Pub Date : 2024-07-21DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ad54a5
Bertrand Berche and Ernesto Medina
A very famous ‘test’ of the General Theory of Relativity (GTR) is the advance of Mercury’s perihelion (and of other planets too). To be more precise, this is not a prediction of General Relativity, since the anomaly was known in the 19th century, but no consistent explanation had been found yet at the time GTR was elaborated. Einstein came up with a solution to the problem in 1914. In the case of Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, the effect is more pronounced than for other planets, and observed from Earth; there is an advance of the perihelion of Mercury of about 5550 arc seconds per century (as/cy). Among these, about 5000 are due to the equinox precession (the precise value is 5025.645 as/cy) and about 500 (531.54) to the influence of the external planets. The remaining, about 50 as/cy (42.56), are not understood within Newtonian mechanics. Here, we revisit the problem in some detail for a presentation at the undergraduate level.
{"title":"The advance of Mercury’s perihelion","authors":"Bertrand Berche and Ernesto Medina","doi":"10.1088/1361-6404/ad54a5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ad54a5","url":null,"abstract":"A very famous ‘test’ of the General Theory of Relativity (GTR) is the advance of Mercury’s perihelion (and of other planets too). To be more precise, this is not a prediction of General Relativity, since the anomaly was known in the 19th century, but no consistent explanation had been found yet at the time GTR was elaborated. Einstein came up with a solution to the problem in 1914. In the case of Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, the effect is more pronounced than for other planets, and observed from Earth; there is an advance of the perihelion of Mercury of about 5550 arc seconds per century (as/cy). Among these, about 5000 are due to the equinox precession (the precise value is 5025.645 as/cy) and about 500 (531.54) to the influence of the external planets. The remaining, about 50 as/cy (42.56), are not understood within Newtonian mechanics. Here, we revisit the problem in some detail for a presentation at the undergraduate level.","PeriodicalId":50480,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Physics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141754088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-16DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ad5ca8
Daniel M Anderson, Patrick R Bishop, Mark Brant, Gabriela Castaneda Guzman, Evelyn Sander and Gina Thomas
We explore the stability of floating objects at a two-fluid interface through mathematical modeling and experimentation. Our models are based on standard ideas of center of gravity, center of buoyancy, and Archimedes’ Principle extended to the two-fluid scenario. We investigate floating shapes with uniform, two-dimensional cross sections and identify analytically and/or computationally a potential energy landscape that helps identify stable and unstable floating orientations. We compare our analyses and computations to experiments on floating objects designed and created through 3D printing. Additionally, the paper includes open problems for further study.
我们通过数学建模和实验来探索漂浮物在双流体界面上的稳定性。我们的模型基于重心、浮力中心和阿基米德原理的标准思想，并将其扩展到双流体情景中。我们研究了具有均匀二维横截面的漂浮形状，并通过分析和/或计算确定了有助于确定稳定和不稳定漂浮方向的势能景观。我们将分析和计算结果与通过 3D 打印设计和创建的漂浮物实验进行了比较。此外，本文还包括有待进一步研究的开放性问题。
{"title":"Stability of floating objects at a two-fluid interface","authors":"Daniel M Anderson, Patrick R Bishop, Mark Brant, Gabriela Castaneda Guzman, Evelyn Sander and Gina Thomas","doi":"10.1088/1361-6404/ad5ca8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ad5ca8","url":null,"abstract":"We explore the stability of floating objects at a two-fluid interface through mathematical modeling and experimentation. Our models are based on standard ideas of center of gravity, center of buoyancy, and Archimedes’ Principle extended to the two-fluid scenario. We investigate floating shapes with uniform, two-dimensional cross sections and identify analytically and/or computationally a potential energy landscape that helps identify stable and unstable floating orientations. We compare our analyses and computations to experiments on floating objects designed and created through 3D printing. Additionally, the paper includes open problems for further study.","PeriodicalId":50480,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Physics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141739249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-02DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ad4f35
John S Briggs
The standard description of the transition from quantum to classical mechanics presented in most text books is the proof that the quantum expectation values of position and momentum obey equations of Newtonian form. This is the Ehrenfest theorem. It is combined with the requirement that wave packets remain localised to describe a single particle moving according to classical mechanics. Hence, the natural spreading of wave packets is viewed as a quantum effect. In contradiction to this view, here it is argued that the spreading, where different momentum components separate, is the signature of the quantum to classical transition. The asymptotic spatial wave function becomes proportional to the initial momentum space wave function, which mirrors exactly the well-known far-field diffraction pattern in optics. Trajectories, defined as the locus of the normals to the expanding wave front, are used to illustrate the transition from quantum to classical motion. Again this is the analogue of the wave to beam transition in optics. It is suggested that this analysis of the quantum to classical transition should be incorporated routinely into introductory quantum mechanics courses.
