This book is the result of many years of experience of the authors in guiding physics projects. It aims to satisfy a deeply felt need to involve students and their instructors in extended experimental investigations of physical phenomena.
Over fifty extended projects are described in
detail, at various levels of sophistication, aimed at both the advanced high school, as well as first and second year undergraduate physics students, and their instructors. Carrying out these projects may take anything from a few days to several weeks, and in some cases months. Each project
description starts with a summary of theoretical background, proceeds to outline goals and possible avenues of exploration, suggests needed instrumentation, experimental setup and data analysis, and presents typical results which can serve as guidelines for the beginner researcher.
Separate parts are devoted to mechanics, electromagnetism, acoustics, optics, liquids, and thermal physics. An additional appendix suggests twenty further ideas for projects, giving a very brief description for each and providing references for pursuing them in detail. We also suggest a useful
library of basic texts for each of the topics treated in the various parts.
Introduction: Projects: why and how?
Part 1: Mechanics
1. Bouncing balls
2. Mechanics of soft springs
3. Pulse speed in falling dominoes
4. A variable mass oscillator
5. Rotating vertical
6. Cycloidal paths
7. Physics of rubber bands and cords
8.
Oscillation modes of a rod
Part 2: Electromagnetism
9. Physics of incandescent lamps
10. Propulsion with a solenoid
11. Magnetic dipoles
12. The jumping ring of Elihu Thomson
13. Microwaves in dielectrics I
14. Microwaves in dielectrics II
15. The Doppler
effect
16. Noise
17. Johnson noise
18. Network analog for lattice dynamics
19. Resistance networks
Part 3: Acoustics
20. Vibrating wires and strings
21. Physics with loudspeakers
22. Physics of the tuning fork
23. Acoustic resonance in pipes
24.
Acoustic cavity resonators and filters
25. Room acoustics
26. Musical instruments: the violin
27. Musical instruments: the guitar
28. Brass musical instruments
Part 4: Liquids
29. Sound from gas bubbles in a liquid
30. Shape and path of air bubbles in a
liquid
31. Ink diffusion in water
32. Refractive index gradients
33. Light scattering by surface ripples
34. Diffraction of light by ultrasonic waves in liquids
35. The circular hydraulic jump
36. Vortex physics
37. Plastic bottle oscillator
38. Salt water
oscillator
Part 5: Optics
39. Birefringence in cellulose tapes
40. Barrier penetration
41. Reflection and transmission of light
42. Polarisation by transmission
43. Laser speckle
44. Light scattering from suspensions
45. Light intensity from a line
source
46. Light interference in reflecting tubes
Part 6: Temperature & Heat
47. Cooling I
48. Cooling II
49. The Leidenfrost effect I
50. The Leidenfrost effect II
51. The drinking bird
52. Liquid vapor equilibrium
53. Solar radiation flux
Appendix A:
Project ideas
Appendix B: Facilities, materials, devices and instruments
Appendix C: Reference library
There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.
Paul Gluck is Lecturer at Jerusalem College of Engineering. The late John King was formerly Francis L Friedman Professor of Physics at MIT.
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