Resource Letter PhD-2: Physics Demonstrations
Richard E. Berg
Citation: Am. J. Phys. 80, 181 (2012); doi: 10.1119/1.3660659
View online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.3660659
View Table of Contents: http://ajp.aapt.org/resource/1/AJPIAS/v80/i3
Published by the American Association of Physics Teachers
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RESOURCE LETTER
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introduce nonspecialists to this field. The Resource Letters Editorial Board meets at the AAPT Winter Meeting to choose topics for which Resource
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material of general interest to persons seeking to become informed in the field, the letter I to indicate intermediate level or somewhat specialized
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Resource Letter PhD-2: Physics Demonstrations
Richard E. Berg
Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
(Received 25 July 2011; accepted 20 October 2011)
This Resource Letter provides a guide to physics demonstrations, computer simulations of physics
demonstrations, and physics education research regarding the use and effectiveness of
demonstrations and simulations. Articles, books, and materials on the internet are cited for the
following: professional journals dealing with demonstrations, web sites of professional
organizations, workshops including use of demonstrations and simulations, books dealing with
demonstrations in classroom teaching as well as informal settings, web sites for physics
demonstrations, videos of physics demonstrations, demonstration simulations, and physics
education research regarding the use of demonstrations in teaching. VC 2012 American Association of
Physics Teachers.
[DOI: 10.1119/1.3660659]
I. INTRODUCTION
Use of physics demonstrations is important in several
major areas: (1) physics classes in college, university, and
pre-college; (2) demonstration shows and programs; (3)
hands-on and museum settings; (4) hallway or corridor demonstrations; and (5) home or other informal use. Although
there is substantial overlap in the equipment and materials for
these activities, there are significant differences in both the
sophistication of the apparatus and the approach toward the
demonstrations. I provide information regarding all of these
areas, with emphasis on the use of demonstrations in lectures.
During the past fifteen years, web sites have come on line
with virtually all of the information necessary to construct
and teach using almost any demonstration. More recently,
using high-quality digital video cameras and computer-based
editors, many web sites have created large collections of videos showing their demonstrations in use. Related information
can be obtained from many university web sites, including
sources of equipment and materials, lists of demonstrations
used in various classes, and suggested demonstrations for elementary physics classes to guide the less-experienced
teacher. Another recent development is the availability on
the web of a large variety of computer simulations of demonstrations. Physics education research is currently studying all
of these teaching materials and provides us with well documented data on how they may be effectively used.
01.50.M Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.P Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.40.F Research in physics education
02.70 Computational techniques; simulations
The primary journals in which relevant literature is found
are as follows:
American Journal of Physics
The Physics Teacher
Journal of Physics Education Research
Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education
Research
Other journals include:
A. Journals
The American Journal of Physics (AJP) regularly discusses demonstrations, often at a relatively advanced level,
181
while The Physics Teacher (TPT) is aimed at both high
school and college education. TPT includes papers on demonstrations in every issue, usually at a lower technical level
than the AJP. Several columns in these journals have dealt
with demonstrations; some of them have been incorporated
into book form and published by the American Association
of Physics Teachers (AAPT).
The indexes for papers in the AJP and TPT in the December issues are organized using the Physics and Astronomy
Classification Scheme (PACS). The primary topics of interest here are:
Am. J. Phys. 80 (3), March 2012
http://aapt.org/ajp
Physics Education, a journal published in Great
Britain
C 2012 American Association of Physics Teachers
V
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181
Journal of Chemistry Education
Journal of College Science Teaching
Journal of the National Science Teachers
Association, mostly of more general interest
The Science Teacher, published by the National
Science Teachers Association (NSTA), deals with
high school science in general
Scientific American, includes Jearl Walker’s
“Amateur Scientist” columns
B. Professional web sites and conferences
Web sites of interest are provided by a variety of professional and commercial concerns.
1. http://www.aapt.org/, The American Association of
Physics Teachers web site. Access journal archives for
the American Journal of Physics, The Physics Teacher,
and Physics Education Research. (E,I,A)
2. http://www.aapt.org/aboutaapt/ennouncer/, The AAPT
Announcer and eNNOUNCER, for conferences sponsored by the AAPT and its affiliates. (E,I,A)
3. http://scitation.aip.org/proceedings/confproceed/720.jsp,
Physics Education Research, Conference Proceedings.
(A)
4. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)10982736, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Wiley
Online Library. (A)
C. Workshops for teachers
5. http://www.aapt.org/Conferences/newfaculty/nfw.cfm,
AAPT New Faculty Workshops. These workshops are
designed to help new faculty at research and four-year
institutions become more effective educators and support
their quest for tenure. Includes interactive demonstrations
and other recent developments in Physics Education
Research. (A)
6. http://www.aapt.org/aboutaapt/ennouncer/, AAPT Summer
Meeting Lecture Demonstrations Workshop. In the
two days prior to the Summer Meeting of the AAPT,
the Physics Instructional Resource Association (PIRA)
presents a workshop on lecture demonstrations, including
the “PIRA 200,” material for use with the demonstrations,
and information on how to obtain or build your own demonstrations. (I)
7. http://www.aapt.org/conferences/sm2011/workshops.cfm,
Workshops at AAPT Summer Meeting. In the two days
prior to the Summer meeting of the AAPT, workshops
covering topics important to high-school and college
physics teachers, such as modeling, interactive physics
lecture demonstrations, or tutorials, may be offered.
Workshops at sectional AAPT meetings may be more
limited. (I)
8. http://modeling.asu.edu/modeling-HS.html,
Modeling
Instruction in High School Physics, Physical Science,
Chemistry, and Biology, Arizona State University.
Offered annually during the summer. (I)
9. http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/workshops/fundamentals/
index.html, Fundamentals of Inquiry: Workshops
Designed to Introduce Teachers to Inquiry. Includes
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Am. J. Phys., Vol. 80, No. 3, March 2012
demonstrations and materials in the Exploratorium Snackbooks. (E)
D. Books and articles primarily regarding formal
classroom lecture demonstrations
Many early books are out of print, one notable exception
being the classic book by Sutton (Ref. 11), which has been
reprinted by the AAPT. Included below are a number of books
with experiments aimed primarily at the student laboratory,
useful both as references and as models for how to construct
or present an experiment as a lecture demonstration.
