2:15 - 3:45      Session A - 151 Loomis - Educational Issues and Methods
                         Session chair: Jack Boparai, University of Illinois, Urbana
2:15 - 2:35 -  A1

Recent Innovations in Bradley University's Computer Based Physics Laboratories. Douglas Early, Kevin Kimberlin, Kelly Roos, Conley Stutz, Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625. We will review the evolution of computer based laboratories as developed at Bradley University over the past twelve years. We will emphasize the changes we have instituted in the past three years since installing the second generation of computers and peripherals. The presentation will include discussions of our attempt at developing a paperless laboratory and at developing laboratory exercises that lead the student toward student generated experiments. Mention will also be made of our attempts at Web based astronomy exercises.

 2:35 - 2:55 -  A2

Success in Preparatory Courses. Gary Gladding, Curtis Shoaf, University of Illinois, Urbana , IL 61801. Students enrolling in introductory level physics classes may be ill-equipped in mathematics and reasoning skills; however, teaching these skills outside the context of physics may not be the best way to tackle the problem. New revisions in our preparatory course, which embeds problematic areas of math and reasoning within the context of physics, has shown initial success. Some of the changes made and the results of our latest offering of the course will be discussed.

2:55 - 3:10 -  A3

Physics Education and the Interactive Example. Paras Naik, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801. Lessons learned from physics education research (PER) have been recently applied to the calculus-based introductory physics curriculum at the University of Illinois, and are now being applied to the algebra-based sequence. A brief overview of the importance of conceptual learning is presented, followed by an introduction to the algebra-based sequence revision. The Interactive Example (IE) is emphasized, and information is given about IEs, how they are created, and what will be done with them in the future.

3:10 - 3:30 -  A4

Teaching Physics and the Arts. Thomas D. Rossing, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115. Physics has a lot in common with the fine arts (both are humanistic, both have aesthetic appeal, etc.). For the past 30 years, I have enjoyed teaching courses in physics and music. It has drawn me into doing research in musical acoustics and to writing books in this area because other physicists were not doing so. More recently, I have begun teaching a course in the physics of light with emphasis on the visual arts. This led me to team up with Christopher Chiaverina in writing a textbook on "Light Science." Each chapter in this book includes experiments for home, laboratory, and classroom demonstration. Students not only participate in these demonstration experiments in class but they earn extra credit by doing them at home and reporting on them. Some of their best creations are displayed in corridor display cases. I believe that sound and light should play an important role in physics courses for scientists and engineers as well as for non-science majors.

3:30 - 3:45 -  A5

Teaching Physics to a Visually Impaired Student. Bob Hetzel, Curie Metropolitan High School, Chicago, IL 60632. Ideas and materials will be presented which have facilitated the learning of physics concepts for a visually impaired student. Many of these ideas and materials were developed mutually by the teacher and the student. Hands-On activities are emphasized. The visually impaired student is encouraged to be the one who "volunteers" to ride the skateboard for Newton's 2nd Law Lab, or the one who demonstrates the hand rules for electromagnetism.

3:45 - 4:15      Session B - 151 Loomis - Student and Faculty Research
                         Session chair: Jack Boparai, University of Illinois, Urbana
3:45 - 4:00 -  B1

* Dynamics of Harmonic Oscillators. Bruce Gall, S. Spinner, Gordon Ramsey, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60626. We have studied the theoretical and experimental aspects of large angle oscillations of a simple pendulum. Our theoretical analysis includes total period and time-dependent relations. We compare theoretical calculations with experimental measurements at angles from 5 to 140 degrees. Our experimental apparatus is designed to minimize effects of friction and air resistance. We discuss the significance of our results.

4:00 - 4:15 -  B2

Optical Homogeneity, Thermodynamic Homogeneity and the Photon. James E. Clark . The double slit experiment where single photons are considered, contains the heart of quantum mechanics and it's statistical interpretation. Suppose that a transparent liquid containing small transparent nanospheres is placed as a bulk i.e. 1 cm thick medium beyond the two slits. I have observed in experiment that interference fringes become unobservable if the spheres exceed 70 nm in diameter, at a volume fraction of greater than 1 percent. In contrast, interference fringes are observable if the spheres fall under 50 nm in diameter at a 1 percent volume fraction. This observation can be understood theoretically if the link between Gibb's 19th Century thermodynamics and Dirac's 20th Century quantum mechanics is considered. It will be shown that the notion of homogeneity employed in Gibb's thermodynamics is related to the optical homogeneity of a medium required in optical experiments. These experiments make it possible to draw a line of demarcation between large spherical molecules contained in a liquid and small classical objects likewise contained.

Note:  Sessions C and D transpire coincidentally.

