Quantum Gravity, Oceanography, and the FCI
The big physics news this week comes from two papers that suggest a test to show whether the gravitational field is quantized. As shown in the image below, they propose putting two Mach-Zehnder interferometers side-by-side. Classically, the gravitational interaction between the particles ("m") would depend on which path they take, and the signals at D0 and D1 would vary. In quantum mechanics, however, each particle follows a superposition of paths 0 and 1. Thus, if gravity is similarly quantized, the interaction between the two systems should be same for each pair of particles. The big question is whether such an experiment is feasible. Unfortunately, the authors seem not to be in touch with research groups who work on such experiments, so we'll have to wait and see.
There is an interesting article in Astronomy about the Hypatia Stone, a meteorite that was created billions of years ago, but that doesn't fit well with our understanding of solar system formation. It would be a great example to share with students of new questions in science.
Our colleagues in oceanography have taken a bold step forward with a delightful article-cum-graphic novel (see the excerpt below). It's published in a reputable journal and does a good job of summarizing some of the discussions and conclusions at a recent symposium. Meanwhile, this insightful article discusses the implications of paywalls on oceanographic research.
A new paper by Karim, Maries and Singh looks at the "gender gap" in introductory physics courses taught with lecture-based and active-engagement approaches. While the active-engagement approaches had better gains, they also maintained or increased the gender gap. The message from this research is the vital importance, when implementing new teaching methodologies, of carefully attending to issues like stereotype threat, self-efficacy, the growth mindset, and the classroom culture.
Relatedly, a paper by Traxler et al investigates gender fairness of questions on the Force Concept Inventory [FCI]. Although they don't identify causes, the data pool is large and so the results are reliable. In answer to their first research question, they find that FCI scores are "often very inaccurate for female students." I think this is an effective way to understand the results. They also propose a removing 11 of the 30 FCI questions, which would halve the discrimination in the assessment.
In The Physics Teacher, there is an interesting proposal by Mitchell, Ekey, McCullough and Reitz that we could use computer fans instead of light bulbs for circuits experiments. It's a nice idea: unlike light bulbs, the fans have a decent range of voltages at which they remain Ohmic, and the non-Ohmic behavior is more-easily understood as friction when the fan isn't spinning. I see two downsides, though: these fans cost about $10 each, and would probably need some modification before they'd fit your plug-and-jack ecosystem. There's also a safety issue: how many kids are going to stick fingers or pencils into the fans to see what happens?
The USA-based 500 Women Scientists project has been getting some publicity lately. It could be a good way to find a guest speaker to talk about careers in science, for example. In Europe, Academia-Net serves a similar purpose.
This STEM competition for teams of EU students aged 15-19 looks pretty exciting.
From around the web:
Teresa Rainey's students are making a wave machine with bamboo skewers and sweets.
The ADI Team shared this apparatus, which I'd tweak to get a constant small acceleration.
Frank Noschese has set up practical lab stations.
Corey Powell shared this cool antineutrino map (based on a 2015 report).
@PhysicsFun shows elegantly that a pendulum's displacement is sinusoidal.
The folks at Pivot Interactives have a new E&M activity with a levitating magnet.
Dianna Cowern sparked an interesting discussion about camera sensors.
Pew Research published new research about discrimination in STEM workplaces.
There is an interesting article in Astronomy about the Hypatia Stone, a meteorite that was created billions of years ago, but that doesn't fit well with our understanding of solar system formation. It would be a great example to share with students of new questions in science.
Our colleagues in oceanography have taken a bold step forward with a delightful article-cum-graphic novel (see the excerpt below). It's published in a reputable journal and does a good job of summarizing some of the discussions and conclusions at a recent symposium. Meanwhile, this insightful article discusses the implications of paywalls on oceanographic research.
A new paper by Karim, Maries and Singh looks at the "gender gap" in introductory physics courses taught with lecture-based and active-engagement approaches. While the active-engagement approaches had better gains, they also maintained or increased the gender gap. The message from this research is the vital importance, when implementing new teaching methodologies, of carefully attending to issues like stereotype threat, self-efficacy, the growth mindset, and the classroom culture.
Relatedly, a paper by Traxler et al investigates gender fairness of questions on the Force Concept Inventory [FCI]. Although they don't identify causes, the data pool is large and so the results are reliable. In answer to their first research question, they find that FCI scores are "often very inaccurate for female students." I think this is an effective way to understand the results. They also propose a removing 11 of the 30 FCI questions, which would halve the discrimination in the assessment.
In The Physics Teacher, there is an interesting proposal by Mitchell, Ekey, McCullough and Reitz that we could use computer fans instead of light bulbs for circuits experiments. It's a nice idea: unlike light bulbs, the fans have a decent range of voltages at which they remain Ohmic, and the non-Ohmic behavior is more-easily understood as friction when the fan isn't spinning. I see two downsides, though: these fans cost about $10 each, and would probably need some modification before they'd fit your plug-and-jack ecosystem. There's also a safety issue: how many kids are going to stick fingers or pencils into the fans to see what happens?
The USA-based 500 Women Scientists project has been getting some publicity lately. It could be a good way to find a guest speaker to talk about careers in science, for example. In Europe, Academia-Net serves a similar purpose.
This STEM competition for teams of EU students aged 15-19 looks pretty exciting.
From around the web:
Teresa Rainey's students are making a wave machine with bamboo skewers and sweets.
The ADI Team shared this apparatus, which I'd tweak to get a constant small acceleration.
Frank Noschese has set up practical lab stations.
Corey Powell shared this cool antineutrino map (based on a 2015 report).
@PhysicsFun shows elegantly that a pendulum's displacement is sinusoidal.
The folks at Pivot Interactives have a new E&M activity with a levitating magnet.
Dianna Cowern sparked an interesting discussion about camera sensors.
Pew Research published new research about discrimination in STEM workplaces.