10. “Resource letter PhD-1: Physics demonstrations,” John
A. Davis and Bruce G. Eaton, Am. J. Phys. 47, 835–840
(1979). Publications in this Resource Letter that are still
of great interest are included below. (I)
11. Demonstration Experiments in Physics, Richard Manliffe Sutton (AAPT, College Park, MD, 2003). The text
material in this classic book is accompanied by a number
of helpful drawings and photographs. Strongly recommended. (I)
12. Physics Demonstration Experiments, Vols. 1 and 2,
edited by Harry F. Meiners (The Ronald Press Co., for
the AAPT, New York, 1970). This set includes over
1100 demonstrations and over 2200 photographs and
drawings. Much of the equipment is described in great
detail, along with circuits and some machine-shop
sketches, although some of the electronics has become
outdated. (E,I)
13. A Demonstration Handbook for Physics (Third Edition), George D. Freier and Frances J. Anderson (AAPT,
College Park, MA, 2002). A basic manual containing a
large number of demonstrations in outline form, using
simple drawings to illustrate the principal features of the
demonstrations. (E)
14. Selective Experiments in Physics: General Instructions, Mechanics, Heat, Light, Electricity, Sound, and
Nuclear Physics, authored by various combinations of
C. J. Overbeck, R. R. Palmer, R. J. Stephenson, and
Marsh W. White, V. E. Eaton, Miles J. Martin, and
Ralph S. Minor (Central Scientific Company, Chicago,
1940–1964). About 300 classic demonstrations using
equipment available through the 1970s from CENCO
on individual sheets. Each demonstration has a discussion of the apparatus and the object of the demonstration; most include drawings and equations at the
engineering physics level. Many descriptions are available
in PDF format on the CENCO web site: http://www.cencophysics.com/cencos-selective-experiments-in-physicsseps/a/279/ (E)
15. Exploratorium Cookbook, Vol. 1: A Construction
Manual for Exploratorium Exhibits, Raymond Bruman and the Staff of the Exploratorium (The Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA, 1991). Instructions for
building 82 exhibits related to light and images; vision;
sound and hearing; electricity and magnetism; color;
mechanics; and patterns. (E)
16. Exploratorium Cookbook, Vol. 2: A Construction
Manual for Exploratorium Exhibits, Ron Hipschman
and the Staff of the Exploratorium (The Exploratorium,
San Francisco, CA, 1990). Instructions for building 52
exhibits related to light and images; plant and animal
behavior; electricity and magnetism; heat and
Richard E. Berg
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182
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
183
temperature; the physics of sound; mechanics; exponentials; patterns; and vision. (E)
Exploratorium Cookbook, Vol. 3: A Construction
Manual for Exploratorium Exhibits, Ron Hipschman
and the Staff of the Exploratorium (The Exploratorium, San
Francisco, CA, 1993). Instructions for building 67 exhibits
related to electricity and magnetism; light; sound, speech,
and hearing; vision; heat and temperature; mathematics and
patterns; mechanics; and neurophysiology. (E)
The Exploratorium Science Snackbook (Exploratorium Teacher Institute, San Francisco, CA, 2011). Created by attendees at the Exploratorium Teacher Institute,
contains over 100 science activities of a slightly simpler
and less formal nature than the cookbooks. Includes
make-and-take projects and demonstrations easily made
with readily available materials. (E)
Hands-on Science: A Teacher’s Guide to StudentBuilt Experiments and the Exploratorium Science
Snackbook: The Exploratorium Science Snackbook:
What it is and How You Can Use it, Paul Doherty
(The Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA, 1993,
1994, 1995, 1996). How to use the Exploratorium
Snackbook along with examples of “snacks:” http://
www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/Hands-On_Science/index.
html. (E)
Exploratorium Snacks (The Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA, 2011). Web site is a “book” containing direct
links to over 110 “snacks,” their construction and use,
related comments, and link to order the hard copy:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/. (E)
Apparatus Notes July 1965–December 1972:
Reprinted From the American Journal of Physics,
Committee on Apparatus of the AAPT (AAPT, Publications Department, 1974). Reprints of Apparatus Notes
columns from the AJP. Lots of very helpful material. (E)
Apparatus for Teaching Physics: Reprints of Articles
From The Physics Teacher April 1963–December
1971, Committee on Apparatus for Educational Institutions
(AAPT, College Park, MA, 1972). Includes almost 300
titled segments originally appearing as articles or notes
in Apparatus for Teaching Physics columns in TPT. Demonstrations have photographs or drawings, and in some
cases are accompanied by letters regarding the demonstrations submitted after publication or correcting errors. (E)
A Potpourri of Physics Teaching Ideas, edited by
Donna Berry Conner (AAPT, Publications Department,
1987). Reprints of articles from TPT from April 1963 to
December 1986. (E)
Apparatus for Teaching Physics, edited by Karl C.
Mamola (AAPT, College Park, MA, 1999). Reprints of
articles from Apparatus for Teaching Physics columns
from TPT from 1987–1998. (E)
Interactive Physics Demonstrations, Joe Pizzo (AAPT,
College Park, MA, 2001). 46 physics demonstrations from
Deck the Halls columns of TPT from 1972 to 2001. (E)
Physics Demonstration Experiments at William Jewell College, Wallace A. Hilton (William Jewell College,
Liberty, MO, 1971). Includes about 300 demonstrations
with lots of photographs and drawings, along with a collection of journal reprints. (E,I)
Physics Demonstrations: A Sourcebook for Teachers
of Physics, Julien Clinton Sprott (University of Wisconsin,
Madison, WI, 2006). Collection of 85 demonstrations,
Am. J. Phys., Vol. 80, No. 3, March 2012
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
covering most areas of physics, used by Professor Sprott in
his public program series, The Wonders of Physics. DVD
set of the demonstrations is included with the book; additional DVDs of all of the Wonders of Physics programs are
available. (E)
The Dick and Rae Physics Demo Notebook, D. Rae
Carpenter, Jr., and Richard B. Minnix (DICK and RAE,
Inc., Lexington, VA, 1993). Collection of around 600
demos made popular by Dick and Rae through demonstration workshops held at the Virginia Military Institute.
Good experiments, good explanations, and clear drawings and photographs. (E)
String and Sticky Tape Experiments, Rodney D. Edge
(AAPT, College Park, MA, 1987). Neat book for any
teacher with little or no equipment budget who often
needs a quick and inexpensive demonstration. (E)
A Demo a Day: A Year of Physics Demonstrations,
Borislaw Bilash II and David P. Maiullo (Flinn Scientific,
Inc., Batavia, IL, 2009). Aimed at the high school physics
teacher who is “a first-year novice, full of enthusiasm and
seeking to become the best physics teacher possible,” and
who has lots of ambition, but “limited experience in
building equipment and performing demonstrations.” (E)
Don’t Forget the Duct Tape!, Brian Jones and Matt
Fackelman (Colorado State University, Fort Collins,
1997). Low cost physics demonstrations with pictures,
illustrations, and construction details. (E)
How Things Work, H. Richard Crane (AAPT, College
Park, MA, 1992). Collection of How Things Work columns from TPT from 1983 to 1991. Discussions of over
65 devices that use physics or technology with lots of
good ideas for class discussion and for individual homework assignments. (E)
How Things Work, Louis A. Bloomfield (John Wiley
and Sons, Inc., New York, 1997). Book written for use
in the general education physics course How Things
Work at the University of Virginia. Instructor’s Manual
available from the publisher. (E)
How Everything Works: Making Physics Out of the
Ordinary, Louis Bloomfield (John Wiley and Sons,
Inc., New York, 2008). Extension of How Things
Work. Covers a huge number of topics, with lots of figures and a more informal approach. (E)
The following five volumes, containing a total of about
2000 demonstrations, are the most extensive set of books
of chemistry demonstrations. The first four volumes are
written more for chemistry teachers, while the fifth volume, with its focus largely on light and color, with sections on the eye and chemical processes in the human
visual system, is also aimed at the general population of
chemistry demonstration lovers.
Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers
of Chemistry, Vol. 1, Bassam Z. Shakhashiri (University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1983). (E)
Chemical Demonstrations : A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry, Vol. 2, Bassam Z. Shakhashiri (University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1985). (E)
Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers
of Chemistry, Vol. 3, Bassam Z. Shakhashiri (University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1989). (E)
Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers
of Chemistry, Vol. 4, Bassam Z. Shakhashiri (University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1992). (E)
Richard E. Berg
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183
39. Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers
of Chemistry, Vol. 5, Bassam Z. Shakhashiri with
Rodney Schreiner and Jerry Bell (University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2011). (E)
The following three books, in the original German, comprise a three-volume series that describes many of the
demonstrations using equipment available from Klinger
Educational Equipment through the 1980s. At least two
of the books have been translated into English.
