Current research on cognitive learning is applied to the designing of several experiments for use in high school physical science and physics classes. The goal of the project was to use simple inexpensive materials to construct experiments and demonstrations that illustrate physics concepts and can easily be modeled using simple mathematics.Saline solutions are used to show simple examples of refraction and effects of a solution of varying density. The refractive index of two liquids is measured. The continuous refraction of a stratified fluid is demonstrated. Fluid flow is investigated. This leads to a simple experiment that leads to an easy way to measure the acceleration of gravity.The goal was met with several simple experiments using inexpensive materials, modeling techniques, and simple mathematics derivations were designed and tested. Data from the experiments gives results that are very close to the accepted values. / Department of Physics and Astronomy

This thesis describes an analysis of the process e⁺e^— → l⁺l^- (where l = e, μ,, τ) at centre-of-mass energies between 88 GeV and 94 GeV, using the data collected by the DELPHI detector between the years 1991 and 1993. The leptonic decays of the Z° boson are selected without attempting to separate the three lepton types, thus making it an inclusive lepton analysis. The theory behind lepton pair production is introduced and the extraction of various electroweak parameters from the experimental observables is discussed. The LEP collider and the DELPHI detector are described, with special emphasis being given to the sub-detectors used in the analysis. The criteria used to select a high purity leptonic sample are described along with calculations of various backgrounds and efficiencies. The sample of selected leptonic events is then used to measure the cross-sections and forward-backward asymmetries. Finally, a fit to these cross-sections and asymmetries, together with the hadronic (e⁺e^- → qq̄) cross-sections, is carried out. Various Z° parameters are obtained: the mass and total width Mz-91.1876 ± 0.0052 GeV/c², Γ_z = 2.4971 ± 0.0061 GeV, the ratio of the hadronic to leptonic partial widths R_l = 20.73 ± 0.09, and the pole leptonic asymmetry (A°_FB)¹ = 0.0195 ± 0.0042. Using these results and the value of the strong coupling constant (α_s), determined by the DELPHI collaboration, the number of light neutrino species is determined to be N_ν = 3.045 ± 0.035. The leptonic partial width is found to be: Γ_l = 83.82 ± 0.29 MeV. Using the measured leptonic forward-backward asymmetries, the squared vector and axial-vector couplings of the Z° to charged leptons are found to be (ĝ_v¹)^{2</sup = (1.65 ± 0.36) x 10^-3 and (ĝ_a¹)}2</sup> = 0.2505 ± 0.0009. These values can be used to determine the effective rho parameter and the effective weak mixing angle: p̂ = 1.0020 ± 0.0036, and sin² θ^eff_lept = 0.2297 ± 0.0024. A full Standard Model fit to the data gives the values of the strong coupling constant, α_s, and the mass of the top quark, m_top, as being: α_s = 0.123 ± 0.010, m_top = 178⁺²²_-25 (expt)<sup>+18<sup>_-16(Higg s)GeV/c², where 60 < m_Higgs (GeV/c²) < 1000 with a central value of 300 GeV/c². All the results obtained agree with the results from the lepton-identified analyses (analyses in which leptonic events are selected on the basis of their individual flavour) and with the predictions of the Standard Model.

