ISPP REMINDER
April 2007                        

Our next meeting...
...is at Northwestern University
Monday, May 7, 6:30-8:30 P.M.

Click here for a map.

Future Meetings


June 5 (T)
Museum of Science and Industry
Ruth Goehmann
July 28-August 1
AAPT Summer Meeting, Greensboro, NC
http://www.aapt.org/

Click for:   Job openings     Teacher workshops     Bridge Contest results    John Rush Award Information

At our last meeting...

… at Lake Forest College we were greeted by Scott Schappe, LFC Physics chair, and department members (present and past) Mike Kash, Nathan Mueggenburg, Bailey Donnelly, and Tung Jeong.  Scott introduced two special guests, Carole Lee Jensen Smith, daughter of Harald Jensen, and her son Brian Smith. Carole Lee brought a folder of memorabilia and shared some of that with us.

Tom Senior (New Trier High School) described a funded demo and equipment workshop to be held at New Trier on Saturday, May 5, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Physics Northwest members will be given preference. A second workshop is scheduled for May 19. Click here for more information.


Scott Schappe read a letter to Harald from a former student, thanking Harald for his inspiring teaching.

Eileen Wild (CPS, retired) shared some of her recollections of Harald, including a variety of demo items (for the overhead projector, of course) she had constructed in his workshops for teachers.




The Harald Jensen Award was then presented to Matt Lowry from Lake Forest High School, where Harald taught before coming to Lake Forest College.

Earl Zwicker (IIT, retired) gave a brief slide show – a picture of Harald and his family at the 1974 AAPT meting where he received the Millikan Award, followed by pictures of Harald in action at some of his workshops for teachers. The last slide showed a close-up of a triple point demo.





Appropriately, Mike Kash set up a triple point demo using dry ice in a closed bottle under an overturned beaker. As the solid CO2 evaporated, enough pressure built up for the solid sample to begin liquefying. Neat!

Scott Schappe set up a “Laser Cube” laser level (Home Depot, ~$10) that can produce a line beam (using a cylindrical lens) and directed the light into a semi-circular plastic dish filled with water. He told us (and showed) us that this arrangement can be used to find both the refractive index and the critical angle of the liquid in the dish. His results were quite to close to the expected values for water.

The level, a plastic dish and a sheet of polar graph paper made up the night’s giveaway! It was pointed out, in response to a question, that the thin plastic wall of the dish has a very small effect on the refraction of the light. Several people added teaching suggestions based on their experience with similar equipment. One suggestion was to mount the unit on magnets and use them with blackboard optics.





Tung Jeong (TJ)
made it clear that he is in active retirement. He told us of some his work on a grant from China, and told us – and showed us – some new features of transmission holography, including a type than can be viewed from both sides. He referred to articles in New Scientist and Scientific American advancing the idea that the universe is a hologram, and then tied this to string theory, the quantization of space, and black holes. He told us of some amazing advances in holographic information storage capacity.

Matt Lowry set up his version of the “faster than g” demo he uses as a challenge for his students. He set a ball on a golf tee at the top of a raised board connected to a horizontal board by a hinge. When he quickly knocked out the prop that held the board up, the board “fell away” from the ball, which then landed in a plastic cup mounted near the edge of the falling board. Matt spoke about some of the approximations involved in the background information given to students, and about some procedural points to watch out for.

Matt also gave us an article from The Physics Teacher (May 2006) on a photoelectric effect experiment using LEDs. He wants to construct a version of this for himself.



John Milton (De Paul University) passed out a worksheet that asked us to sketch the charge distribution on a glass rod that has been rubbed with a piece of silk, and the charge distribution on the silk. We were asked to do the same for fur and a rubber rod, and for the leaves of a gold leaf electroscope. We also were to sketch the free body diagram of the leaves and their support for both the uncharged and charged situation. He then applied a charge to a Braun (moving vane) electroscope, uncharged and charged. John showed free body diagrams for the charged electroscope that he found on the web, neither of which seemed to explain very well the condition for rotational equilibrium and the distribution of electrical forces. There was an interesting discussion but no definite conclusion.

Art Schmidt (Northwestern University) put some small tadpole shaped pieces of glass on the overhead projector. Some of the drops had been formed from molten glass by being dropped into a column of water, so that they cooled rapidly on the outside and more slowly inside. This resulted, Art explained, in their being physically strong and also optically active. (It was a bit difficult to see the evidence of optical activity.) These are called “Prince Rupert drops.” The other drops had been cooled in air more slowly and were more brittle. We saw the strength of the Prince Rupert drops; Art hit one fairly hard with a hammer and the drop did not break. But when its tail was broken, it shattered, due to the internal stresses in the drop. The drop that had been cooled slowly (annealed) broke when hit by a hammer.


