United States

Simple epidemiological models are introduced using finite difference methods in Excel. The SIR model explains the initial exponential growth of COVID-19, the effects of social distancing in the US during early April 2020 and successfully predicts the continued spread of the virus during late April and May 2020. The SIR model is the origin of the basic reproduction number R0 and herd immunity. It also predicts what will happen if social distancing is lifted prematurely. A wide range of student research projects are possible for modeling and making predictions based on real data for US states and other countries. See http://circle4.com/biophysics for free sample chapters and videos.

AAPT SM 20

Birds, Bats, &amp; Lego Limbs: Modeling the Variable Moment of Inertia During Locomotion in a Lab for IPLS Students

moment of inertia

distance learning

ipls

The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. The program featured plenary speakers, sessions, workshops and many special activities.

For more information please visit the 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting page at: https://www.aapt.org/Conferences/SM2020/index.cfm.


The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. 

Birds, Bats, & Lego Limbs: Modeling the Variable Moment of Inertia During Locomotion in a Lab for IPLS Students

poster

A surface seiche is a regular oscillation of the surface of an enclosed body of water such as a lake or bay. This project examines the formation of a seiche in a small circular above-ground pool. Analyzing observations from an ultrasonic range sensor, we determine the initial amplitude, period and decay constant of the seiche to be 6.2 cm, 1.975 s and 340 s, respectively. Since the decay time constant is much larger than the period, frictional effects should have a relatively small impact on the period of the seiche. We use a finite difference scheme to solve the wave equation in cylindrical coordinates for the surface height. We find that the theoretical period agrees with the observations if a wave speed consistent with the pool dimensions is used instead of the wave speed provided by the shallow wave approximation.

Computational Modeling of Seiche in an Circular Above-Ground Pool

A Metric for Comparing Populations Using Item Response Curves

Pacemaker Circuit Simulator – A New RC Circuits Lab

A Large-Scale Transition to Studio-based Physics in a State University

Student peer evaluation in collaborative physics classrooms

Lab Activities for Teaching Science and Engineering Processes

Implementation of Design Experiments in Large-Scale Introductory Physics Classes: Take-Home Experiments - Poster

Success or failure in intro physics - which factors matter most?

Conceptions of Community among Physics Majors and Learning Assistants

Validating a Tracker-based Biomechanical Model for Undergraduate Occupational Therapists

technical paper

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