40. Physical Principles of Electricity and Magnetism,
R. W. Pohl, translated by Winifred M. Deans (Glasgow,
Blackie, and Son, London, 1930). (E, I)
41. Physical Principles of Mechanics and Acoustics,
R. W. Pohl, translated by Winifred M. Deans (Glasgow,
Blackie, and Son, London, 1932). (E, I)
42. Einführung in die Physik, Robert Wichard Pohl
(Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1930-present). (E, I)
43. Experiments and Demonstrations in Physics: Barilan Physics Laboratory, Yaakov Kraftmakher (World
Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., Singapore, 2006).
Demonstrations and laboratories at the Bar-ilan University, using mostly Pasco Scientific equipment for both
lecture demonstrations and laboratories. Section on student projects. Paperback available. (E,I)
44. Physics in 700 Experiments, Michael J. Higatsberger,
translated by Peter D. Potter (Blick in die Welt, Frankfurt, Germany, 1981). Provides variants of common
experiments, with interesting asides and new ideas for
illustrating concepts. (I)
45. 700 Science Experiments for Everyone—Revised and
Enlarged Edition, compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1956,
1962). Purposes of the book include teacher training,
sourcebook for teachers, workshop study in science
teaching, and assembling a collection of science materials. Explanations of the science are generally not
included. (E)
46. Turning the World Inside Out and 174 Other Simple
Physics Demonstrations, Robert Erlich (Princeton U.P.,
Princeton, New Jersey, 1990). Demonstrations that can
be developed and performed in class with a minimum of
effort and expense, along with philosophy of demonstrations, reference material, and tips for use of the demonstrations in class. (E)
47. Why Toast Lands Jelly-Side Down: Zen and the Art
of Physics Demonstrations, Robert Erlich (Princeton
U.P., Princeton, New Jersey, 1997). How to design and
build your own physics demonstrations, along with philosophy of what makes a good (or bad) demonstration
and how demonstrations can be used most effectively in
class. (E)
48. Clouds in a Glass of Beer: Simple Experiments in
Atmospheric Physics, Craig F. Bohren (John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., New York, 1987). Compilation of demonstrations that Professor Bohren developed while teaching a
university course in meteorology. Useful at the elementary physics level, and challenging at the graduate
physics level. (I)
49. The Complete Collection of the Amateur Scientist on
CD-ROM: Science Fair Edition (Bright Science; CDR
edition, 2006). Contains all of the Amateur Scientist
articles from the 1950s through 1999, including articles
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Am. J. Phys., Vol. 80, No. 3, March 2012
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
by Albert Ingalls, C. L. Stong, Jearl Walker, and Forrest
Mims, and the complete Amateur Scientist article index
from 1928 to 1999. (E)
The Flying Circus of Physics With Answers, Jearl
Walker (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1977). Collection of over 600 “questions” illustrating how physics is
relevant to the real world. Earlier version without
answers was published in 1975. (E, I)
Physics Can Be Fun, Y. Perelman, translated by Arthur
Shkarovsky (Mir Publishers, 1986). Experiments that
you can carry out without lots of equipment, with interesting applications of the basic physics to historical
issues and everyday life. Includes illusions, perpetualmotion machines, and debunking religious “miracles.”
(I)
101 Classroom Demonstrations and Experiments for
Teaching Physics, David Kutliroff (Parker Publishing
Company, Inc., West Nyack, New York, 1975). Collection of the most effective and reliable physics demonstrations from his experience as a high school physics
teacher and his work on the staff of the Summer Institutes for High School Physics Teachers at Rutgers University. (E)
Building Scientific Apparatus, John H. Moore, Christopher C. Davis, and Michael A. Coplan (Addison-Wesley
Publishing Company, Reading, MA, 1983). Good source
of information on how to construct demonstrations from
scratch and how to get the best from them when used in
teaching. (I,A)
Hands-On Physics Activities With Real-Life Applications: Easy-to-Use Labs and Demonstrations for
Grades 8–12, James Cunningham and Norman Herr
(The Center for Applied Research in Education, 1994).
One of the two-part Physical Science Curriculum
Library, along with a similar book on chemistry. Contains over 200 demonstrations and experiments with
detailed descriptions. (E)
Optics Experiments and Demonstrations, C. Harvey
Palmer (The Johns Hopkins U.P., Baltimore, MA, 1962).
About 60 demonstrations along with information on their
construction and use, with mathematics where helpful. (I)
Experiments in Optical Physics (Third Edition), Wallace A. Hilton (William Jewell College, Liberty, MO,
1974). About 70 experiments in optics, many usable as
demonstrations in general physics or optics classes.
Includes photographs, setup hints, analysis, and about
240 references. (I)
Exploring Laser light, T. Kallard (Optosonic Press,
New York, 1977). Great source for laser demonstrations,
including geometrical optics, physical optics, and holography. (I)
Teaching Light & Color, edited by Thomas D. Rossing
and Christopher J. Chiaverina (AAPT, College park,
MA, 2001). Ideas for teaching courses, reprints from the
The Physics Teacher, Physics Today, Jearl Walker’s
“The Amateur Scientist” column in Scientific American,
Resource Letter TLC-1: Teaching light and color,
and an extensive set of color prints. (E)
http://iweb.aapt.org/iweb/Purchase/CatalogSearchResults.
aspx?Option=2&Topic=PTRA, The PTRA Series at the
AAPT Physics Store. Twelve books written as workshop
manuals for the AAPT high school physics teacher
Physics Teaching Resource Agents (PTRAs). Each
Richard E. Berg
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184
includes the following sections: interactive activities,
background materials and bibliographies, media resources, applications, events for use in physics Olympiads or
other competitions, and test questions with answers. (E)
E. Inspiration regarding teaching with demonstrations
60. The Art and Science of Lecture Demonstration,
Charles Taylor (Taylor & Francis Group, New York and
London, 1988). How to present physics lecture demonstrations, based on the experiences of the author as a distinguished Professor of Physics at University College,
Cardiff, Wales; history of demonstration lectures in
England at the Royal Institution, chapters on topics such
as “Controversy about the value of demonstrations” and
“The use of drama.” (E,I,A)
61. “The lecture demonstration: Try it, they’ll like it,”
D. Rae Carpenter and Richard B. Minnix, Phys. Teach.
19, 391–392 (1981). Encouragement for every physics
teacher to use demonstrations as an integral part of his or
her teaching. (I)
62. “Demonstrations as an aid in the teaching of physics,”
Wallace A. Hilton, Phys. Teach. 19, 389–390 (1981). A
great teacher and demonstrator inspires other physics
teachers. (I)
63. “Confessions of a converted Lecturer,” 90-minute
recorded seminar by Professor Eric Mazur, as presented
to the Perimeter Institute, pirsa.org/10110081, Phys.
Teach. 49, 254 (2011). TPT’s Websights column discusses the presentation and gives links to a text file and a
PDF download. On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=WwslBPj8GgI (A)
64. Physics Lecture Demonstrations, With Some Problems and Puzzles, Too, compiled and annotated by
Donald Simanek. Discussion of presentations with lots
of suggestions and examples: http://www.lhup.edu/
~dsimanek/scenario/demos.htm. (A)
F. Books of demonstrations primarily for informal and
pre-high school use.
65. Bet You Can!, Vicky Cobb and Kathy Darling (Avon
Books, New York, 1983).
Includes 62 tricks that, surprisingly, you can do because
of the laws of physics. (E)
66. Bet You Can’t!, Vicky Cobb and Kathy Darling (Avon
Books, New York, 1983).
Includes 82 tricks that, surprisingly, you can’t do
because of the laws of physics. (E)
67. Demonstrations in Physics, Julius Sumner Miller (Ure
Smith, Sidney, Australia, 1969). Miller was a very popular physics demonstrator and regularly appeared on the
Johnny Carson Tonight Show. His demonstrations are
quick, simple, and compelling. (E)
68. Secrets of 123 Science Tricks and Experiments, Edi
Lanners (Tab Books Inc., Blue Ridge Summit, PA, 1981).
