The Physics Educator

Einstein’s theory of special relativity is one of the topics taught in undergraduate university physics courses. As undergraduates rarely have the opportunity to collect data and verify the concepts of Special Relativity, namely time dilation and length contraction, this paper aims to serve as a detailed instructional manual (self-contained) as well as provide insights from the undergraduates’ point of view on how to use a muon detector to collect data at various locations and altitudes in order to experimentally verify the aforementioned concepts. This experimental element enhances and complements the understanding of Special Relativity. The desktop muon detector used — the CosmicWatch Desktop Muon Detector V2 — was developed by the Department of Physics at Massachusetts Institution of Technology.

This study explores the use of physics toys as an innovative tool in high school education to bring abstract theories to life and stimulate student curiosity. These educational aids engage students, make complex principles tangible, and promote active learning. Our investigation includes examples from the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science in Singapore, demonstrating that physics toys enhance understanding and critical thinking across a range of student abilities. We conclude that integrating toys into physics education offers a dynamic and interactive approach that not only enriches the learning experience but also fosters the development of future innovative thinkers and problem solvers.

The viscous behavior of fluids can be observed in numerous everyday situations. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that people, since they are usually not specialists in fluids’ flow behavior, possess naïve conceptions about the viscous behavior of fluids. These conceptions more or less deviate from corresponding scientific explanations. Qualitative studies with preschool children and secondary school students from Germany have already identified various naïve conceptions about the viscous behavior of fluids (e.g. that the density or stickiness of a substance explains its viscous behavior). Within the present study, we explore the question of whether similar naïve conceptions can also be found among adults around the globe. To this end, based on previous research, an online questionnaire was developed to survey adults worldwide regarding their naïve conceptions about the viscous behavior of fluids. The survey was conducted anonymously, online, and voluntarily in spring 2023; participants were recruited via SurveySwap. A total of 406 adults from all regions of the world (primarily Europe and North America) participated in the survey. In this paper, we report and discuss the main findings of this online survey.

Chain fountains represent a phenomenon characterized by a couple of open questions, and that in spite of a considerable body of literature and the research efforts behind them. This paper gives some overview with respect to the dynamics and mathematics and discusses the main issues of solved and unsolved aspects of the problem.

In the present work, we have designed an electronic setup to experimentally verify that gravity does not directly affect the velocity of sound as stated by Lord Rayleigh. For this purpose, we have designed a setup comprising of two sensors namely ultrasonic sensor and accelerometer and a microcontroller Raspberry Pi to determine the values of sound velocity and acceleration due to gravity. The setup was then carefully enclosed in a box with bubble pack and dropped from a height of $\approx 12\mathrm{\text{meters}}$. At this height, there is no variation in air pressure and density, thus, the only parameter which is being varied is acceleration due to gravity. Under the free fall condition, the Raspberry Pi was programmed to control the working of both the sensors and store their responses in the memory card. The results show that the acceleration due to gravity acting upon the setup becomes negligible soon after it is dropped but the velocity of sound remains unaffected.

In recent years, the special theory of relativity (SR) has been included in high school curricula in almost all countries. In addition to the classic demonstrations of the relativity of time and lengths, another interesting relativistic phenomenon that is shown, is the transverse Doppler effect. Obviously it is not possible to rigorously prove, at the high school level, the final relation but, from it, we have analyzed some physical consequences using trigonometry. In this paper, which has a didactic aim, we summarize one of our lessons held during some of the in-depth lectures on relativity that we often organize for high school students in our area.

Introductory textbooks of Modern and Thermal Physics discuss the Planck radiation law as a backbone of the blackbody radiation spectrum. This law is used to explain the intensity of blackbody radiation as a function of either frequency or wavelength at a given temperature. In the introductory coursework, the Planck’s formula is also used to study other blackbody radiation laws such as Stefans–Boltzmann law, Wien’s Displacement law, Rayleigh–Jeans Law and Wien’s Distribution law. In this work, we highlight some interesting facts related to the total energy density, photon number density and average energy of photon of blackbody radiation. The main objective of this work is to focus on the lesser known features associated with physics of blackbody radiation. We believe that these simple analytic calculations may give very useful and interesting information about the Planck radiation law to the undergraduate students.

The nurturing of top young science talents remains vital in helping to mitigate current and future global challenges. Written in the form of a letter, this paper chronicles the major activities of the International Science Youth Forum, an annual event held in Singapore where top young science talents from across the world have the opportunity to interact with Nobel Laureates and other eminent scientists. Reflections of the student and educators who participated in this event are also documented, and it is hoped that their experiences can pave the way for other similar activities to be organized worldwide.