Submitted by Cássia Santos (cassia.bcufg@gmail.com) on 2016-10-17T13:04:04Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Magda Cardoso de Oliveira Martins - 2016.pdf: 4403831 bytes, checksum: 4b6e5249c7c5aad31bdce7b4efe85b9c (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Jaqueline Silva (jtas29@gmail.com) on 2016-10-17T17:15:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Magda Cardoso de Oliveira Martins - 2016.pdf: 4403831 bytes, checksum: 4b6e5249c7c5aad31bdce7b4efe85b9c (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-17T17:15:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Magda Cardoso de Oliveira Martins - 2016.pdf: 4403831 bytes, checksum: 4b6e5249c7c5aad31bdce7b4efe85b9c (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This paper describes the experience of the application an educational product that was developed to verify the contributions of non-formal education to formal education for students from the ninth grade of elementary school in the to Educação de Adolescentes Jovens e Adultos (EAJA) in Goiânia - Goiás. This work is primarily engaged allow the students of basic education the discovery of new ways of learning to Physics, looking for the awakening of interest in science and technology as well as verify that somehow, there was the acquisition of scientific knowledge conceptual. We had four classes of two hours each, namely: The visit to the Pátio da Ciência of UFG and application of pre-test; class on environmental impacts in the construction of hydroelectric plants, renewable sources and the types of sources for power generation; class up the Oersted experiment, Faraday's Law and Lenz and last meeting was performing experiments by students mediated by monitors of Pátio da Ciência ending the application of the product to an interview with the subjects. It is a qualitative research and the methodology chosen was the exploratory applying the focus group technique. This is considered the goals of lessons, discussions and responses from the pre-test by students and interview with them. It is concluded that the Pátio da Ciência when working complementary to formal education brings contributions: public satisfaction; awakening in science; promotes the student as an active subject, as well as acquisition of concepts Physicists. / Este trabalho visa relatar a experiência da aplicação de um produto educacional que foi desenvolvido para verificar as contribuições da educação não formal à educação formal para alunos do nono ano do Ensino Fundamental na modalidade da Educação de Adolescentes Jovens e Adultos (EAJA) em Goiânia – Goiás. Este trabalho tem por objetivo principal possibilitar aos alunos da educação básica o descobrimento das novasformas de aprender Física procurando despertar o interesse pela ciência e tecnologia, bem como, verificar se de alguma forma houve aquisição de conhecimento científico de forma conceitual. Foram realizados quatro encontros de duas horas cada, divididos em: A visitação ao Pátio da Ciência da UFG e aplicação de pré-teste; aula sobre impactos ambientais nas construções de usinas hidrelétricas, fontes renováveis e os tipos de fontes em geração de energia elétrica; aula sobre o experimento de Oersted, Leis de Faraday e Lenz e por último encontro foi a realização de experimentos pelos alunos mediados pelos monitores do Pátio da Ciência, finalizando a aplicação do produto com uma entrevista com os sujeitos da pesquisa. É uma pesquisa qualitativa e a metodologia escolhida foi a exploratória aplicando a técnica de grupo focal. Nesse é analisada os objetivos das aulas, discussões e respostas dos alunos mediante pré-teste e entrevista com os mesmos. Concluiu-se que o Pátio da Ciência quando trabalhado em complementaridade à educação formal traz contribuições: satisfação do público; despertar pelas ciências; promove ao aluno como sujeito ativo, bem como aquisição de conceitos Físicos.

Title: Experimental sets in optics for Interactive Physics Laboratory Author: Jana Machalická Department: Department of Physics Education Supervisor: RNDr. Petr Kácovský, Ph.D., Department of Physics Education Abstract: As part of this thesis, a literature review focused on the topic of optics experiments was conducted. Building on the results of this review, four experimental stations were designed and realized based on the needs of the Interactive Physics Laboratory (IPL), operated by the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University. Corresponding worksheets have also been created and provided to the students participating in each given experiment. The individual experiments, which are focused on the fields of geometrical and wave optics, are described in detail and accompanied by instructions on setting up the stations, as well as important notes on teaching methodology. Following the launch of this Optics experimental suite, a qualitative study exploring the effect of visiting the IPL on the understanding of the related physics concepts was performed by means of a short questionnaire on a small number of respondents. Several conclusions drawn from this study remain as interesting areas of future work. Keywords: physics experiments, labs, optics, secondary school

i Title: Support for the Implementation and Explanation of Problematic Physics Experiments in Education at Primary School - Mini Case Study Author: Bc. Aneta Čermáková Department: Department of Physics Education Supervisor: RNDr. Jitka Houfková, Ph.D., Department of Physics Education Abstract: This thesis aim is to refer and to acquaint with the problem of experiment in natural sciences at primary school. It identifies the obstacles encountered by primary school teachers when they use experiments in the education and it formulates principles that should guide authors of future materials dealing with experiments for primary school to make it easier for teachers to use them in education. After the introduction dealing with the experiment in the curriculum and textbooks for primary education, interviews with 8 primary school teachers follow. Based on the interviews, a material containing 15 descriptions of experiments for primary school was prepared. It is the next part of the work. This is followed by the outputs from the involved teachers' feedback on the basis of which the material was modified and the conclusions and recommendations for other similar materials were formulated. A CD with the thesis text in digital form, recordings of interviews with teachers, photos and videos illustrating the experiments...

The aim of this diploma thesis is to introduce wayshow teachers can make their elementary school pupils more perceptive to learning physics by the means of specific methods. The thesis first examines on howthe subject is perceived by pupils. It later inquires whether the usage of physical experiments changes how they feel about physics. Initially, the work makes use of an Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) questionnaire. The collected information is later compared and hypotheses are made. Next, the thesis describes how the structural dialogue with elementary school pupils was prepared and subsequently executed to prove the hypotheses. The questionnaire results put a base to the final conclusions and suggestions which can be applied in a classroom.