{"title":"Expanding wave packets and the quantum to classical transition","authors":"John S Briggs","doi":"10.1088/1361-6404/ad4f35","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ad4f35","url":null,"abstract":"The standard description of the transition from quantum to classical mechanics presented in most text books is the proof that the quantum expectation values of position and momentum obey equations of Newtonian form. This is the Ehrenfest theorem. It is combined with the requirement that wave packets remain localised to describe a single particle moving according to classical mechanics. Hence, the natural spreading of wave packets is viewed as a quantum effect. In contradiction to this view, here it is argued that the spreading, where different momentum components separate, is the signature of the quantum to classical transition. The asymptotic spatial wave function becomes proportional to the initial momentum space wave function, which mirrors exactly the well-known far-field diffraction pattern in optics. Trajectories, defined as the locus of the normals to the expanding wave front, are used to illustrate the transition from quantum to classical motion. Again this is the analogue of the wave to beam transition in optics. It is suggested that this analysis of the quantum to classical transition should be incorporated routinely into introductory quantum mechanics courses.","PeriodicalId":50480,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Physics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141550633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-30DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ad523a
Fansen Candra Funata and Zainul Abidin
Lato–lato, a pendulum-based toy gaining popularity in Indonesian playgrounds, has sparked interest with competitions centered around maintaining its oscillatory motion. While some find it easy to play, the challenge lies in sustaining the oscillation, particularly in maintaining both ‘up and down collisions.’ Through a Newtonian dynamics numerical analysis using Python (code by ChatGPT), this study identifies two equilibrium phases—phase 1, characterized by normal pendulum motion, and phase 2, the double collision mode—using the driven oscillation model. In addition, further analysis and discussion are done using the obtained numeric data. The difficulty in remaining in phase 2 highlights the intricate hand-eye coordination required, shedding light on the toy’s appeal and the skill it demands.
{"title":"Playing lato–lato is difficult and this is why","authors":"Fansen Candra Funata and Zainul Abidin","doi":"10.1088/1361-6404/ad523a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ad523a","url":null,"abstract":"Lato–lato, a pendulum-based toy gaining popularity in Indonesian playgrounds, has sparked interest with competitions centered around maintaining its oscillatory motion. While some find it easy to play, the challenge lies in sustaining the oscillation, particularly in maintaining both ‘up and down collisions.’ Through a Newtonian dynamics numerical analysis using Python (code by ChatGPT), this study identifies two equilibrium phases—phase 1, characterized by normal pendulum motion, and phase 2, the double collision mode—using the driven oscillation model. In addition, further analysis and discussion are done using the obtained numeric data. The difficulty in remaining in phase 2 highlights the intricate hand-eye coordination required, shedding light on the toy’s appeal and the skill it demands.","PeriodicalId":50480,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Physics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141518251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-25DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ad4f33
Daria Anttila, Antti Lehtinen and Pekka Koskinen
The ongoing second quantum revolution and the growing impact of quantum technologies on our society and economy are making quantum physics education even more important. Consequently, there is a lot of research on quantum physics education for university students and even the general public. However, studying quantum physics or any other topic is primarily voluntary and thus a matter of personal interest—and it can only grow from a seed planted earlier. Here, we describe and test how a one-day event designed to trigger interest and change perceptions about quantum physics among physics and mathematics students at the University of Turku, Finland succeeded in meeting its goals. The data was collected from participants through questionnaires and complementary interviews. We found that the event made attitudes and views toward quantum physics more positive, versatile, and realistic. Although the event was too short to notably or permanently elevate the phase of interest when evaluated externally on a four-level scale, self-evaluations still reported an increased interest for most participants. Thus, it appears that even a short event can cultivate the ground to make it fertile for maintaining and developing interest further, for example, by well-designed and -timed quantum physics curriculum.
