Risley, John S., Ed. TITLE Computers in Physics Instruction

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Risley, John S., Ed. TITLE Computers in Physics Instruction DOCUMENT RESUME ED 325 373 SE 051 709 AUTHOR Redish, Edwart F., Ed.; Risley, John S., Ed. TITLE Computers in Physics Instruction. Proceedings of a Conference (Raleigh, North Carolina, August 1-5, 1988). REPORT NO ISBN-0-201-16306-3 PUB DATE 90 NOTE 594p. AVAILABLE FROMAddison Wesley Publishing Company, 350 Bridge Parkway, Suite 209, Redwood City, CA 94065-1522 ($50.50). PUB TYPE Collected Works - Conference Proceedings 1021) -- Books (010) EDRS PRICE MF03/PC24 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *College Science; Computer Simulation; Computer Software; *Computer Uses in Education; Demonstrations (Educational); *Educational Techrology; *Educational Trends; Higher Education; Labcratory Procedures; Networks; *Physics; Programing Languages; Research and Development; Science Instruction; Science Materials; *SeconAary School Science; Spreadsheets; Teaching Methods; Videodisks; Workshops ABSTRACT Computers are revolutionizing activities in all areas of life. Physics researchers, accustomed to being at the forefront of technology, have been deeply affected by the computer revolution. This effect has serious implica*ions for what is taught and how it is taught in the physics classroom. This conference was organized to allow physics teachers and software developers in physics education to come together and see the state of the art in using computers to teach physics. The conference included 39 invited lectures and 122 contributed presentations. It introduced a number of innovations in the hope of increas ng interactions and stimulating futlire conta -s. This document contains the text of the invited and contributd papers organized as follows: (1) "The Computer's Impact on ne Physics Curriculum"; (2) "Physics Computer Simulationsr; (3) "Computers in the Physics Laboratory"; (4) "Physics Education Research and Computers"; (5) "Computational Physics and Spreadsheets"; (6) "Computer Tutorials in Physics";(7) "Physics Lecture Demonstrations Using Computers"; (8) "Authoring Tools and Programming Languages"; (9) "Computer Utilities for Teaching Physics"; (10) "Computer Networking Workshops"; (11) "Publishing Physics Software"; and (12) "Videodiscs and Visualization for Physics." Appended are author and general indexes, a list of the contents of distributed software, and a software order form.(CW) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. THECONFERENCE ON Lr.7 1111111111111111111.111111111111mmismimini COMPUTERS IN PHYSICS INSTRUCTION ISM 414 P^OCEEDINGS Edward F. Redish and John S.Risley, Editors "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS St. OEPAIMPENT or EDUCAT/Oet :ce Eoucates* Research erre linpronenent MATERIAL HAS BE NGRANTED BY TIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIO e ine oxunisnt nee been reproduced et 1-aura receneset from the person or orpsnoattoo ontPr*onp 4. o Minor changes here been made to Improve reproduction Quoddy RESOURCES Pointe ot sow or °prisons stetspo in the Pacer TO THE EDUCATIONAL mint do not neceseenly repreent Wooer INFORMAT;ON CENTER(ERIC)' OERt Damon or pobcy 41.1=malm, =1, =11 L 1 REDISH e RISLEY ,' [ 0,3A he I' f02 0 4 0 0 t Ft 0 ADDISON WESLEY .11 16306 ....-tvgerrs.-1 ger',vs re's """ THE CONFERENCE ON COMPUTERS IN PHYSICS INSTRUCTION PROCEEDINGS August 1-5, 1988 Raleigh, North Carolina 3 THE CONFERENCE ON "v..; COMPUTERS IN PHYSICS INSTRUCTION PROCEEDINGS Editors Edward F. Redish and John S. Risley Managing Editor Nancy Margolis ADDISON-WESLEY PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. THE ADVANCED BOOK PROGRAM Redwood City, CaliforniaMenlo Park, CaliforniaReading, Massachusetts New York Amsterdam Den Mills, OntarioSydneyBonn Madrid SingaporeTokyo San JuanWokingham, United Kingdom 4 Publisher Allan M. VVylde Production Manager Jan V. Benes Electronic Production Consultant: Mona Zeftel Promotions Manager Laura Likely Cover Design: Michael A. Rogondino Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Conference on Computers in Physics Instruction (1988 : North Carolina State Universi4) The Conference on Computers in Physics Instruction : proceedings / (edited by] Edward F. Redish, John S. Risley. p. cm. Conference held at North Carolina State University, Aug. 1988. Includes index. 1. PhysicsStudy and teaching--Data processing--Congresses. 