data using Desmos

I have been having students use the free online graphing calculator Desmos (www.desmos.com). It can perform linear and curve fits much more precisely than can be done by hand, but it is much friendlier to new users than Excel.

Circular Motion GeoGebra Animations

This pair of GeoGebra animations is designed to show that there are two ingredients to circular motion: centripetal force and forward motion. If one or the other ingredient is missing, the motion will diverge from circular.

Energy is Made Up

Energy is Made Up: Interesting Conceptual Discussions around Energy and its Definition. I discuss how energy is nothing more than a helpful ‘bookkeeping method’ for multi-object systems. This leads to interesting discussions, especially for students who have already taken chemistry.

Holograms

Holograms: The Boundary Between Geometric & Wave Optics. We will use the geometric definitions of conic sections to explore the properties of concave, convex, and hyperbolic mirrors and then use this to demonstrate how holography takes advantage of wave interference in order to construct what is essentially a geometric phenomenon.

Cultivating Literacy without Giving up your Physics Curriculum

In this talk, I share some strategies and my experience integrating these strategies without giving up my prized physics instruction time.

Conservation of Intellectual Momentum

Conservation of Intellectual Momentum: Staying connected to the field of physics even if your job doesn’t make you. My four years of studying physics in undergrad had opened my mind to a way of thinking I had grown to love and didn’t want to give up. Would teaching provide the same intellectual stimulation I had enjoyed in college?

GlowScript Animations

During the 2017 INAAPT Spring Meeting, I listened to a talk about GlowScript as a way to create VPython animations online. I created the following projects just to learn the programming language and illustrate a couple physics concepts.

Using 3D Glasses to Tie Together Ray Optics, Wave Optics, and Color Mixing

Talk given at the Spring Meeting of the Indiana Section of AAPT in April, 2016.

Links

• PowerPoint Slides (.pptx)

A priori which-way information in quantum interference with unstable particles

If an unstable particle used in a two-path interference experiment decays before reaching a detector, which-way information becomes available that reduces the detected interference fringe visibility.

Testing the equivalence principle with unstable particles

We develop a framework to test the equivalence principle under conditions where the quantum aspects of nature cannot be neglected, specifically in the context of interference phenomena with unstable particles.

Measuring the Exit Velocity of a Compressed Air Cannon

We built an air cannon that utilizes a diaphragm valve to release the pressurized gas and discuss a model based on the flow of air through the valve, which is in decent agreement with our data.