Rich Guberville (Joliet Central High School) brought a piece of equipment he found at his school but could not identify. Gerry Lietz recognized it as a model generator. A coil is turned in discrete steps in the field of a set of horseshoe magnets and the induced voltage in the coil is proportional to the rate of change of flux in the coil, which in turn depends on the angle through which the coil turns.

Dan Cahill (Grayslake Central High School) laid out some coins and placed a Nd alloy magnet over each in turn. When he quickly pulled the magnet up, some of the coins jumped a little, indicating some magnetic attraction. This worked for a quarter and a dime, but not for a nickel, which surprised us. Dan said he found the composition of the coins on the web and the nickel was listed as 75% copper, 25 nickel, yet the nickel coin did not respond. Bill Shanks had a Canadian dime and it adhered easily to the magnet. The effect was enhanced for a quarter when it was cooled with dry ice.


Tom Senior invited those who will be attending the AAPT summer meeting to be part of a physics bazaar. In this event teachers bring a quantity of a favorite piece of inexpensive demo equipment to be sold at a low price. It has been done in conjunction with PTRA workshops. Tom also gave us samples of physics “Sudoku” puzzles (“Physix Fun Sheets”) he gives to his students when they finish an exam; they are not allowed to leave the classroom before the end of the exam period.

Sudarsan Kowligy (Carver Military Academy) listens to two radio stations, WBBM AM (150 kHz) and WLIT FM (93.9 MHz). He reminded us that the longer wavelength AM signals (WBBM is 400 m) diffract more, so they can be detected, for example, on the far side of a mountain, whereas the shorter wavelength FM signals (WLIT is 3.2 m) cannot. He wondered about another phenomenon he had observed: when he drives in a tunnel the AM signal fades but he FM signal does not. One opinion was that the longer wavelengths diffract more – the spacing between buildings is closer to the longer wavelengths. Bailey Donnaly suggested that a tunnel would act as a more effective waveguide for shorter wavelengths. The dimensions of a tunnel opening are closer to FM wavelengths. Someone referred to a Mechanical Universe scene of a truck with a radio on going through the lower level of a bridge. The metal framework acts as a Faraday cage and the signal is not detected.

In addition to the Jensen Award, Matt Lowry was given a copy of Robert Adair’s Physics of Baseball by Scott Schappe. Scott then asked Harald’s daughter to say a few final words. She was grateful that the award was given right at his own demonstration table. From an envelope of Harald’s correspondence she read a letter to him from a former student and a draft of his response. The student was in Harald’s last in 1973 and wrote the letter of appreciation in 1990. He himself became a teacher and wrote of the impact that Harald’s teaching style made on him. In his response Harald expressed gratitude that his former student was experiencing the same personal benefit from teaching that he had, and encouraged him to meet his students on a one-to-one basis. Carole Ann put out a binder of reminiscences about Harald from the 40s through the 80s.  Our thanks to her for her presence and the thoughts she shared.

And thanks to Scott and his Lake Forest colleagues for another great evening of physics phun.

Reported by John Milton.

For any information regarding ISPP contact Gerry Lietz at DePaul University, Physics Department, 2219 N. Kenmore Chi. IL 60614 phone: 773-325-7333 e-mail glietz@depaul.edu. ISPP home page:  http://condor.depaul.edu/~glietz/ispp/ispp.html
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 PHYSICS TEACHING POSITIONS 2007-2008

Sabbatical Leave Replacement:
The Department of Physics at Dominican University, River Forest, IL, invites applications for a sabbatical leave replacement for the Spring Semester of 2008. Job duties would involve teaching the lecture of a 2nd semester algebra-based general physics course which meets 3 times per week and has 2 accompanying lab sections each week. Desired qualifications are a master's degree or ABD standing; a doctorate is preferred.
Please contact: Dr. Gerald Gulley   ggulley@dom.edu  (708) 524-6911

St. Martin de Porres High School, Waukegan, IL
There is an opening in ’07-’08 for a qualified person to teach three sections of Physics, to Juniors and Seniors. This course has not been taught at St. Martin de Porres High School previously, so we will look for someone who can design and start this program. The position will also involve teaching two sections of Math, either Geometry or Algebra 2, to sophomores and juniors. Each teacher also serves as advisor to a group of students (one level or another) helping them with organization, community-building, academic strategies for success, monitoring of academic progress, etc.  (Also, a program in process of development). Resumes and letters of interest may be sent to my attention electronically or by mail.
Judy Murphy, OSB, Principal, St. Martin de Porres High School, 515 S. Martin Luther King Avenue, Waukegan, IL  60085
jmurphy@smdpwaukegan.org

