Physics News February 2014
www.vicphysics.org
Prepared by
The AIP (Vic Branch) Education Committee
Beginning Teachers:
In-Services and a Mentor Scheme
The AIP Education Committee is keen to
assist new physics teachers.
It is offering two programs:
i) An in-service program of full day inservice on Monday, 7th April. The event is
free and travel assistance is available for
country participants.
The event will be held at metropolitan school,
actual venue to be confirmed.
ii) The mentor scheme. Several retired
physics teachers have offered their services to
support new teachers.
For details www.vicphysics.org/support.html
Physics Equipment Grants
The AIP (Vic Branch) Education Committee
plans to use some of its funds to provide
essential physics equipment to under-resourced
schools with negligible equipment budgets.
Schools will need to apply by the second Friday
in March each year.
Grants will be made at the end of Term 2 this
year.
Condition:
 At least one teacher currently at the school
must have attended either the current year's
Physics Teachers' Conference or the
previous year's conference.
Information about typical items and an
application form can be found at
www.vicphysics.org/equipment.html
Applications should be sent to: Physics
Equipment Grants, c/- Australian Institute of
Physics (Vic Branch) Education Committee, PO
Box 3054, Richmond VIC 3121.
Physics Days at Luna Park
Tuesday - Thursday, 4th - 6th March
Cost: $23.95 per student. Teachers ride for free.
To make a reservation contact Luna Park by
phone
on
(03)
9525
5033.
Check
www.vicphysics.org/lunapark.html for details of
the worksheets and other information.
Pasco and Vernier dataloggers can be booked for
a full or a half day by an email to the AIP at
danok@bigpond.com with subject: 'Datalogger
booking'. There is no charge. Students may also
wish to use the app 'SPARKVue', which records
the acceleration data from the built-in
accelerometers in the devices.
Synchrotron: Teachers wishing to make a day of
it, can also book a one hour excursion to the
Synchrotron before or after Luna Park. Check
above website for details.
Aerobatics. One of the RAAF Roulettes will be
performing an aerobatic display above St Kilda
beach adjacent to Luna Park at 10:00am on each
day. Check above website for details.
Practical Activities Workshops
and Equipment Fair
Monday, 30th June
The successful event from 2013 will be repeated
in 2014 with more features again at Camberwell
Grammar School.
The program event will include:
a. hands on, self paced workshops on
practical activities for various VCE Physics
topics. The workshops are nominally for those
new to teaching or new to teaching physics, but
they will be of value to anyone seeking to
renew or refresh their ideas.
b. presentation of the demonstrations for
various VCE Physics topics for those seeking
to enrich their repertoire of demos,
c. discussion groups on Paul Hewitt's
'Conceptual
Physics'
approach
to
demonstrations,
d. all day displays of physics equipment from
the main suppliers.
Victorian Young Physicists’
Tournament
2014 AIP Physics Video Clip Contest
Theme: Climate Change
A competition for Victorian Years 10 and 11
students with an emphasis on team based
experimental investigations and oral reporting
in competition.
Open to students in Victorian schools.
Students are encouraged to video a discussion
between two or more students regarding
Climate Change in which some students ask
FAQs and the other students answer the
questions explaining the Science involved with
or without visual aid.
In the course of the year students, in teams of
three, investigate three topics. Then later in the
year, they present their findings in scientific
discussions, defend them and in turn, challenge
the findings of other teams.
The topics for investigation in the common set
relate to Units 1 and 2 content.
Advice and suggestions and information about
the contest rules and entry agreement can be
found at
www.vicphysics.org/Videocontest.html .
Prize pool: up to $1000
For 2014 the topics are:
1. Conductivity of pencil lines: The lines,
drawn by so-called ‘lead’ pencils, conduct
electricity. Investigate the factors that
determine the resistance of the line.
2. Bouncing ball: If you hold a Ping-Pong ball
above the ground and release it, it bounces.
The nature of the collision changes if the ball
contains liquid. Investigate how the nature of
the collision depends on the amount of liquid
inside the ball and other relevant parameters.
3. Rubber motor: A twisted rubber band
stores energy and can be used to power a
model aircraft, for example. Investigate the
properties of such an energy source and how its
power output changes with time
Dates: Year 10's - Tuesday, 2nd December
Year 11's - Wednesday,3rd December
Venue: Quantum Victoria, Macleod West.