{"title":"Can a one-day event trigger interest in quantum physics at the university level?","authors":"Daria Anttila, Antti Lehtinen and Pekka Koskinen","doi":"10.1088/1361-6404/ad4f33","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ad4f33","url":null,"abstract":"The ongoing second quantum revolution and the growing impact of quantum technologies on our society and economy are making quantum physics education even more important. Consequently, there is a lot of research on quantum physics education for university students and even the general public. However, studying quantum physics or any other topic is primarily voluntary and thus a matter of personal interest—and it can only grow from a seed planted earlier. Here, we describe and test how a one-day event designed to trigger interest and change perceptions about quantum physics among physics and mathematics students at the University of Turku, Finland succeeded in meeting its goals. The data was collected from participants through questionnaires and complementary interviews. We found that the event made attitudes and views toward quantum physics more positive, versatile, and realistic. Although the event was too short to notably or permanently elevate the phase of interest when evaluated externally on a four-level scale, self-evaluations still reported an increased interest for most participants. Thus, it appears that even a short event can cultivate the ground to make it fertile for maintaining and developing interest further, for example, by well-designed and -timed quantum physics curriculum.","PeriodicalId":50480,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Physics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141501515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-24DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ad4f34
M V Berry
A Hamiltonian in two space dimensions whose kinetic-energy contributions have opposite signs is studied in detail. Solutions of the time-independent Schrödinger equation for fixed energy are superpositions of plane waves, with wavevectors on hyperbolas rather than circles. The local velocity (e.g. in the Madelung representation) is proportional to the kinetic momentum, i.e. local particle velocity, not the more familiar canonical momentum (phase gradient). The patterns of the associated streamlines are different, especially near phase singularities and phase saddles where the kinetic and canonical streamline patterns have opposite indices. Contrasting with the superficially analogous circular smooth solutions of kinetically isotropic Hamiltonians are wave modes that are anisotropic in position and also discontinuous. Pictures illustrating these phenomena are included. The occurrence of familiar concepts in unfamiliar guises could be useful for teaching quantum or wave physics at graduate level.
{"title":"Kinetically anisotropic Hamiltonians: plane waves, Madelung streamlines and superpositions","authors":"M V Berry","doi":"10.1088/1361-6404/ad4f34","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ad4f34","url":null,"abstract":"A Hamiltonian in two space dimensions whose kinetic-energy contributions have opposite signs is studied in detail. Solutions of the time-independent Schrödinger equation for fixed energy are superpositions of plane waves, with wavevectors on hyperbolas rather than circles. The local velocity (e.g. in the Madelung representation) is proportional to the kinetic momentum, i.e. local particle velocity, not the more familiar canonical momentum (phase gradient). The patterns of the associated streamlines are different, especially near phase singularities and phase saddles where the kinetic and canonical streamline patterns have opposite indices. Contrasting with the superficially analogous circular smooth solutions of kinetically isotropic Hamiltonians are wave modes that are anisotropic in position and also discontinuous. Pictures illustrating these phenomena are included. The occurrence of familiar concepts in unfamiliar guises could be useful for teaching quantum or wave physics at graduate level.","PeriodicalId":50480,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Physics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141501519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-16DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ad4fcc
Eugenio Tufino, Stefano Oss and Micol Alemani
In this article we describe how we successfully incorporated data analysis in Python in a first year laboratory course without significantly altering the course structure and without overburdening students. We show how we created and used carefully designed Jupyter Notebooks with exercises and physics application examples that allow students to master data analysis programming in the laboratory course. We use these Notebooks to guide students through the fundamentals of data handling and analysis in Python while performing simple experiments. We present our teaching approach and the developed materials. We discuss the effectiveness of our intervention based on the results from pre- and post-course questionnaires and students’ group work. The results presented give insights about advantages and challenges of introducing computation at the early stage of the curriculum in a laboratory course setting and are informative for other instructors and the physics education research community.