Emphasizes counterintuitive tricks, with classic drawings
like magic trick books in the early twentieth century. (E)
The two following books are from the column “Science
for You” in the L. A. Times.
69. 333 Science Tricks & Experiments, Robert J. Brown
(Tab Books Inc., Blue Ridge Summit, PA, 1984). (E)
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Am. J. Phys., Vol. 80, No. 3, March 2012
70. 333 More Science Tricks and Experiments, Robert J.
Brown (Tab Books, Inc., Blue Ridge Summit, PA,
1984). (E)
71. 200 Illustrated Science Experiments for Children,
Robert J. Brown (Tab Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA,
1987). Includes experiments in physics, many of which
were also run in the “Science for You” column in the
L.A. Times. (E)
72. Science for You: 112 Illustrated Experiments, Robert
J. Brown (Tab Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA, 1988).
More “Science for You” columns in the L.A. Times. (E)
73. More Science for You: 112 Illustrated Experiments,
Robert J. Brown (Tab Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA,
1998). Even more “Science for You” columns in the
L.A. Times. (E)
74. Physics for Kids, Robert W. Wood (Tab Books, Blue
Ridge Summit, PA, 1989–1990). A five-book series covering optics, mechanics, heat, acoustics, and electricity
and magnetism, with 49 experiments in each book. (E)
The following are three of about ten books constituting
the “Janice VanCleave Science for Every Kid” Series. They
are appropriate for upper elementary school students.
75. Janice VanCleave’s Physics for Every Kid: 101 Easy
Experiments in Motion, Heat, Light, Machines, and
Sound, Janice Pratt VanCleave (John Wiley & Sons,
Inc., New York, 1981). (E)
76. Janice VanCleave’s Magnets: Mind-Boggling Experiments You Can Turn Into Science Fair Projects, Janice Pratt VanCleave (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New
York, 1993). (E)
77. Janice VanCleave’s Energy for Every Kid: Easy
Activities That Make Learning Science Fun, Janice
Pratt VanCleave (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken,
New Jersey, 2006). (E)
78. The Ben Franklin Book of Easy and Incredible
Experiments: Activities, Projects, and Science Fun, A
Ben Franklin Institute of Science Museum Book (John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1995). Demonstrations
and project with a materials list of easily obtainable items
and “how to” instructions. Upper elementary grades. (E)
79. Mr. Wizard’s Supermarket Science: More Than 100
Fascinating and Fun Experiments Using Easy-toFind Everyday Items, Don Herbert, illustrated by Roy
McKie (Random House, New York, 1980). “Classic”
science experiments with brief explanations. Appropriate for upper elementary school students. (E)
80. Entertaining Science Experiments With Everyday
Objects, Martin Gardner, illustrated by Anthony Ravelli
(Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1960, 1981).
About 100 simple physics experiments, tricks and illusions that can be done with common materials. (E)
81. Science Experiments and Amusements for Children,
Charles Vivian (Dover Publications, Inc., New York,
1963). About 75 physics demonstrations that can be
done with materials that are generally found in most
homes. Upper elementary school level. (E)
G. Demonstration web sites
The Physics Instructional Resource Association (PIRA)
first met informally at the 1984 Summer Meeting of the
AAPT at the University of Maryland. In 1986 the group
Richard E. Berg
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185
began meeting formally, and in 1987 adopted the name
“Physics Instructional Resource Association.” Since that
time PIRA has taken the lead in developing demonstrationbased resources for physics teachers, demonstrations technicians, laboratory technicians, and other people generally
interested in physics teaching equipment.
Much of the work done by PIRA has been in organizing
demonstrations into a universal topical arrangement, the
PIRA Demonstration Classification Scheme (DCS). PIRA
has collected this information in an enormous data base, the
PIRA Demonstration Bibliography, which identifies about
2,500 demonstrations, and includes over 10,500 entries:
demonstrations and variants, listings in the important reference manuals identified by the group, and references in scientific journals. Many physics demonstration facilities are
organized using the PIRA DCS system.
82. http://physicslearning.colorado.edu/PiraHome or http://
www.pira-online.org, The PIRA Home Page, with links
to the PIRA DCS, the PIRA 200, and the PIRA Demonstration Bibliography.
Michael Thomason, the Physics Learning Labs Director
for the University of Colorado Physics Department and host
for the PIRA web site, has provided a Global Demonstration
Web Spider that can search more than 60 University Physics
Demonstration web sites for information regarding any demonstration using the name, the PIRA number, or key words.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
83. http://physicslearning.colorado.edu/QuerySp.html, The
Global Demo Web Spider.
The first University physics demonstration web site was
created by Keith Warren at North Carolina State University
in early 1995; ten years later there were over 75 such sites. I
have selected a smaller number of sites below and comment
briefly on their important features. Criteria for inclusion in
the list include: (1) color photographs or other documentation
of demonstrations that might be useful in understanding or
duplicating the apparatus; (2) a significant number of original
demonstrations; (3) videos of demonstrations; or (4) other
information that may be helpful in the development and use
of demonstrations, such as identifying the most popular demonstrations for use in physics courses or information on their
procurement.
84. http://pirt.asu.edu/, Arizona State University, Department of Physics, Physics Instructional Resource
Team. About 800 demonstrations; links to physics pedagogy web pages.
85. http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/, Physics Lecture Demonstrations at Boston University. About 450 listed
demonstrations; list of demonstrations used in 20 different courses; section on interactive demonstrations;
links to simulations.
86. http://www.physics.brown.edu/physics/demopages/demo/,
Brown University Department of Physics Lecture
Demonstrations. Over 450 demonstrations; daily list of
demos used in thirty courses over twelve years; links to
suppliers of demonstration equipment; summaries of
major physics video productions.
87. http://parallax.sci.csupomona.edu/demo, Physics Demonstrations at Cal Poly Pomona. Over 650 demonstrations; video links.
88. http://physicsnt.clemson.edu/phoenix/Demo_Web/Demos/
lecdem.html, Clemson University Department of
186
Am. J. Phys., Vol. 80, No. 3, March 2012
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
Physics and Astronomy Lecture-Demonstration Facility. About 500 demonstrations; suggested demonstrations
for eight courses; 40 equipment vendors with detailed contact information.
http://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do,
Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations.
Almost 1000 demonstrations, over half with detailed
descriptions and photographs; over 40 demonstration
videos and many simulations linked to demonstrations;
search engine to locate demos, videos, and simulations
using key words.
http://www.physics.isu.edu/physdemos/, Physics Demonstrations at Idaho State University. Over 400
demonstrations.
http://www.pha.jhu.edu/dept/lecdemo/, Johns Hopkins
University Physics Lecture Demonstration Resources. About 650 demonstrations; suggested demonstrations for 7 physics classes.
http://scripts.mit.edu/~tsg/www/, MIT Department
of Physics Technical Services Group. Almost 450
demonstrations with links to similar; over 50 films,
including classic 1960s films, converted to electronic
format.
http://www.physics.montana.edu/demonstrations/home.
html, Montana State University: Welcome to the
Demo Room. Almost 600 demonstrations.
http://www.physics.ncsu.edu/demoroom/, North Carolina State University Physics Demonstrations. Over
500 demonstrations; about 100 short videos, running
summary of the “Top 50” demonstrations used over the
past twelve years; list of suggested demonstrations by
chapter for eight popular textbooks; list of demonstration equipment suppliers; “Isaac & Albert’s Excellent
Adventure” public programs.
http://physicslearning.colorado.edu/ldl, University of
Colorado Lecture Demonstration Laboratory. About
425 demonstrations with equipment list, brief description, and history of use; running lists of the demonstrations used by all physics and astronomy classes.
http://www.phys.ufl.edu/demo/index.html, University
of Florida Physics Department Demonstration Page.