Walter Payton College Prep, Chicago, IL
We are eager to find a qualified teacher of AP Physics C to teach the mechanics curriculum from late August 2007 to late January 2008.  The class typically meets three days a week for 1.5 hours on Mondays and Fridays, and 3 hours and 20 minutes on Wednesdays, which offers wonderful opportunities for labs and extended problem solving.  I would gladly provide my curriculum materials and would also welcome the individual approaches of the substituting teacher.  Given the caliber of the students and the extended class periods, this teaching assignment is a rigorous one and will demand the skills of someone who does not rely on lecture or teacher-centered demonstrations to convey information. I can sincerely say that this class will be a real treat for whoever accepts the challenge.
Sam Dyson, Walter Payton College Prep, 1034 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL  60610
ph. 773-534-0034 ext. 24993, fax 773-534-0035    dysons@wpcp.org    www.wpcp.org

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BRIDGE CONTEST RESULTS: Go to   http://www.iit.edu/~hsbridge/database/search.cgi/:/public/index

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Workshop #2 - Tom Senior's Favorite Demos - Presented by Tom Senior
Who:    Physics NW Members
When:    Saturday, May 5, 2007,  8:00-3:00
Where:    New Trier High School, Winnetka  Room 132
What:    A variety of equipment is possible from Tom's own workshop and his vast experience with PTRA workshops.  Included may be:
A wave pendulum, demonstrating the phase effects on waves.
An Electrophorus that provide either negative or positive charges and work in any climate.
A conical pendulum set up and the planes to make it work.
The best peanut butter jar accelerometer.
A giant manometer to challenge the strongest blow-hard.
A high quality version of the chain and ring "magic" trick.
The many uses of the Radio Shack speaker amps.
An extremely convenient two-point sound interference demo.
The original cloud chamber, and the many more items that may arise.

Wow:  Generous funding has been supplied by EPIR Technologies. 
If participants' equipment exceeds the budget, a small fee may be added.
Registration is first-come, first-served. 
To register, email: Tom Senior ( < thomasjsenior@gmail.com >)
Include the following:
1) “Equipment Workshop” as your email subject.
2)  Your name.
3)  Your school.
4)  Your home phone (in case of last minute changes).
5)  Your email address.

Workshop #3 - Nanotechnology
Presented by: Professor George Lisensky, Beloit College
Hosted by: Chris Chiaverina
Who:    Physics NW Members
When:    Saturday, May 19th , 2007,  9:00-2:00
Where:    Crystal Lake South High School, Room B4
Why:     The workshop will feature demonstrations of nano phenomena aswell as a make and take session.
Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensionsof roughly 1 to 100 nanometers. At the nanoscale, the physical,
chemical, and biological properties of materials differ in fundamental and valuable ways from the properties of individual atoms and molecules
or bulk matter. Nanotechnology is expected to have a significant impact on just about every sector of the economy through the use of
nano-constructed materials in medicine, energy production, optical computing, communications and the enhancement of consumer products.
 
Professor Lisensky (Chemistry Department) is a preeminent researcher and educator in the area of nanotechnology. Those of us who heard him
speak at the AAPT meeting in Seattle were amazed by his ability to make nanotechnology accessible to scientist and layperson alike.
We think you will be too!          

Wow:  Generous funding has been supplied by EPIR Technologies.
If participants' equipment exceed the budget, a small fee may be added.
Registration is first-come, first-served. 
To register, email:
Chris Chiaverina ( Fizzforfun@aol.com )
Include the following:
1) “Nano Workshop”  as your email subject.
2)  Your name.
3)  Your school.
4)  Your home phone (in case of last minute changes).
5)  Your email address.

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JOHN RUSH AWARD WINNERS 1983-2006

1983
Jim Williams
1984
Chris Chiaverina
1985
Earl Zwicker
1986
John Milton
1987
Gerry Lietz
1988
Steve Luzader
1989
Bill Blunk
1990
Larry Alofs
1991
Art Schmidt
1992
Tom Senior
1993
Jim Szeszol
1994
Ann Brandon
1995
Roy Coleman
1996
Pete Insley
1997
Bill Conway
1998
Bill Shanks
1999
Paul Dolan
2000
Nick Drozdoff
2001
Bailey Donnaly
2002
Martha Lietz
2003
Eileen Wild
2004
Debbie Lokjutz
2005
Nate Unterman
2006
Gordon Ramsey
2007
??????




The John Rush Award is presented each year to an ISPP participant who has made significant contributions to ISPP, helping to create "physics phun" for all.

Who will win this year? To suggest a recipient, see Bill Blunk at the meeting, or e-mail Bill at

BillB9430@comcast.com

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