{"title":"Integrating Python data analysis in an existing introductory laboratory course","authors":"Eugenio Tufino, Stefano Oss and Micol Alemani","doi":"10.1088/1361-6404/ad4fcc","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ad4fcc","url":null,"abstract":"In this article we describe how we successfully incorporated data analysis in Python in a first year laboratory course without significantly altering the course structure and without overburdening students. We show how we created and used carefully designed Jupyter Notebooks with exercises and physics application examples that allow students to master data analysis programming in the laboratory course. We use these Notebooks to guide students through the fundamentals of data handling and analysis in Python while performing simple experiments. We present our teaching approach and the developed materials. We discuss the effectiveness of our intervention based on the results from pre- and post-course questionnaires and students’ group work. The results presented give insights about advantages and challenges of introducing computation at the early stage of the curriculum in a laboratory course setting and are informative for other instructors and the physics education research community.","PeriodicalId":50480,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Physics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141501516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-13DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ad5808
Wittaya Kanchanapusakit, Pattarapon Tanalikhit
The evaluation in introductory physics courses follows a traditional approach where a letter grade, determined by the total score, is assigned to represent the student's overall performance. To enhance the meaningfulness of these grades, we supplement them with individual thinking proficiency profiles for each student. These profiles are derived from subscores attributed to particular exam questions, organized by the corresponding thinking skills. We report the average thinking proficiency profiles of all students and compare the average profiles among students from different grade groups. The objective is to aid instructors in identifying areas that may require improvement in the learning process.
{"title":"Enhancing traditional grading in introductory physics courses","authors":"Wittaya Kanchanapusakit, Pattarapon Tanalikhit","doi":"10.1088/1361-6404/ad5808","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ad5808","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The evaluation in introductory physics courses follows a traditional approach where a letter grade, determined by the total score, is assigned to represent the student's overall performance. To enhance the meaningfulness of these grades, we supplement them with individual thinking proficiency profiles for each student. These profiles are derived from subscores attributed to particular exam questions, organized by the corresponding thinking skills. We report the average thinking proficiency profiles of all students and compare the average profiles among students from different grade groups. The objective is to aid instructors in identifying areas that may require improvement in the learning process.","PeriodicalId":50480,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Physics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141345368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-13DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ad57b2
Alysa Malespina, Chandralekha Singh
We investigate differences in psychological constructs and learning outcomes between students in introductory physics courses who took remote classes during COVID and those who took in-person classes. We first investigated mean differences in students’ self-efficacy, test anxiety, and learning outcomes in two categories: low-stakes (homework, quizzes) and high-stakes (exams) assessments. We found that most differences were small or moderate, however; students performed drastically better on exams during remote classes compared to in-person classes. This may be partially attributed to different exam formats during remote versus in-person classes. Gender differences in high-stakes assessment grades were also eliminated during remote instruction. From these results, we make several suggestions for instructors that may alleviate the adverse effects of test anxiety and make physics assessments more equitable and inclusive.