About 425 demonstrations; over 100 short videos.
http://demo.physics.uiuc.edu/LectDemo/, University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Physics Lecture
Demonstrations. About 750 demonstrations.
http://faraday.physics.uiowa.edu/, University of Iowa
Physics and Astronomy Lecture Demonstrations.
Over 1325 demonstrations; over 250 short videos of
demonstrations; extensive listings of teacher resources;
links to science humor and physics songs; links to science museums, libraries, archives, and history; “HawkEyes on Science” outreach program.
http://www.physics.umd.edu/lecdem/,
University
of Maryland Physics Lecture-Demonstration
Facility. Over 1550 demonstrations; over 500 short
videos of demonstrations; suggested demonstrations for
courses, summaries of demonstration use over a nine
year period in 15 courses and total use; the Physics
Question of the Week, Physics is Phun local demonstration programs and traveling programs.
https://webapps.lsa.umich.edu/physics/demolab/, University of Michigan Physics Demonstration Home
Page. Over 800 demonstrations; over 50 short videos
Richard E. Berg
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186
101.
102.
103.
104.
105.
106.
107.
108.
109.
of demonstrations; lists of (1) simple, (2) hands-on, and
(3) inexpensive demonstrations.
http://groups.physics.umn.edu/demo/, University of
Minnesota Physics Lecture Demonstrations. Over
1000 demonstrations with about 700 attached videos;
separate list of available videos.
http://physics.unl.edu/undergrad/demonstrations.html,
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Physics and Astronomy Lecture Demonstration Catalogs. About
685 demonstrations, outreach for elementary students,
both traveling and local programs; summer astronomy
workshop for teachers; new demo facility with compact
shelving and inventory system.
http://www.physics.wisc.edu/facultywiki/Demonstrations,
University of Wisconsin Physics Lecture Demonstrations. Over 1000 demonstrations; WIKI system to
search information on demonstrations; pictures of 50
exhibits in the “L. R. Ingersoll Physics Museum” established in 1918: http://www.physics.wisc.edu/museum/
http://www.physics.wsu.edu/demos/,
Washington
State University Department of Physics and Astronomy
Lecture
Demonstrations.
Over
500
demonstrations.
http://www.uvm.edu/~dahammon/museum/, University of Vermont Physics Department Antique Demonstrations and Apparatus. Pictorial catalog of
historical equipment, catalogued by maker, device,
topic, and date. (I)
http://physics.kenyon.edu/EarlyApparatus/index.html,
Instruments for Natural Philosophy, Thomas
Greenslade, Kenyon College. Pictures, descriptions,
documentation, and references for about 1850 pieces
of apparatus. (I)
http://littleshop.physics.colostate.edu/index.html, The
Little Shop of Physics, Brian Jones, Colorado State
University. Demonstrations for programs for precollege students and teachers, annual open house, and
demonstration workshops for teachers. (I)
http://van.physics.illinois.edu/k12/, Department of
Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Science 2 Schools. University of Illinois Physics Van
home page, including a map of the United States with
links to all of the known traveling physics programs in
the states. To add your program to the list, email physvan@illinois.edu. (E)
http://www.aps.org/programs/outreach/guide/road/
programs.cfm, American Physical Society: Physics
on the Road Programs. Listing of traveling physics
programs known to the American Physical Society.
Contact the webmaster to send in your information. (E)
H. Demonstration videos
110. http://www.edgroup.org/, The Video Encyclopedia of
Physics Demonstrations, John A. Davis, Brett Carroll,
Richard E. Berg, and Jearl Walker, Spanish translations
by Adelaida. Lopez-Mejia, Josip Slisko, and Raul A.
Brito Orta (Bennett Glotzer, The Education Group, Inc.,
2011) 600 physics demonstrations, filmed mostly at the
University of Washington, covering all areas of physics,
with accompanying written literature and reference material; appropriate for high schools and college and university basic physics courses. (E)
187
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111. http://www.physicscurriculum.com/video.htm, Physics
Curriculum & Instruction, Physics DVD Titles.
Twenty videos of approximately 30-minutes length are
available: mechanics (6 films), heat (3 films), sound
and waves (3 films), light (2 films), electricity and magnetism (3 films), space flight (3 films) and high-speed
photography (1 film). (E)
112. http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/wop.htm, Wonders of
Physics, Julien Clinton Sprott (University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1986–2010). The Wonders of Physics, series of public demonstration lectures at the University
of Wisconsin since 1986. All lectures have been videotaped, and are available from the University of Wisconsin in DVD format. (E)
113. http://www.ovguide.com/tv/the_kinetic_karnival_of_
jearl_walker.htm, The Kinetic Karnival of Jearl
R , CleveWalker, Jearl Walker (WVIZ/PBS IdeastreamV
land, OH, 2011). Set of six 30-minute videos produced
in the 1970s. Titles include: Forces and Collisions,
Rotation, Fluid Flow and Friction, Viscosity, The Leidenfrost Effect, and The Science of Cooking. Information
R Idea CenterV
R : http://www.
at WVIZ/PBS IdeastreamV
wviz.org/index.php/education/itv_order/13283/. (E)
114. http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/video?viewall=1,
Steve Spangler’s Science, Steve Spangler (Steve Spangler’s Science, 2011). Over 300 short videos of demonstrations performed by Steve Spangler on Science
Mondays on KUSA-TV 9 News in Denver. (E)
115. http://www.physics.umd.edu/lecdem/services/refs/
DIAdescrip.htm Demonstrations in Acoustics, Richard E. Berg and David G. Stork (Physics Department,
University of Maryland, 1979, 2004). Two 2-hour
DVDs with demonstrations in vibrations, waves, and
sound, at the introductory level. (E)
116. http://courses2.cit.cornell.edu/physicsdemos/, The
Physics Video Demonstration Database, Cornell University (Matthias Liepe, 2008–2011). The Database
includes about 180 films produced at Cornell as well as
films from other institutions. (E,I)
117. http://www.wfu.edu/physics/demolabs/demos/avimov/
bychptr/bychptr.htm, Wake Forest University
Physics Demonstration Videos. Over 150 short videos of demonstrations. (E)
118. http://video_demos.colostate.edu/, Engineering and
Physics Video Demonstrations, Dave G. Alciatore
(Colorado State University, 2011). Demonstration videos, along with simulations, covering physics and engineering topics. (E,I,A)
119. http://alfredleitner.com/, Alfred Leitner’s Old Physics
Stories. Five excellent movies in the areas of low temperature physics (at Michigan State University) and
classical optics (at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute),
produced by Professor Alfred Leitner. (I)
The six DVD set below was a project of the AAPT
to collect a number of classic 1960s film loops and
16 mm films into a single set using DVD format
(originally videodisc), making them more
accessible to physics teachers, most specifically
for middle schools and high schools.
120. Physics: Cinema Classics A: Mechanics (I), (American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park,
MA). (E)
Richard E. Berg
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187
121. Physics: Cinema Classics B: Mechanics (II) & Heat,
(AAPT, College Park, MA). (E)
122. Physics: Cinema Classics C: Waves (I), (AAPT, College Park, MA). (E)
123. Physics: Cinema Classics D: Waves (II) & Electricity and Magnetism, (AAPT, College Park, MA). (E)
124. Physics: Cinema Classics E: Conservation Laws,
(AAPT, College Park, MA). (E)
125. Physics: Cinema Classics F: Angular Momentum
and Modern Physics, (AAPT, College Park, MA). (E)
The three sets of physics single-concept films
below, most of which were originally published in
the 1960s and 1970s as silent 8mm film loops,
have been converted to DVD format with a soundtrack added. A Teacher’s Guide is also provided,
with information that was originally printed on the
film loop boxes.
