Hockey

• groups Air Hockey

  groups Whole Class Activity

  10 min.

  Air Hockey

  Central Forces 2023 (3 years)

  central forces potential energy classical mechanics

  Students observe the motion of a puck tethered to the center of the airtable. Then they plot the potential energy for the puck on their small whiteboards. A class discussion follows based on what students have written on their whiteboards.
• biotech Microwave oven Ice Calorimetry Lab

  biotech Experiment

  60 min.

  Microwave oven Ice Calorimetry Lab

  Energy and Entropy 2021 (2 years)

  heat entropy water ice thermodynamics

  In this remote-friendly activity, students use a microwave oven (and optionally a thermometer) to measure the latent heat of melting for water (and optionally the heat capacity). From these they compute changes in entropy. See also Ice Calorimetry Lab.
• assignment Effective Potentials: Graphical Version

  assignment Homework

  Effective Potentials: Graphical Version

  Central Forces 2023 (2 years)

  Consider a mass \(\mu\) in the potential shown in the graph below. You give the mass a push so that its initial angular momentum is \(\ell\ne 0\) for a given fixed value of \(\ell\).

  

  1. Give the definition of a central force system and briefly explain why this situation qualifies.
  2. Make a sketch of the graph of the effective potential for this situation.
  3. How should you push the puck to establish a circular orbit? (i.e. Characterize the initial position, direction of push, and strength of the push. You do NOT need to solve any equations.)
  4. BRIEFLY discuss the possible orbit shapes that can arise from this effective potential. Include a discussion of whether the orbits are open or closed, bound or unbound, etc. Make sure that you refer to your sketch of the effective potential in your discussions, mark any points of physical significance on the sketch, and describe the range of parameters relevant to each type of orbit. Include a discussion of the role of the total energy of the orbit.

• keyboard Mean position

  keyboard Computational Activity

  120 min.

  Mean position

  Computational Physics Lab II 2023 (2 years)

  probability density particle in a box wave function quantum mechanics

  Students compute probabilities and averages given a probability density in one dimension. This activity serves as a soft introduction to the particle in a box, introducing all the concepts that are needed.
• face Thermal radiation and Planck distribution

  face Lecture

  120 min.

  Thermal radiation and Planck distribution

  Thermal and Statistical Physics 2020

  Planck distribution blackbody radiation photon statistical mechanics

  These notes from the fourth week of Thermal and Statistical Physics cover blackbody radiation and the Planck distribution. They include a number of small group activities.
• Central Forces 2023 (3 years)

  Consider the frictionless motion of a hockey puck of mass \(m\) on a perfectly circular bowl-shaped ice rink with radius \(a\). The central region of the bowl (\(r < 0.8a\)) is perfectly flat and the sides of the ice bowl smoothly rise to a height \(h\) at \(r = a\).

  1. Draw a sketch of the potential energy for this system. Set the zero of potential energy at the top of the sides of the bowl.
  2. Situation 1: the puck is initially moving radially outward from the exact center of the rink. What minimum velocity does the puck need to escape the rink?
  3. Situation 2: a stationary puck, at a distance \(\frac{a}{2}\) from the center of the rink, is hit in such a way that it's initial velocity \(\vec v_0\) is perpendicular to its position vector as measured from the center of the rink. What is the total energy of the puck immediately after it is struck?
  4. In situation 2, what is the angular momentum of the puck immediately after it is struck?
  5. Draw a sketch of the effective potential for situation 2.
  6. In situation 2, for what minimum value of \(\vec v_0\) does the puck just escape the rink?

• Media & Figures

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