AnnAAPT 09 Asummerrbor meeting First Time at an AAPT Meeting? ...4 AAPT 2009 Meeting Information .....................6 Summer Meeting Bus Schedule/information ............8 Welcome to Ann Arbor ...............10 Special Events ...........................12 July 25–29 Awards/Plenaries ........................14 Committee Meetings ..................20 University of Michigan Exhibitor Information ..................21 Ann Arbor Commercial Workshops .............25 Meeting at a Glance ...................26 Session Finder ............................30 www.aapt.org Workshops .................................33 SESSION ABSTRACTS Sunday ..................................39 Monday .................................41 Tuesday .................................82 American Association of Physics Teachers Wednesday ..........................126 One Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740 Index of Contributors ...............144 301-209-3300, fax: 301-209-0845 Index of Advertisers .................146 [email protected], www.aapt.org Our Donors ...............................147 Map of Exhibit Hall ...................148 Welcome to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan! This summer’s AAPT meeting offers about three dozen workshops and seven dozen sessions on a wide variety of topics; the apparatus, photo, and video contests; exhibits by numerous vendors of books and equipment; the traditional picnic and demo show; and the great book give-away. In addition (and of particular importance), 18 area committee meetings offer attendees an invaluable opportunity to contribute to the planning of next summer’s meeting in Portland, OR. Attendance at these meetings is not limited to members of the committees. All interested persons are invited to join committee mem- bers in laying out the workshops and sessions to be proposed for the meeting in Portland. Officially, the theme of this meeting is Discovering the Universe: From Democritus and Galileo to Fundamental Particles and Cosmology. This theme is broad enough to cover nearly all aspects of our common endeavors but also precise enough to convey a particular focus on the ways in which we come to know the physical world from its very largest to its very smallest components. Together, this guide and the supplementary addendum available at registration provide details on the specific events and opportunities available to you at this meeting. Any meeting will be still-born without the dedicated and diligent contributions of many, many individuals. Profound thanks are due to the area chairs and area committees, to the organizers of and presiders at events, to the invited speak- ers and those who have contributed talks and posters, to the exhibitors, and—most of all—to the program sorters (Kathy Harper, Richard Flarend, David Sokoloff, Myron Campbell), to the AAPT staff in the Conferences and Programs Depart- ment (Tiffany Hayes, Cerena Cantrell, Janet Lane, Natasha Randall, and Annette Coleman), to the AAPT staff in the Communications Department (Marilyn Gardner, Jane Chambers, Terrence Hunt, Matthew Payne, and Chad Phillips), and to Myron Campbell and his colleagues at the University of Michigan. Please make it a point to thank any of these individuals you happen to see, and especially to thank those at the registration desk for their devoted service in making the meeting a success. Enjoy the meeting and—time permitting—Ann Arbor and environs. I guarantee that, wherever your interests lie in the K-20 spectrum, whatever subareas of physics excite you, whether your interests are in physics, astrophysics, physics pedagogy, theory, experiment, or …, you will find more than enough in this meeting to keep you busy and make your at- tendance worthwhile. Sincerely, David M. Cook AAPT President-Elect and 2009 Program Chair 3 First time at an AAPT meeting? Welcome to the Ann Arbor AAPT Summer Meeting! Everyone at AAPT hopes you fulfill all the goals you have for attending this meeting. To help you plan your meeting activities, the following information and suggestions have been developed. • Being at your first National Meeting can be a lonely experience if you don’t know anyone. AAPT members are friendly people, so do not hesitate to introduce yourself to others in sessions and in the hallways. It is fun and rewarding to establish a network of other physics teachers with whom you can talk and share ideas and experiences. This is especially true during lunch and dinner. • Area Committee meetings are not only for members of the committee but also for friends of the committee. You are wel- come to attend any Area Committee meeting. You should be able to find one or two committees that match your interests. Their meeting times are listed on page 20 in this guide. Area Committee meetings