126. Physics Single-Concept Films: Collection 1, Robert
G. Fuller, Editor (AAPT Instructional Materials Center,
1993). The 35-loop set includes Motion, Motion in the
Heavens and Modern Physics, Momentum and Energy
and Waves, and Collisions. (E)
127. Physics Single-Concept Films: Collection 2, Robert
G. Fuller, Editor (AAPT Instructional Materials Center,
1993). The 38-loop set includes Mechanics, Collisions
and Periodic Motion, Behavior of Gases, and Light and
Electricity and Magnetism. (E)
128. Physics Single-Concept Films: The Miller Collection,
Robert G. Fuller, Editor (AAPT Instructional Materials
Center, 1993). The 21-loop set includes Mechanics,
Waves, and Molecular, Atomic, and Nuclear Physics. (E)
129. Twin Views of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse, DVD with two video segments documenting the
collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge: (1) the 30 2000
silent segment from the original Tacoma Narrows
Bridge Collapse silent 8 mm film loop by Franklin
Miller, and (2) the 70 4000 segment taken from the videodisc The Puzzle of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse
by Fuller, Zollman, and Campbell, including comments
by one of the bridge engineers and a newspaper reporter
who lost his dog and his car in the carnage. (E)
130. Frames of Reference, J. N. Patterson Hume and
Donald Glenn Ivey (PSSC Physics Films, 1960). Classic film converted to DVD format now available from
the AAPT. The two original experts present interesting
material in their unique way. (E)
131. Photons/Interference of Photons, John G. King
(PSSC Physics Films, 1959, distributed in videodisc
format by Central Scientific Company, Franklin Park,
Illinois, Copyright EDC, Inc., 1959). These films form
a nice set, narrated by the original researcher. (E,I)
132. Charles and Ray Eames: Pioneers of Visual Ideas,
Visual Pathfinders, Catalog #31537 (Ray Eames and
Laserdisc Corporation of America, 1988). Videodisc
includes the original “Powers of Ten” video, with narration by Philip Morrison. “Powers of Ten” can also be
found in several versions on YouTube. (E)
I. Physics computer simulations
An enormous number of physics simulations have been
developed during recent years, and are readily available on
188
Am. J. Phys., Vol. 80, No. 3, March 2012
both university and commercial web sites. Terms such as
simulation, animation, Applet, and model, as well as WolfR
gang Christian’s PhysletV
apply to these programs. I
selected the sources below based on two primary criteria: (1)
a significant number of quality simulations and (2) the simulations must be original, not simply copies or links to those
by another source.
R Physics: Interactive Illustrations, Explora133. PhysletV
tions and Problems for Introductory Physics, Wolfgang Christian and Mario Belloni (Addison-Wesley,
R
Reading, MA, 2004). CD-ROM with over 800 PhysletV
exercises. (E)
R Quantum Physics: An Interactive Intro134. PhysletV
duction, Mario Belloni, Wolfgang Christian, and Anne
Cox (Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 2005). CD-ROM
with over 200 Physlet exercises. (E)
R : Teaching Physics With Interactive Cur135. PhysletsV
ricular Material, Wolfgang Christian and Mario Belloni (Addison-Wesley, Reading Massachusetts, 2001).
How to use the Davidson Physlets; supplement to
books written by Douglas C. Giancoli. (E)
R : Web-Based Interactive Physics Prob136. PhysletsV
lems: A CD to accompany the book Physlets: Teaching Physics with Interactive Curricular Material,
Wolfgang Christian and Mario Belloni. (Physics
Department, Davidson College, 2001). (E)
137. http://webphysics.davidson.edu/applets/applets.html,
PhysletsV: The Physlets Resource Page, with links to
important pages and references, including workshops.
(Wolfgang Christian, Davidson College, 2005-present).
(E)
138. http://webphysics.davidson.edu/physlet_resources/bu_
R Simulations and Anisemester1/index.html, PhysletV
mations for First-Semester Physics (Physics Department, Davidson College, 2011). Nearly 100 physlets.
(E)
139. http://webphysics.davidson.edu/physlet_resources/bu_
R Simulations and Anisemester2/index.html, PhysletV
mations for Second-Semester Physics (Physics
Department, Davidson College, 2011). About 100
physlets. (E)
140. http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/classroom.html, Physics
Simulations, Andrew Duffy (Boston University). Simulations based on a similar set at Davidson College.
The author is currently writing a set of “iPhone applications.” (E)
141. http://www.kineticbooks.com/index.php,
Virtual
Physics Labs, Kinetic Books (Kinetic Books Company, 2001–2010). Labs accompany Kinetic Books
texts, and are written at three levels: Conceptual
Physics, Principles of Physics, and Physics for Scientists and Engineers. (E)
142. http://www.physicscurriculum.com/software.htm, Physics
Curriculum & Instruction, Physics and Astronomy
Educational Software (Physics Curriculum and Instruction, Lakeville, MN, 2010). Standard topics in physics,
also materials on sports, amusement park rides, and an astronomy observatory. (E,I)
143. http://www.falstad.com/mathphysics.html, Physics
Applets, by Paul Falstad. About 50 excellent simulations. (E)
144. http://www.lon-capa.org/~mmp/applist/applets.htm, The
Applet Collection, Wolfgang Bauer (LON-KAPPA,
R
Richard E. Berg
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188
145.
146.
147.
148.
149.
150.
151.
152.
153.
154.
155.
156.
157.
158.
189
1999). Over 60 applets, including color mixing applets
easily operable by inexperienced persons. (E)
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/index.pl, Physics
2000: A University of Colorado at Boulder Website
(University of Colorado, 2000). Applets mostly covering
areas of atomic and nuclear physics; useful for the general student population. (E,I)
http://phet.colorado.edu/, PhET Interactive Simulations, PhET project at the University of Colorado; over
80 simulations, including interdisciplinary topics. (E)
http://www.walter-fendt.de/ph14e/index.html, Java
Applets on Physics, Walter Fendt (Walter Fendt, 2010).
Over 50 applets, with emphasis on classical physics. (E)
http://www.kettering.edu/physics/drussell/Demos.html,
Acoustics and Vibration Animations, Dan Russell
(Kettering University, 2010). Over 50 animations: Airborne Sound Waves and Sources, and Vibration and
Structural Waves, and Other Wave Phenomena (not
acoustics, but still waves), many useful in advanced
mechanics or vibration studies. (E,I)
http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/GeneralInterest/Harrison/
Flash/, Flash Animations for Physics, David M. Harrison (University of Toronto, 2002-2004). Collection of
over 100 animations using Flash, some quite sophisticated. (E,I)
http://jersey.uoregon.edu/, Physics Applets (The University of Oregon). About 40 animations, including
topics in Energy and the Environment, and a
“graphing” applet. (E)
http://surendranath.tripod.com/Applets.html, General
Physics Java Applets, Developed by B. Surendranath
Reddy (B. Surendranath Reddy, 2004). Available on
line or on a CD. (E)
http://www.physics.uoguelph.ca/applets/Intro_physics/
kisalev/, Interactive Physics and Math With Java,
Sergey Kiselev and Tanya Yanovsky-Kiselev (University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 1997). (E)
http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/109N/more_stuff/
flashlets/home.htm, Physics Flashlets, Michael Fowler,
Jacquie Hui Wan Ching, Heather Welch, Michael Timmins, and Aris Stylianopoulos (Michael Fowler mf1i@
virginia.edu, 2003). Animations with explanatory materials and links to the lectures where Professor Fowler
uses them. (E,I)
http://www.design-simulation.com/IP/index.php, Interactive Physics, (Design Simulation Technologies, Inc.,
2007–2011). 150 simulations and 58 interactive exercises. (E)
http://www.physics.orst.edu/~rubin/nacphy/CPapplets/,
Computational Physics Applets, (Department of Physics,
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 2008). Bilingual effort with University of Antioquia, Medellin,
Columbia. Includes chaos, fractals, and particle accelerators. (E)
http://www.compadre.org/osp/search/categories.cfm?
t=Simulation, Open Source Physics: Simulations.