8:15 - 9:30      Session C - 151 Loomis - Educational Issues and Methods
                         Session chair: Curtis Shoaf, University of Illinois, Urbana
8:15 - 8:30 -  C1

The Western Illinois University SCenstation SCience SCircus Outreach Program. Laurie Pichla, Toni Sauncy, James Rabchuk, John Hartman, and Donald Bath, Western Illinois University, Department of Physics and Department of Chemistry, Macomb, IL 61455. Faculty members from the Western Illinois University Department of Physics and Department of Chemistry have recently collaborated to initiate an outreach program aimed at addressing scientific literacy issues for area K-12 school students. The primary goals of the program are to enhance attitudes towards science and promote increased scientific literacy. During the first year of the three-year project, physics and chemistry faculty supervise undergraduate students in presenting various aspects of physical science in the form of an entertaining demonstration show. The goals and assessment plans for the program, along with preliminary assessment results, will be discussed.

8:30 - 8:45 -  C2

Physical Science Demonstrations for K-12 Students: Challenging Common Misconceptions and Preconceived Ideas about Science. Daniel Johnson, Toni Sauncy, James Rabchuk, John Hartman, and Donald Bath, Western Illinois University, Department of Physics and Department of Chemistry, Macomb, IL 61455. The Western Illinois University SCenstational SCience SCircus outreach program is aimed at presenting fundamental concepts of physical science to area K-12 students in an effort to generate positive attitudes about science. The program presenters demonstrate concepts such as static and dynamic pressure, electricity, temperature-dependence of materials, with a primary focus on relating physics to the everyday experiences of the students. Many of the students' misconceptions were expected.  However, the student reactions both during the presentations and on surveys have revealed some unexpected misconceptions, including confusion regarding the states of matter and the effect of gravity. Preliminary lessons learned from the outreach program will be discussed.

8:45 - 9:00 -  C3

Increasing Student Involvement in a Conceptual Physics Course for Non-Math/Science Majors. Toni Sauncy, Western Illinois University, Department of Physics, Macomb, IL 61455. One of the primary challenges in teaching a moderately large section of physics for non-math/science majors is in motivating the students to become involved in the learning process. Large class size is inhibitive to the implementation of a "studio-style" classroom, but current research strongly suggests that the standard lecture format is ineffective in actively engaging students. In an effort to find a compromise between these two pedagogically different approaches, a system of small work groups using "desk-top demonstrations" has been instituted in the general education conceptual physics course. Examples, along with preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of this approach will be discussed.

9:00 - 9:15 -  C4

Standards-compliant Physics Teacher Education. Carl J. Wenning, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4560. National and state education standards are beginning to have a significant impact on all areas of teacher preparation. Emphasis of evaluation has changed from programs of preparation to the teacher candidates themselves. The question today is, "Do teacher candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions appropriate to beginning teachers?"  The speaker will comment on pertinent national and state teaching standards, and explain how these are having a major impact on physics teacher education and performance assessment at Illinois State University.

9:15 - 9:30 -  Take-Fives

Resource Letter on Teaching Light and Color: A sneak preview. Thomas D. Rossing, Northern Illinois Univ.
Resource Site for Science Educators.  Doug Franklin, Western Illinois University
Any others:  ___________________________________

8:15 - 9:30      Session D - 141 Loomis - Student and Faculty Research
                         Session chair: Paras Naik, University of Illinois, Urbana
8:15 - 8:30 -  D1

* Java and Computer Animated Movies Using the Internet. Tyson R. Shepherd, Charles Q. Su and Rainer Grobe, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4560. The presentation will be an overview of how we are using the Internet to communicate physical ideas over long distances. By using three-dimensional rendering software we are able to make everything from a Gaussian 3-d curve to an aesthetic logo. Also, by using converters, we are able to take certain data from a software package such as NCAR and convert it to a playable, online movie. [1] By putting movies of simulated physical ideas on the web, more and more people can now access a database via the internet. I will also present future plans for using Java language to let anyone be able to use their own initial conditions and see the computer simulate that experiment. * Supported by grants of the NSF PHY-9970490, Research Corporation PHY-CC4089 and Illinois State's URG.

8:30 - 8:45 -  D2

* Stereographic Visualization with Vis5D. Alexander Bergquist, Charles Q. Su and Rainer Grobe, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4560. During the last year I have been installing a software package called Vis5D on our Octane Silicon Graphics Workstation. Such a program can be used with stereographic goggles to provide a full 3 dimensional visualization of complex scientific data. I will explain how it is possible to trick the brain by presenting 3D illusions with plots on a 2D screen. I will also comment on the human perception of depth. This tool has been used commonly in weather forecasting, here we have extended it to laser applications. This software will permit us to produce fully 3D movies. * Supported by grants from the NSF PHY-9970490, Research Corporation PHY-CC4089 and Illinois State's URG.

