Distance education has expanded significantly over the last decade, but the natural
sciences have lagged in the implementation of this instructional mode. The abrupt onset of …

Some years ago, I designed a Physics Department course called “Theory of Sound with
Applications to Speech and Hearing Science” intended for majors in the Communication …

Much data, both published and anecdotal, have shown that students grasp scientific
concepts more easily when they are directly involved in the learning via lab experiments or …

This paper describes a simple procedure for the study of the cooling of a spherical body
using a standard thermometer and a smartphone. Experiments making use of smartphone …

A popular Newtonian mechanics problem, featured in textbooks, physics olympiads and
forums alike, concerns two disks with different radii and moment of inertia that rotate …

A centuries-old physics experimental apparatus, Atwood's machine, featured in textbooks,
exercise books, and web pages, concerns two hanging masses connected by a string over a …

In this article we discuss the capability of the Xbox Kinect sensor to acquire three-
dimensional motion data of multiple objects. Two experiments regarding fundamental …

From a physicist point of view, Virtual Reality setups are high-precision, low-cost, 6 degrees-
of-freedom, high-speed, multiple-objects tracking devices. These setups prove to be very …

Smartphones have become widespread, and students carry them every day into the
classroom. This pocket-size computer packed with sensors can contribute to an improved …

We designed and tested a 3D motion tracking system which displays acquired and derived
data using augmented reality. This setup, based on a virtual reality headset and its …