Very large collection of simulations. (I)
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/topics.html,
The
Wolfram Demonstrations Project. Contains 7020(!)
simulations, very professionally set up, easy to operate,
and free. (E,I)
http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/index.html,
MIT Physics 8.2 Electricity and Magnetism: Tech-
Am. J. Phys., Vol. 80, No. 3, March 2012
159.
160.
161.
162.
nology Enabled Active Learning Main Page. Java
and Shockwave animations covering areas of vector
fields, electrostatics, magnetostatics, Faraday’s law,
and light, part of the curriculum for the MIT Studio
Physics project in electricity and magnetism. (I)
http://condon.colorado.edu/~chg/Physics3220/Animations.
html, Physics 3220 Quantum Animations (Stephanie
Staley and Chris H. Greene, 1995). Mathematica
Notebooks, part of a course in Quantum Mechanics at
the University of Colorado. (I,A)
http://web.phys.ksu.edu/vqm/,
Visual
Quantum
Mechanics, Kansas State University Physics Education
Research, 2011. Simulations created by the KSU PER
Group. (E,I)
Visual Quantum Mechanics: Selected Topics With
Computer-Generated Animations of QuantumMechanical Phenomena, Bernd Thaller (Springer,
New York, 2000). Book and CD with Mathematica
applications for 1, 2 dimensional quantum mechanics
problems. (I)
Advanced Visual Quantum Mechanics, Bernd Thaller (Springer, New York, 2004). Second of a twovolume set, with three dimensional problems. (I,A)
J. Physics Education Research Involving Demonstrations
and Simulations
By about 1980, serious study was initiated in Physics Education Research. Initially, the results of this research were
published in TPT and the AJP; in 1999 the AJP began to
issue supplements for Physics Education Research once or
twice a year. In 2005 this research area was formally recognized by the American Physical Society, with its own journal: Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education
Research, published twice yearly. One of the topics in PER
is the use of demonstrations in physics teaching. Research
includes the teaching value of demonstrations, techniques for
the teaching and evaluation of learning using demonstrations, and how to best use demonstrations in teaching.
163. “Resource letter: PER-1: physics education research,”
Lillian C. McDermott and Edward F. Redish, Am.
J. Phys. 67, 755–767 (1999). Includes effectiveness of
demonstrations in teaching physics. A large section
involves detailed studies of topics in general physics,
with smaller sections on various aspects of student
learning. (A)
164. Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual, Eric Mazur
(Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1997). Students
are given the opportunity to discuss and vote as to the
outcome of a demonstration experiment before the
experiment is carried out, then given the opportunity to
further discuss the outcome after seeing the demonstration. (A)
165. Just-in-Time Teaching, Gregor M. Novak, Evelyn T.
Patterson, Andrew D. Gavrin, and Wolfgang Christian
(Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458, 1999).
Uses feedback from pre-class web assignments to
adjust classroom lessons so that students receive rapid
responses to questions and problems. (A)
166. “Peer Instruction: Ten years of experience and results,”
Catherine H. Crouch and Eric Mazur, Am. J. Phys. 69,
970–977 (2001). Studies show increased student
Richard E. Berg
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189
167.
168.
169.
170.
171.
172.
173.
174.
175.
176.
190
mastery of both conceptual reasoning and quantitative
problem solving using PI. (A)
Catherine Crouch, Jessica Watkins, Adam Fagen, and
Eric Mazur, “Peer Instruction: Engaging students oneon-one, all at once,” in Research-Based Reform of
University Physics, edited by E. F. Redish and P. Cooney (AAPT, College Park, MD, 2007), pp. 1–55.
http://www.per-central.org/document/ServeFile.cfm?
ID=4990
Describes PI in a variety of teaching situations and how
PI can be used to improve conceptual reasoning and
problem solving. (A)
“Using JiTT with Peer Instruction,” Jessica Watkins
and Eric Mazur, in Just in Time Teaching Across the
Disciplines, edited by Scott Simkins and Mark Maier
(Stylus Publishing, Sterling, VA, 2009) pp. 39–62.
Methods to help students and instructors monitor learning as it happens, strengthening the benefits of rapid
feedback. (A)
“Peer Instruction: From Harvard to Community
Colleges,” Nathaniel Lasry, Eric Mazur, and Jessica
Watkins, Am. J. Phys. 76, 1066–1069 (2008). Students
with less background learn more compared to students
with more background, and the attrition rate is reduced.
(A)
“Peer Instruction: Results from a Range of Classrooms,” Adam P. Fagan, Catherine H. Crouch, and Eric
Mazur, Phys. Teach. 40, 206–209 (2002). Summarizes
results from PI use in university, four-year college,
two-year college, and high school. (A)
http://www.wiley.com/college/sc/cummings/suite.html,
The Physics Suite, Karen Cummings, Priscilla Laws,
Edward F. Redish, Patrick Cooney, David Sokoloff,
and Ronald Thornton. Interactive learning strategies
based upon PER that are increasingly being used in
physics instruction. Includes ten major books by the
various authors. (A)
http://www.physics.umd.edu/perg/ILD.htm, Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs) from the UMD
PERG, The University of Maryland Physics Education
Research Group (E. F. Redish, 2005). Worksheets for
interactive demonstrations by the UM PERG. (A)
http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/demonstrations/, Starting Point: Teaching Entry Level Geoscience,
Dorothy Merritts, Robert Walter, Bob MacKay, Mark
Maier, Rochelle Ruffer, Sue Stockly, and Ronald
Thornton (Science Education Center, Carlton College,
2010). Almost 100 interactive lecture demonstrations.
(A)
http://www.physics.umd.edu/lecdem/outreach/QOTW/
active/questions.htm The Physics Question of the
Week, Richard E. Berg (Physics Department, University of Maryland, 2001–2010). 365 physics questions
useful as interactive demonstrations. (E)
“The Introductory University Physics Project,” John S.
Rigden, Donald F. Holcomb, and Rosanne Di Stefano,
Phys. Today 64, 32–37 (1993). The Introductory University Physics Project (IUPP) was a major study of the
calculus-based introductory physics courses at nine
major American University physics departments. (A)
“Preliminary IUPP results: Student reactions to in-class
demonstrations and to the presentation of coherent
themes,” R. Di Stefano, Am. J. Phys. 64, 58–68 (1996).
Am. J. Phys., Vol. 80, No. 3, March 2012
177.
178.
179.
180.
181.
182.
183.
184.
185.
186.
187.
Results of the study, student interviews and surveys,
and examples. (A)
“Intuitive physics,” Michael McClosky, Sci. Am.
248(4), 122–130 (1983). This was a seminal paper
involving young students’ understanding of Newton’s
laws: (1) the trajectory of a ball moving in a circular
track after it leaves the track and (2) the trajectory of a
projectile after it is released by a person moving along
a straight path. (A)
“Using interactive lecture demonstrations to create an
active learning environment,” D. R. Sokoloff and R. K.
Thornton, Phys. Teach., 35, 340–347 (1997).