8:45 - 9:00 -  D3

* Numerical Simulations of Laser-Tissue Interactions. Shannon M. Mandel and Harshwardhan Wanare, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4560. To understand the propagation properties of a single laser pulse through an absorbing and diffusive media such as water, fog, or human tissue is a key challenge in various applied research areas such as oceonography, climate studies, and , of course, medicine. A better understanding how electromagnetic radiation interacts with human tissues is quite important to improve the resolution in medical imaging, and to optimize the effectiveness in laser therapy and also non-invasive diagnostics. In laser diagnostics one the key questions concerns how the volume and type of a tumor can be recognized by analyzing the properties of the diffusively scattered light. Various approaches to simulate the propagation have been investigated. The approach I will use in my proposed theoretical studies is the time-dependent solution of the Maxwell equations for a field interacting with a medium, whose index of refraction is a randomly varying function of space. I will present first results that we obtained from a reduced dimensional model of a random scatterers. This model allows one to predict and interpret the temporal features of the scattered light, such as the diffusive, snake and the so-called ballistic light. [1-3] * Supported by the ISU Honors Program, and by grants from the NSF PHY-9970490, Research Corporation PHY-CC4089 and Illinois State's URG.

9:00 - 9:15 -  D4

* Liouville Phase Space Approach. Peter J. Peverly, Charles Q. Su and Rainer Grobe, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4560. We compare the time evolution of the quantum mechanical spatial probability density obtained by solving the time-dependent Dirac equation with its classical counterpart obtained from the relativistic Liouville equation for the phase space density in a regime in which the dynamics are essentially relativistic. For a resonantly-driven one-dimensional harmonic oscillator, the simplest non-trivial model system to perform this comparison, we find that, despite the nonlinearity induced by relativity, the classical ensemble description matches the quantum evolution remarkably well. * Supported by the ISU Honors Program, and by grants from the NSF PHY-9970490, Research Corporation PHY-CC4089 and Illinois State's URG.

9:15 - 9:30 -  D5

* What are Cycloatoms?. Robert E. Wagner, Charles Q. Su and Rainer Grobe, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4560. We propose a mechanism for experimental investigation of relativistic effects [1,2] in the laser-atom interaction with moderate (non-relativistic) laser intensities that involves placing the system in a static magnetic field parallel to the laser's magnetic field component. The resonantly induced relativistic motion of the atomic electron leads to a variety of novel phenomena: a relativistic dephasing [3] leading to a ring-like spatial probability density, [4] a counter-intuitive window of relativistically enhanced motion, [5] and a sequence of saw-tooth shaped resonances that may increase the harmonic generation. * Supported by the ISU Honors Program, and by grants from the NSF PHY-9970490, Research Corporation PHY-CC4089 and Illinois State's URG.

Note:  Sessions E and F transpire coincidentally.

11:00 - 12:00     Session E - 151 Loomis - Student and Faculty Research
                         Session chair: Chuck Schulz, Knox College
11:00 - 11:15 -  E1

How Fast Can You Empty a Cannister?. Amra Dzankovic, Ana Suboni and Asim Gangopadhyaya, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60626. As a part of our Freshman project, we studied the draining of various kinds of cans and bottles from a circular hole in the bottom and attempted to verify Bernoulli's equation. In particular, we derived the time needed for drainage as a function of starting and ending heights of water level (over the level of the hole), and the radii of the hole and the can. When compared with experimental study, the match between the time predicted by the formula with data collected experimentally turned out to depend crucially on the shape of the container used.

11:15 - 11:30 -  E2

* Mössbauer Spectroscopy of Iron Porphyrins: Design and construction of a variable temperature experimental setup.. Fernando J. Erazo, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 61401. The extreme vibration sensitivity of a Mössbauer experiment demands particular attention to vibration isolation methods and careful setup design. The setup we built includes a top-loading closed cycle cryostat from Cryo-Industries with variable temperature control. Since the closed cycle cryostat - like any refrigerator - creates vibrations in its cooling process, isolation for the rest of the apparatus is imperative. The mounting of the cryostat, velocity transducer, and proportional counter is the most important part of a Mössbauer experiment. With sufficient vibration isolation achieved, the experiment practically runs itself. Mössbauer spectroscopy measures, among other parameters, the nuclear quadrupole splitting. Distortions or asymmetries of the EFG at the nucleus create this hyperfine interaction. Our goal is to observe the temperature dependence of the quadrupole splitting of 57Fe in heme model compounds from ~15ºK to 300ºK. Analysis of the obtained spectra provides insight into the electronic structure of these compounds of vital importance for modeling and understanding the behavior of metalloproteins.