To Register: Schools don't need to register
until the first day of Term 4. One teacher
should be nominated for each team, who may
be required to be a member of the judging
panel.
Further Information: Check
www.vicphysics.org/vypt.html for regulations,
etc.
Check www.vicphysics.org/vypt2013.html for
topics, results and examples of student work
from the 2013 competition.
Entry: The video may not be longer than three
minutes in length. Professional editing is not
required. Please note: Unsafe practices will
not be accepted.
Closing Date: Videos will be accepted until
the first day of term 4.
2014 AIP Physics Photo Contest
Open to students in Victorian schools.
The photos should involve everyday situations
that may demonstrate a variety of physics
concepts or a set up to show a particular
physics concept or related set of concepts.
Prize pool: up to $1000
Entry: The photo must be submitted as an
email attachment and accompanied by a
statement of 250 words or less describing the
physics in the photo and must be written by the
entrant.
Entrants may submit more than one photo,
however each entrant can receive only one
prize.
More details about the Contest Rules and Entry
Agreement
can
be
found
at
www.vicphysics.org/photocontest.html
Closing Date: Photos will be accepted until
the first day of Term 4.
The AIP (Vic Branch)
Education Committee
What do they do?
The Education Committee is a committee of
physics teachers, both current and retired,
teacher educators and academics.
The
Committee sees its role as supporting physics
teachers and physics teaching, and it also seeks
to encourage student participation in physics.
AIP Email Newsletter
The Committee maintains an email list of
physics teachers. Currently there are over
1000 addresses on the list. The list is used to
send out regular email newsletters.
If you would like to be on the email list, please
send an email to danok@bigpond.com
The newsletter contains information on:
The Committee meets monthly after school to
 Events for students, such as talks and
work for physics in the following areas:competitions,
 Liaising with VCAA on curriculum,
 Events for teachers, such as PD activities
 Distributing an email newsletter to physics
and general interest lectures,
teachers several times each term,
 New resources for teaching physics, such
 Preparing a detailed written review of the
as useful websites and curriculum
VCE Physics Exam,
material, and
 Planning the annual Physics Teachers
 Recent physics research that might interest
Conference in association with STAV,
teachers or provide an applications link to
 Planning and managing PD activities,
VCE content.
 Organising physics activities for secondary
school students, such as the VCE Physics
The newsletter has been running for several
Days at Luna Park and Photonics
years now, so the cumulative file of useful
workshops,
resources is quite extensive. The document of
 Administering a website of resources for
200 items can be downloaded from:
teachers: www.vicphysics.org,
www.vicphysics.org/AIPnews.html
 Surveying physics teachers on their
qualifications, teaching experience and
Similarly the physics research items have been
retirement plans,
compiled and indexed by the relevant Area of
 Undertaking
research
on
student
Study. The research stories can be used to
participation in VCE Physics,
enhance teaching or promotional material on
 Advising the AIP on educational matters
classroom display boards. These can be
and making submissions to government
accessed at the above address.
inquiries on education.
Regular attendees at AIP Education Committee Meetings:
Gary Bass
Retired
Colin Hopkins
Bialik College
Chris Bowen Caulfield Grammar School (WH)
Shane McLean
St Margaret's Girls' School
Keith Burrows
Retired
Barbara McKinnon John Monash Sci School
Neil Champion
Buckley Park College
Oscar Menuel St Michael's Grammar School
Milorad Cerovac
King David School
Dan O'Keeffe
Retired
Gary Cohen
Retired
Bronwyn Quint
Hoppers Crossing SC
Paul Cuthbert
University High School
Alan Reynolds
Retired
Scott Daniel
Swinburne University
Jim Royston
RMIT TAFE
Jonathan de Booy
Australian Synchrotron
Frances Sidari
Lakeview College
Sue Grant
Box Hill Institute
Dianne Wilkinson
Box Hill High School
Australian Institute of Physics (Victorian Branch) Education Committee
This year the AIP (Vic Branch) Education Committee meets at University High School normally on
the second Tuesday of the month from 5pm – 7pm. Meetings are open to any physics teacher.
If you would like to attend, please contact the chair, Sue Grant at susanmgrant1@bigpond.com
To inquire about or apply for any of the events listed here, contact the AIP at danok@bigpond.com
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