Computer-based interactive lecture demonstrations to
study kinematics and dynamics. (A)
“Computers in teaching science: To simulate or not to
simulate?,” Richard N. Steinberg, Am. J. Phys. 68, S37
(2000). Use of simulations resulted in differences in
how students approached learning, but exam results
were about the same. (A)
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1997PhDT...54K, “Promoting Active Learning in Lecture-Based Courses: Demonstrations, Tutorials, and Interactive Tutorial Lectures,”
Pamela Ann Kraus, Ph. D. dissertation, University of
Washington, 1997, University Microfilms, UMI No.
9736313. Lecture demonstrations, as typically shown,
do not aid understanding of the concepts that the demonstrations are intended to show. (A)
http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/Hake-SriLankaAssessb.pdf, “Assessment of Physics Teaching
Methods,” Richard R. Hake, Proceedings of the
UNESCO-ASPEN Workshop on Active Learning in
Physics, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2–4 December 2002. Methods to assess the effectiveness of
demonstrations. Almost 100 references are listed, with
direct links to on-line PDF versions of many papers. (A)
“Classroom demonstrations: Learning tools or entertainment?,” Catherine H. Crouch, Adam P. Fagen, John
Paul Callan, and Eric Mazur, Am. J. Phys. 72, 835–838
(2004). Prediction of outcomes produces greater understanding; passive observation does not. (A)
http://www.compadre.org/per/items/detail.cfm?ID=2848,
“Why May Students Fail to Learn from Demonstrations? A Social Practice Perspective on Learning in
Physics,” Wolff-Michael Roth, Campbell J. McRobbie,
Keith B. Lucas, and Sylvie Boutonne, J. Res. Sci.
Teach. 10, 509–533 (1997).
“Role of experiments in physics instruction—a process
approach,” E. Etkina, A. Van Heuvelen, D. T. Brookes,
and D. Mills, Phys. Teach. 40, 351–355 (2002). (A)
“Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A
six-thousand student survey of mechanics test data for
introductory physics courses,” R. Hake, Am. J. Phys.
66, 64–74 (1998). (A)
“Use of interactive lecture demonstrations: A ten year
study,” Manjula D. Sharma, Ian D. Johnston, Helen
Johnston, Kevin Varvell, Gordon Robertson, Andrew
Hopkins, Chris Stewart, Ian Cooper, and Ronald Thornton, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 6, 020119 (2010)
[9 pages]. Students exposed to ILDs showed higher
learning gains. (A)
“An Implementation of physics by inquiry in a largeenrollment class,” Rachel Scherr, Phys. Teach. 41,
113–118 (2003). (A)
Richard E. Berg
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190
188. “Transforming the lecture hall environment: The fully
interactive physics lecture,” David E. Meltzer and Kandiah Manivannan, Am. J. Phys. 70, 639–654 (2002).
Interactive demonstrations were found to be very effective; 94-item reference list! (A)
189. http://www.compadre.org/per/items/detail.cfm?ID=
10575, “Comparing Student Learning in Mechanics
Using Simulations and Hands-on Activities,” Adrian
Carmichael, Jacquelyn J. Chini, N. Sanjay Rebello,
and Sadhana Puntambekar, Physics Education
Research Conference 2010, Part of the PER Conference series, Portland, OR: July 21–22, 2010, Vol.
1289, pp. 89–92. Students who used modeling could
answer questions more correctly, though neither
group could offer sound reasoning. (A)
190. http://gng.phooeyhoo.com/modeling/hestenes.pdf, “Toward
a modeling theory of physics instruction,” David Hestenes, Am. J. Phys. 55, 440–454 (1987). Modeling
Instruction Program at Arizona State University. (A)
191. http://modeling.asu.edu/r&e/research.html,
Modeling
Instruction Program Research, David Hestenes. Listing of publications regarding modeling and the FCI. (A)
One issue in Physics Education Research is evaluation of
the effectiveness of tests such as the Force Concept Inventory, a multiple-choice test on Newton’s laws. The papers
below provide some background regarding this issue.
192. http://modeling.asu.edu/R&E/FCI.PDF, “Force Concept Inventory,” David Hestenes, Malcolm Wells, and
Gregg Swackhamer, Phys. Teach. 30, 141–158 (1992).
An early article describing research supporting the
Force Concept Inventory. (A)
193. “What does the force concept inventory actually measure?,” Douglas Huffman and Patricia Heller, Phys.
Teach. 33, 138–143 (1995). Analysis of the Force Concept Inventory may be more complicated than Hestenes, Wells, and Swackhamer suggest. (A)
194. http://modeling.asu.edu/r&e/InterFCI.pdf, “Interpreting
the force concept inventory: A response to Huffman
and Heller: David Hestenes and Ibrahim Halloun, Phys.
Teach. 33, 502 (1995). (A)
195. http://www.physics.emory.edu/~weeks/journal/hestenestpt95b.pdf, “Interpreting the force concept inventory: A
reply to Hestenes and Halloun,” Patricia Heller and
Douglas Huffman, Phys. Teach. 33, 503–511 (1995). (A)
196. http://www.physics.umd.edu/perg/dissertations/Saul/
Chapter4.PDF, “Beyond problem solving: Evaluating
introductory physics courses through the hidden curriculum,” UMD PERG Ph.D. Dissertation: Jeffery M.
Saul (1998). Chapter 4: Multiple Choice Concept
Tests: The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) reviews
the concerns about the FCI. (A)
191
Am. J. Phys., Vol. 80, No. 3, March 2012
197. http://homepages.wmich.edu/~chenders/Publications/
TPT2002.pdf, “Common concerns about the force concept inventory,” Charles Henderson, Phys. Teach. 40,
542–547 (2002). (A)
A provocative teaching technique is to purposefully
create incorrect models or simulations and ask students
to find the errors:
198. “Teaching physics (and some computation) using intentionally incorrect simulations,” Anne J. Cox, William
F. Junkin, III, Wolfgang Christian, Mario Belloni, and
Francisco Esquembre, Phys. Teach. 49, 273–276 (2011).
Electric field simulations that are intentionally incorrect,
where the task is for students to find and correct the
errors. (A)
199. http://www.compadre.org/OSP/items/detail.cfm?ID=
9964, Electric Field: What is Wrong? Package, Anne
Cox, Wolfgang Christian, and Francisco Esquembre.
(The Open Source Physics Project is supported by NSF
DUE-0442581). (E,I)
200. http://www.physics.umd.edu/lecdem/services/demos/
demosc2/c2-11.htm, Racing Balls, Richard E. Berg,
University of Maryland Physics Lecture-Demonstration
Facility. Interactive demonstration used in conjunction
with computer animation. (E,I,A)
201. http://groups.physics.umn.edu/physed/People/Tom%
20Koch/2_tracks/, Two-Tracks Animations, from
Tom Thaden Koch, Ph.D. thesis: “A Coordination
Class Analysis of College Students’ Judgments about
Animated Motion.” Students reviewed computer animations that show all three possible solutions to the
racing balls problem. (A)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I give special thanks to PIRA and to several of its members who were very helpful in providing important information for this Resource Letter, as well as Professor Joe Redish
(University of Maryland) for his insightful comments regarding physics education research. I also thank the reviewers of
this Resource Letter, particularly Wolfgang Rueckner (Harvard University) and Dale Stille (University of Iowa) for
their helpful suggestions. Most importantly, I thank Keith
Warren (North Carolina State University) and Brad Shue
(now at the University of Cincinnati) for a very thoughtful
and detailed conversation at the 1995 AAPT Summer Meeting, during which they told me about the new interconnection of computers known as the World Wide Web, and
suggested how it could be used to propagate pictures and information about physics demonstrations. This discussion
inspired me to create the physics demonstration web site at
the University of Maryland in 1996.
Richard E. Berg
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