11:30 - 11:45 -  E3

Classifying the Shape of Space. Troy Gobble , Keith Andrew, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 61920. We are examining how different topological shapes are classified to better understand the shape of the Universe. In particular we will present some intuitive ways of constructing four dimensional spaces that can be distinguished by simple topological invariants. By using topological product and sum methods we construct a 'multiplication table' of different spaces. As these spaces are constructed simple rules for finding the new topological invariants are found. Perhaps the best known invariant is the Euler Characteristic, which, in two dimensions can be related to the genus of the space or the number of 'handles' on a sphere. Interest in these multiconnected topologies has become intense since it was realized that the signature of the topology of the Universe is contained in the cosmic microwave background anisotropies. Cosmologists are now constructing extensive sky maps to search for multiconnectedness.

11:45 - 12:00 -  Take-Fives

Relativistic Simultaneity Demo.  Cecilia J. Vogel, Augustana College
Very Large Scale Acoustical Refraction.  Michael Matkovich, Oakton Community College
Rough Magnetic Path.  Fred Zurheide, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville

11:00 - 12:00     Session F - 141 Loomis - Student and Faculty Research
                         Session chair: David Renneke, Augustana College
11:00 - 11:15 -  F1

* The Critical State Effects of Nickel Doping in a YBCO(123) Superconductor. Michael C. Baxa and Mark S. Boley, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455. Nickel (Ni) substitutions for Copper (Cu) atoms in molar proportions of 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% in the crystalline lattice of the cuprate oxide superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-x produced some marked enhancement effects in the magnetic field dependence of the transport critical current density at both 77 K and 60 K in bulk polycrystalline samples. This was also accompanied by a sharpening of the normal-to-superconducting transition in the resistivity versus temperature curves for the doped samples. These samples, along with a control (undoped) sample, were sintered in pellet form using identical conventional ceramic processing techniques, and then subjected to four-wire probe critical state investigations in order to determine their resistivities as a function of temperature and to ascertain their critical temperatures. Furthermore, at steady-state temperatures of 77 K and 60 K the dependence of their critical current densities on magnetic fields up to 1.2 Tesla was measured. The 0.2% Ni dopant level demonstrated the most pronounced critical current density enhancement of all the doped samples, with the enhancement slightly deteriorating at higher fields. This appears to be the optimal dopant level of the three, since by the 0.3% Ni dopant level, it was obvious that the in-field critical current density had decreased to below the value of the control sample. Similar investigations of the effects of nickel doping in the YBCO superconductor by other groups using Raman scattering techniques suggests a chain site substitution of nickel that provides a plausible explanation of our results. At low concentrations and low magnetic field values the nickel likely provides a ferromagnetic ordering in the material which enhances its ability to expel fields without a significant reduction in its current-carrying abilities.

11:15 - 11:25 -  F2

* Experiments with a Hydrostatic-Electric Generator ("Kelvin's Thunderstorm"). Austin Barclay and Mark Boley, Macomb High School and Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455. Variations in droplet size were found to create a marked difference in the voltage versus time [V(t)] curve generated by a hydrostatic-electric generator constructed in our laboratory. The water pressure was varied at each test hole size and then selected in order to produce the maximum voltage enhancement of the device. An adjustable flow faucet was used to control the pressure needed in the testing of the device. At each test size, the generator was monitored for 10 minutes and the voltage was recorded every 20 seconds with a continuously connected digital multimeter in order to obtain the V(t) graph, with tests made at ambient room temperature. It was found that a minimum hole size was needed to create a voltage that exceeded the detection threshold for the meter. A somewhat larger hole size enhanced the ability of the device to reproducibly generate larger voltages. Although occasionally high voltages were generated at the largest hole size monitored, their production was much less consistent.

11:25 - 11:45 -  F3

Modal Analysis of Caribbean Steelpans. Thomas D. Rossing and Uwe J. Hansen, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115 and Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809. Vibrational modes in several tenor and double second steelpans by three well-known makers have been measured. Normal modes are determined from operating deflection shapes recorded by means of electronic TV holography. Vibrational modes of the various note areas are designated by the numbers of radial and circumferential nodal lines. Tuners generally tune one mode an octave above the fundamental and, if possible, a third mode is tuned either a twelfth or two octaves above the fundamental. Modal shapes in the skirt correspond to standing waves propagating around the ring.

11:45 - 12:00 -  Move to Room 151 for Take-Fives

Last update:  April 19, 2000