Has Computing Changed Physics Courses?

The role of new technologies in the learning process: Moodle as a teaching tool in Physics

“…The usage of computers in Physics instruction began in the seventies (Chonacky, 2006). Since then, there have been many studies that analyze the effectiveness of new technologies applied to teach Physics (for an extensive revision of these results, see for instance (Kenny, Bullen, & Loftus, 2006).…”

Computational Physics and Reality: Looking for Some Overlap at the Blacksmith Shop

“…At a blacksmithing workshop at Dream Acres, we investigated heating iron rods to see first hand the different properties of iron. For this lab, we worked with an iron rod with the dimensions of 12 inches by 1 1 4 inch by 1 4 inch that is initially at 10 • C. A narrow notch was scratched across the width of the rod at one inch intervals to reference surface temperature measurements, see figure 2. For each trial, approximately 4 inches of the rod was stuck into the hottest part of the coals for certain length of time.…”

“…In the simulation, the rod is subdivided into small chunks to more accurately model how energy flows into, through, and out of the rod. There are 48 chunks along the 12 inch axis, 16 chunks along the 1 4 inch axis, and 20 chunks along the 1 1 4 inch axis. This means that each "finite element" in our model has dimensions of 1 4 inch by 1 32 inch by 1 16 inch.…”

“…There are 48 chunks along the 12 inch axis, 16 chunks along the 1 4 inch axis, and 20 chunks along the 1 1 4 inch axis. This means that each "finite element" in our model has dimensions of 1 4 inch by 1 32 inch by 1 16 inch. Although the material properties of iron change with temperature, in this model we held the following properties constant: specific heat, c p = 449 J kg K ; density, ρ = 7870 kg m 3 ; and thermal conductivity, k = 80.2 W m K .…”

“…It's hard to imagine a modern physics lab without a computer to perform data analysis, and more than just making the task more bearable, most present experimental programs would be impossible without computational automation. [1,2] In addition, the ability to create a working model of a "real" system by distilling out the essential physical/mathematical relationships, and then implementing these relationships in a way that captures part of nature is an existential thrill for many students [3,4,5]. When we allow our students to tackle novel problems and discover real truths on their own, via a simulation they create, we recruit new physics majors [6,7].…”