Is the centrifugal force real?
2020-10-21
Yes and no.
OK, I should probably write a bit more than that…Read More →
A force is not just a vector
2020-10-15
How you “fully describe” a force and why you should use notation such as FAonB, for forces.Read More →
Coffee, and the importance of serendipity
2020-09-29
You don’t know what you’ve got, till it’s gone (Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi). This seems to apply to serendipity, as well as paving paradise.Read More →
Laptops for disadvantaged school students (Guest Post)
2020-03-16
Laptops have become an ubiquitous part of the high school landscape. Students without one are usually at a disadvantage in accessing learning resources and completing assessments.Read More →
International Women’s Day 2020
2020-03-08
It’s International Women’s Day (March 8). While society in general still has some way to go towards equity for women (e.g. the recent #metoo movement) physics has some particular challenges, which I’d like to discuss. First I thought I’d celebrate by mentioning one of my favourite physicists Emmy Noether –Read More →
“Moving clocks do not run slow” – Part 4
2020-02-24
This post is a response to a reader’s comments (Vivian Robinson) about an article I wrote for the “Australian Physics” magazine, which is published by the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP).
The article was titled “Moving clocks do not run slow”. It did NOT challenge the theory of special relativity (SR) but discussed a pedagogical issue in relation to SR (an issue of how SR is taught).Read More →
“Moving clocks do not run slow” – Part 3
2020-02-17
This post is a response to a reader’s comments (Don Koks) about an article I wrote for the “Australian Physics” magazine, which is published by the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP).
The article was titled “Moving clocks do not run slow”. It did NOT challenge the theory of special relativity (SR) but discussed a pedagogical issue in relation to SR (an issue of how SR is taught).Read More →
“Moving clocks do not run slow” – Part 2
2020-02-10
This post is a response to a reader’s comments (Jim Hodges) about an article I wrote for the “Australian Physics” magazine, which is published by the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP).
The article was titled “Moving clocks do not run slow”. It did NOT challenge the theory of special relativity (SR) but discussed a pedagogical issue in relation to SR (an issue of how SR is taught).Read More →
“Moving clocks do not run slow” – Part 1
2020-02-03
This is an introduction to a set of posts about an article I wrote for the “Australian Physics” magazine, which is published by the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP).
The article was titled “Moving clocks do not run slow”. It did NOT challenge the theory of special relativity (SR) but discussed a pedagogical issue in relation to SR (an issue of how SR is taught).Read More →
Why “Level 98”?
2020-01-06
One of the first questions people ask me is: Why “Level 98”? So answering that question seems as good a place as any to kick off this blog.Read More →