are often relatively small and are a great place to meet other people with interests similar to yours. • Be sure to attend the First Timers’ Gathering from 7–8:30 a.m. on Monday in MI League, Koessler. It is a wonderful way to learn more about the meeting and about AAPT. • Awards and other plenary sessions have distinguished speakers and are especially recommended. Invited speakers are experts in their fields and will have half an hour or more to discuss their subjects at some depth. Posters, which will be up all day and at which presenters will be stationed during times indicated in the schedule, and contributed papers summarize work the present- ers have been doing. You are encouraged to talk to a presenter at the poster sessions or after the contributed paper sessions to gain more information about topics of interest to you. Informal discussion among those interested in the announced topic typi- cally will follow a panel presentation, and crackerbarrels are entirely devoted to such discussions. • Be sure to make time to visit the exhibits. This is a great place to learn what textbooks and equipment are available in physics education. CencoAAPT_June_09 5/29/2009 8:15 AM Page 1 is here…and Better Than Ever Come see the newly improved CENCO e/m Apparatus in person at our booth and discover the latest innovations in physics demos and experiments. Also, learn from •Cenco Physics Presents Modern Physics Labs today's physics •Get a Bull’s Eye with Cenco’s Projectile Motion Ramp experts in hands-on •Cenco Physics Presents: Strangeness and Charm in your Classroom Cenco Workshops: •Cenco Physics Presents: Bringing the Universe into your Classroom 1-800-727-4368 • www.cencophysics.com Special Thanks: AAPT thanks the following persons for their outstanding dedication and selfless contributions to the Summer Meeting: Paper Sorters: Myron Campbell, Richard Flarend, Kathy Harper, and David Sokoloff Our local organizer: Myron Campbell, chair, University of Michigan Physics Department, and staff Meeting Information AAPT Executive Board AAPT Sustaining Members Alexander K. Dickison, President Marina Milner-Bolotin ALTAY Scientific Spa Seminole Community College Vice Chair of Section Representatives American 3B Scientific Sanford, FL Ryerson University Toronto, ON Canada Arbor Scientific David M. Cook, President-Elect AU Physics Enterprises Gordon P. Ramsey Lawrence University Carolina Biological Supply Co. Appleton, WI Loyola University Chicago Frankfort, IL Design Simulation Tech, Inc David R. Sokoloff, Vice President Educational Innovations, Inc. University of Oregon Elizabeth B. Chesick Eugene, OR 625 Walnut Lane Heliocentris Energy Systems, Inc. Haverford, PA Johns Hopkins Univ. Center for Talented Youth Steven Iona, Secretary University of Denver Marie F. Plumb Kinetic Books Denver, CO Jamestown Community College Klinger Educational Products Corp Jamestown, NY Paul W. Zitzewitz, Treasurer PASCO Scientific University of Michigan–Dearborn Karl C. Mamola (ex officio) Pearson Dearborn, MI Editor, The Physics Teacher Physics Academic Software Lila M. Adair, Past-President Jan Tobochnik (ex officio) Physics2000.com Piedmont College Editor, Amer. Journal of Physics Rice University Monroe, GA Warren Hein (ex officio) Sargent Welch CENCO Physics Mary Elizabeth Mogge AAPT Executive Officer School Specialty Science Chair of Section Representatives Spectrum Techniques LLC California State Polytechnic University Pomona, CA SVS Labs TeachSpin Inc Tel-Atomic Inc Meet with an Executive Board Member The Science Source Vernier Software During the times of the exhibits, one or more members of the AAPT W H Freeman & Company Executive Board will be at the AAPT booth in the Exhibit Hall on a WebAssign schedule that will be posted at the booth. Any attendee wishing to meet Ztek Co. and talk with a representative of the Board is invited to stop by the AAPT booth during one of the posted times. UM Plans Carillon Concert for AAPT AAPT Programs and WHEN: Tuesday, 7–7:30 p.m. during the summer picnic. Conferences Team WHERE: Burton Memorial Carillon Tower, located Contact: Tiffany Hayes, Cerena Cantrell, near Michigan League and can be heard Natasha Randall, Janet Lane, and An- from Rackham, where the picnic will be nette Coleman; [email protected]. held. The observation deck and bellchamber The office phone number for AAPT in will be open to conference attendees. the Michigan League, Kalamazoo room WHAT: A carillon is a musical instrument consisting is 743-647-8440. of at least two octaves of carillon bells ar- For emergencies, please call the Michi- ranged in chromatic series and played from gan League information desk’s phone a keyboard that permits control of expres- number, 734-647-5343. sion through variation of touch. 6 AnnAAPT 09 Asummerrbor meeting AAPT