2. Physics-- Computer-assisted instructionCongresses. I. Redish, Edward F. II. Risley, John S. III. Title. QC30.C636 1990 530'.07'8--dc19 90-364 ISBN 0-201-16306-3 A complete list of trademarks appears on page 542. This book was typeset in Quark Xpresem using a Macintosh computer. Camera- ready output is from an Apple LaserWriter 11 NTX Printer. Copyright © 1990 by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by'any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. ABCDEFGHLT-MA-89 ,b, Contents v Preface Organization xvii Conference Sponsors xix Section I. The Computer's Impact on the Physics Curriculum Invited Papers What Works: Settings for Computer Innovators in Physics Education I Edwin F. Taylor 3 The Impact of the Computer on the Physics Curriculum / Edward F. Redish 15 Wcnitshop Physics: Replacing Lectures with Real Experience / Priscilla W. Laws 22 Computers in Learning Physics: What Should We Be Doing? / Alfred Bork 32 Contemporary Physics in the Introductory Course / D. F. Holcomb 40 Changing the Introductory Physics Sequence to Prepare the Physics Student of the 1990s /Jack M. Wilson 44 Computers and the Broad Spectrum of Educational Goals / Peter S. Signell 54 Problem Solving, Pedagogy, and CDC Physics / Karen L. Johnston 70 Section 2,. Physics Computer Simulations Invited Papers Early Experierces with Physics Simulations in the Classroom / Rlas Cabrera 77 Cellular Automata / George Marx 83 Animation in Physics Teaching / Eric T. Lane 93 Physics Simulations for High-Resolution Color Microcomputers / Richard A. Arndt and L. David Roper 100 Apple Simulations / R. H. Good 107 Contributed Papers Macintosh Demonstrations for Introductory Physics 1 Irvin A. Miller Richard D. Haracz 109 Teaching High School Students to Write Physics Simulations /Joel Goodman 110 6 vi Contents The Evolution of Computer Simulations in Physics Teaching / Harvey Weir 112 Simulation Laboratory for General Education in Natural Science / Martin H. Krieger 112 Simulation of a Rigid Pendulum /Joel Goodman 114 Graphs and Tracks / David Trowbridge 115 Using Computer Simulations of Orbital Motion / Charles E. Peirce 117 SiMIllatiOn Programs for Elementary Physics Courses / Harold Salwen 118 Animated Waves and Particles /Eric T. Lane 119 Animation on the IBM PC /Eric T. Lane and Dankl B. Lyke 121 A Potpourri of Color Graphics Enhancements of Classroom Presentations / Clifton Bob Clark 121 Software Packages for High School Optics / David Singer and Uri Ganiel 123 Interactive Optics Software for the General Student / Michael J. Ruiz 125 The Computer as a Teaching Aid in ?hysics: A Case Study in Optics and Wave Theory / Frank Eason 127 Making Waves: Software for Studying Wave Phenomena /Joseph Snir i 29 Educational Software: Oil Drop, Schrodinger Equation, and Size ofa Molecule John Elberfeld 130 Electric Field Lines Simulation Lab /Johnny B. Holmes 132 United States Energy Simulator / Richard W. Tarara 133 Simulation Software for Advanced Undergraduates: Electrodynamics and Quantum Mechanics / P. B. Visscher 134 Microcomputer Simulations in Statistical Physics /Jeffrey R. Fox 136 Spectrum Calculator Results from Student Use / R. S. Peterson and Eric T. Lane 137 Computer Simulatic..r of the Scatte r uf a Wave Packet from a Potential IJ. E. Lewis 138 Spacetime Software: Computer Graphics Utilities in Special Relativity / Edwin F. Taylor 140 PPP: A Physics Program Pool for Undergraduate Level / J. Becker, Korsch, and H. J. Jodl 142 Demonstration of Physics Programs Written in cT /David E. Trowbridge, Ruth Chabay, and Bruce Arne Sherwood 143 Microcomputer Tools for Chaos / Alan Wolf 145 Chaotic Dynamics: An Instructional Model I Bruce N. Miller and hahnLehtihet 146 Exploring Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos Using an Interactive Program with Graphics Animation I R. W. Rollins 148 Bouncing Ball Simulation System /Nicholas B. Tufillaro, Al Albano, and Tyler A. Abbott 150 Automata on the Mac I N. B. Tufillaro, I. P. Reilly, and R. E. Crandall 151 Demonstrations of Diffusion-Limited Aggregation and Eden Growth on a Microcomputer / G. W. Parker 152 7 Contents vii Star Cluster Dynamics Simulation with Dark Mattez /John J. Dykla 153 Educational Software for Undergraduate Astronomy /J. C. Evans 154 Section 3. Computers in the Physics Laboratory Invited Papers Computer-Based Tools; Rhyme and Reason 1 Robert F. Tinker 159 1 The Macintosh Oscilloscope / Elisha R. Huggins 169 Tools for Scientific Thinkinv Learning Physical Concepts with Real-Time Laboratory Measurement lbols /Ronald K. Thornton 177 A Collection of Laboratory Interfacing Ideas 1 David L. Vernier 189 Five Years of Using Nficrocomputers in Basic Physics Laboratories at the U. S. Naval Academy I David A. Nordling 197 Upper-Level Experimental Physics / Lee E. Larson 203 Online Data Analysis: Smart PC Work Stations /Jordan A. Goodman 213 Contributed Papers Design, Implementation, and Performance of a Microcomputer-Based Laboratory for General Ph7sics /Richard Bobst, Edwin A. Karlow, and Ivan E. Rouse 218 Microcomputer-Based Laboratories in Introductory Physics Courses / Vallabhaneni S. kao 220 SAKDAC-Based Physics in Introductory Labs at Miami
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