{"title":"Introductory physics during COVID-19 remote instruction: Gender gaps in exams are eliminated, but test anxiety and self-efficacy still predict success","authors":"Alysa Malespina, Chandralekha Singh","doi":"10.1088/1361-6404/ad57b2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ad57b2","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 We investigate differences in psychological constructs and learning outcomes between students in introductory physics courses who took remote classes during COVID and those who took in-person classes. We first investigated mean differences in students’ self-efficacy, test anxiety, and learning outcomes in two categories: low-stakes (homework, quizzes) and high-stakes (exams) assessments. We found that most differences were small or moderate, however; students performed drastically better on exams during remote classes compared to in-person classes. This may be partially attributed to different exam formats during remote versus in-person classes. Gender differences in high-stakes assessment grades were also eliminated during remote instruction. From these results, we make several suggestions for instructors that may alleviate the adverse effects of test anxiety and make physics assessments more equitable and inclusive.","PeriodicalId":50480,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Physics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141348382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-13DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ad5807
Tianzuo Dong, Yanqi Wang, Yi Zhang, Qingtian Shi, R. Dai, Xiaoyu Sun, Zhongping Wang, Zengming Zhang, Lazhen Sun
In this work, a homemade apparatus was built to perform the Frank-Hertz experiment with argon. The lowest energy state and the higher energy state of argon can be excited by the Frank-Hertz experiment. The excitation energies of the argon atom are measured by using the setup. The obtained higher excitation energy of argon atoms is 13.73 ± 0.28 eV, for the mixture of higher energy states 3s23p53d and 3s23p54p. A plate capacitor model was constructed to simulate the inelastic collisions between electron and argon atoms using the Monte Carlo method. The simulated current curve and electron energy distribution agrees with that of Frank-Hertz experiments, especially the features of higher excited state. The Monte Carlo simulation indicate the deformed electron energy distribution result from the change in excitation proportion of energy levels during the collisions of electrons and argon atoms. Moreover, the new features in Frank-Hertz curve are ascribed to the higher excitation states of argon atoms. The experimental setup has been applied to undergraduate physics experiment teaching in college. Students can perform the Frank-Hertz curve measurement not only the lowest excited state, but also the higher excited states of argon. In addition, students can do the Monte Carlo simulations for the experimental Frank-Hertz curves and gain a better understanding of electron-argon atom collisions in the experiment. The new designed experiment will make students more familiar with the quantum behavior in atomic physics and quantum mechanics course.
{"title":"New Features in Frank-Hertz Experiment with Argon: Experiment and Monte Carlo Simulation","authors":"Tianzuo Dong, Yanqi Wang, Yi Zhang, Qingtian Shi, R. Dai, Xiaoyu Sun, Zhongping Wang, Zengming Zhang, Lazhen Sun","doi":"10.1088/1361-6404/ad5807","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/ad5807","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In this work, a homemade apparatus was built to perform the Frank-Hertz experiment with argon. The lowest energy state and the higher energy state of argon can be excited by the Frank-Hertz experiment. The excitation energies of the argon atom are measured by using the setup. The obtained higher excitation energy of argon atoms is 13.73 ± 0.28 eV, for the mixture of higher energy states 3s23p53d and 3s23p54p. A plate capacitor model was constructed to simulate the inelastic collisions between electron and argon atoms using the Monte Carlo method. The simulated current curve and electron energy distribution agrees with that of Frank-Hertz experiments, especially the features of higher excited state. The Monte Carlo simulation indicate the deformed electron energy distribution result from the change in excitation proportion of energy levels during the collisions of electrons and argon atoms. Moreover, the new features in Frank-Hertz curve are ascribed to the higher excitation states of argon atoms. The experimental setup has been applied to undergraduate physics experiment teaching in college. Students can perform the Frank-Hertz curve measurement not only the lowest excited state, but also the higher excited states of argon. In addition, students can do the Monte Carlo simulations for the experimental Frank-Hertz curves and gain a better understanding of electron-argon atom collisions in the experiment. The new designed experiment will make students more familiar with the quantum behavior in atomic physics and quantum mechanics course.","PeriodicalId":50480,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Physics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141346239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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