Vol. 003, Fall 2001 Edited by Union University Physics Department
| The West Tennessee
Physics Alliance is being established to aid the
physics and physical science teachers in the West
Tennessee area. One of the services of the Alliance is to
offer a variety of helps, tips, encouragements, etc.
twice a year, fall and spring, in the form of a short
newsletter. We would appreciate any input you could offer
to aid us in tailoring the newsletter to make it more
useful to teachers. Feel free to call or email us with
suggestions and items for the newsletter. Help us as we
strive to develop the most beneficial format for this
newsletter over the next year. Share this information
with others that may have an interest in physics and
physical science education. Please send us your mailing address, phone number, and email address so we may establish a network of West Tennessee physics educators. Physics/Science Related Websites www.explorescience.com/index.html members.aol.com/Ryanbut/optical.html
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www.kapili.com/physics4kids/index.htm purcell.phy.nau.edu/phy-1 lists.psu.edu/archives/shyshare.html natzoo.si.edu adswww.harvard.edu landau1.phys.virginia.edu/Education/ Teaching/HowThingsWork
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The Lighter Side of Science A Party of Physicists (Don't you wish you were there?) All the famous physicists gathered for a party. A student who was serving noted the following: * Einstein was observed having a relatively good time. * Everyone gravitated to Newton, but he moved around at constant velocity and showed no reaction.* Coulomb got a good charge out of the whole thing. * Thompson really enjoyed the plum pudding. * Pascal was under too much pressure to enjoy himself. * Pauli came late, and was excluded from most things, so he split.* Volt thought that the party had a lot of potential. * Ohm spent his time resisting Ampere's opinion on current events.* Heisenberg may or may not have been there, but it is uncertain.* Millikan dropped his Italian oil dressing. * Compton was a little scatter-brained at times. * Watt turned out to be a powerful speaker. * Faraday had quite a capacity for food. * Oppenheimer got bombed. * Hertz went back and forth to the food. * Tesla appeared to have a magnetic personality. |
* Maxwell was rather light hearted. * The Curies seemed to be glowing. * Stefan and Boltzmann got into a hot debate. * de Broglie just stood in the corner and waved at everyone. * Cavendish really had a ball. * Wein radiated a colorful personality. * Cauchy, although a mathematician, integrated well with the group. * Bohr kept jumping up and down the stairs all night. Quotes "Experiment is the interpreter of nature. Experiments never deceive. It is our judgment which sometimes deceives itself because it expects results which experiment refuses." Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) "The aim of education must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals who, however, see in the service to the community their highest life achievement. The school should always have as its aim that the young person leave it as a harmonious personality, not as a specialist. Otherwise he-with his specialized knowledge- more closely resembles a well-trained dog than a harmoniously developed person." Albert Einstein (1879-1955) "If you can't saw with a file and file with a saw, you will be no good as an experimentalist." Augustine Fresnel (1788-1827) |
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Physics Alliance Newsletter, Fall 2001 |
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Dates to Remember Combined meeting - great opportunity. (If you have never attended a national meeting, this is one you should attend.) Tennessee Science Teachers Association Dec. 6-8, 2001 Memphis, TN and National Science Teachers Association Dec. 6-8, 2001 Memphis, TN American Association of Physics Teachers Jan. 19-23, 2002 Philadelphia, PA West Tennessee Regional Science Fair April 5 Union Un. Jackson TN International Science and Engineering Fair May 12-18 Louisville, KY Give Aways The Physics faculty at Union generally have science books that they are willing to share or give to teachers. If you or your school library need some books give us a call. Science Demonstrations & Lectures Our physics faculty is available on a limited basis to give lectures and perform demonstration shows to area physics classes. While it is preferable to have classes come to campus for demonstrations, it is possible for us to come to your school. If you are interested in scheduling such an event, contact Dr. Hathcox. (Address is below) |
Trivia Interesting Estimation Spread fifteen pennies on a table and place a dime beside them. How many pennies must you stack up to equal the diameter of the dime? Nearly everyone guesses 5, 6, or 7 pennies. Actually it takes 12; try it by standing a dime on edge alongside the stack of pennies. Flubber Stir in 1 teaspoon Metamucil to 1 cup water. For a process of six cycles: microwave for five minutes, cool slightly and stir. The goo will start to rise, looking like bread dough rising but much faster. When the bubbles are just about to overflow the bowl, turn off the microwave. The more times the process is repeated, the more rubbery the flubber gets. After the microwave runs, pour the goo onto a plate or cookie pan. Stir with a spoon while it’s cooling. When cool, it can be cut with a knife and shaped. Properly prepared flubber should feel cold and clammy and not stick. If it’s sticky, lessen the water content. Flubber will keep for months if stored in a plastic bag and longer if refrigerated.
Contact Dr. Kyle Hathcox Email: khathcox@uu.edu Ph. (901) 661-5249 Mail: Physics Department, 1050 Union University Dr., Jackson, TN 38305 West TN Physics Alliance Newsletter published by Union University Physics Faculty www.uu.edu/programs/physics |
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Physics Alliance Newsletter, Fall 2001 |
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