The Physics Teacher 

About: The Physics Teacher is an academic journal published by American Association of Physics Teachers. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Physics education & Science education. It has an ISSN identifier of 0031-921X. Over the lifetime, 6260 publications have been published receiving 39564 citations. The journal is also known as: Physics Teacher.

Force concept inventory

Abstract: Every student begins physics with a well-established system of commonsense beliefs about how the physical world works derived from years of personal experience. Over the last decade, physics education research has established that these beliefs play a dominant role in introductory physics. Instruction that does not take them into account is almost totally ineffective, at least for the majority of students. Specifically, it has been established that (1) commonsense beliefs about motion and force are incompatible with Newtonian concepts in most respects, (2) conventional physics instruction produces little change in these beliefs, and (3) this result is independent of the instructor and the mode of instruction. The implications could not be more serious. Since the students have evidently not learned the most basic Newtonian concepts, they must have failed to comprehend most of the material in the course. They have been forced to cope with the subject by rote memorization of isolated fragments and by carrying out meaningless tasks. No wonder so many are repelled! The few who are successful have become so by their own devices, the course and the teacher having supplied only the opportunity and perhaps inspiration.

Fracture of Solids

Abstract: The type of fraction produced by various forms of stress, the dependence on the nature of the stress, and the rate of application are described. The role of microscopic cracks and the departure of actual strength from theoretical values are discussed. Illustrations are given of the propagation of fracture.

A mechanics baseline test

Abstract: We have designed a test to assess student understanding of the most basic concepts in mechanics. The test is universal in the sense that it is limited to concepts that should be addressed in introductory physics at any level from high school through Harvard University. We have extensive data on postinstruction scores across the whole range of levels. This provides baseline data for evaluating and comparing the effectiveness of instruction at all levels. For this reason we refer to the test as the Mechanics Baseline (or just the Baseline). A copy of the Baseline test is provided in the Appendix to be used in any way the instructor sees fit. We believe, however, that the best use of the test is for postinstruction evaluation, except for advanced university courses where it may be useful as a preinstruction placement exam. Of course the self-defeating practice of \"teaching to the test\" should be avoided, but an examination of the test could help some teachers see where their instruction can be improved. The design of the test and some of its instructional implications are discussed in the next section. The paper concludes with a discussion of the baseline data. The Mechanics Baseline test should be compared with the Force Concept Inventory in the preceding paper. l The Baseline is the next step above the Inventory in mechanics understanding. Questions on the Inventory were designed to be meaningful to students without formal training in mechanics and to elicit their preconceptions about the subject. In contrast, the Baseline emphasizes

Field Ion Microscopy

Abstract: : The basic physical effects used in field ion microscopy are not yet fully understood. Field evaporation rates of tungsten were measured in the range from 0.01 to 10,000,000 atomic layers/sec, yielding the polarizability of a kink site surface atom, the activation energy and the pre-exponential of the field evaporation equation. Using the polarizability, the dipole-dipole binding energy of field-adsorbed noble gases ahs been calculated, and a modified mechanism of field ionization and image interpretation is proposed. A high-voltage field ion microscope has been operated at up to 45 kV, giving an increased field of view.