We present results from Fermilab MPS experiment E580 on the reactions π⁻N->V°X where V° is K°_S, A or A̅ and X are charged particles. Transverse and longitudinal momentum distributions for the V° and for K*^±(892), Σ^±(1385), Ξ⁻(1321) and Ξ⁺(1321) are presented. A comparison is made with the prediction of QCD quark counting rules. Evidence for A⁺_C; is presented. / Ph. D.

This thesis deals with the incorporation into teaching physics at the elementary school. It highlights the importance of conducting experiments on this subject. It deals with the role of improvised devices in physics education and their active use of the students. Examines and compares the benefits of active participation of pupils in the classroom for their motivation and better understanding and reinforce the learning.

Um dos principais desafios que um professor de Física enfrenta ao tentar atualizar suas aulas e trazer novas abordagens para o contexto escolar diz respeito a infraestrutura necessária para implementá-las. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de materiais instrucionais de baixo custo para a realização de experimentos de Física relacionados ao conteúdo de Cinemática usando a placa Arduino-UNO como interface para aquisição de dados. Para isto foi desenvolvido um material didático, amparado na Teoria de Aprendizagem Significativa de David Ausubel, composto por: I) equipamento constituído por sensores ópticos infravermelhos e ultrassônico; II) três modelos de shield para a placa Arduino-UNO; III) softwares desenvolvidos em Python para visualização em tempo real dos gráficos de posição, velocidade e aceleração em função do tempo; IV) vídeos tutoriais mostrando a montagem de todo o equipamento utilizado para aquisição de dados; V) guias pedagógicos para orientar o professor na aplicação das aulas; VI) guias de atividades elaborados com a metodologia “Predizer, Interagir e Explicar” (P.I.E.). O material instrucional foi elaborado dentro de um conceito de Recursos Educacionais Abertos (REA). Atribuímos licenças permissivas a todo o material desenvolvido neste trabalho a fim de que professores, pesquisadores, estudantes e demais membros da sociedade possam usar, estudar, modificar e compartilhar livremente todo o seu conteúdo. A proposta foi implementada em três turmas do primeiro ano do Ensino Médio na Escola Técnica Frederico Guilherme Schmidt na cidade de São Leopoldo (RS), durante o terceiro trimestre de 2014, totalizando dezenove períodos. Durante a aplicação do projeto foram realizadas duas provas como instrumento de avaliação da aprendizagem, além dos questionários que fazem parte do guia de atividades dos alunos, entregues no final de cada tarefa. Os resultados indicam que o uso de experimentos com aquisição automática de dados nas aulas de Física, em conjunto com uma metodologia adequada de ensino, contribuíram para o aprendizado e motivação dos alunos. Acreditamos que, por se tratar de um material didático de baixo custo, elaborado com uso de softwares livres e hardware aberto, é altamente disseminável e tornar-se-á muito útil para o desenvolvimento de projetos e práticas educacionais no Ensino de Física. / One of the main challenges faced by physics teachers to bring innovative teaching approaches to class is related to the lack of infrastructure to implement it. The objective of this work was to develop low cost instructional materials to conduct didactical experiments about Kinematics using the Arduino-UNO board as an interface for data acquisition. It was developed a teaching material, supported by the Theory of Meaningful Learning (David Ausubel), composed of: i) an equipment with infrared and ultrasonic sensors; II) three shields for the Arduino-UNO board; III) a software developed in Python for real time visualization of graphs position, velocity and acceleration versus time; IV) video tutorials showing the assembly of all equipment used for data acquisition; V) teaching guides to orient the lessons; VI) activity guides designed with the methodology "Predict, Interact and Explain" (P.I.E.). The instructional material was prepared within a concept of Open Educational Resources (OER). We attribute permissive licenses to all material developed so teachers, researchers, students and other members of society can use, study, modify and freely share all the content. The proposal was implemented in three high school classes at the Frederico Guilherme Schmidt Technical School in São Leopoldo (Brazil) during the third quarter of 2014, totalizing 19 class periods. Questionnaires and exams were carried on to evaluate students learning. Our results suggests the use of experiments with automatic data acquisition in physics classes, together with an appropriate teaching methodology, contributed to the learning and student's motivation. Considering the low cost of the hardware and the use of open source software and open hardware the materials developed can be easily adopted giving to the teachers minimal conditions for the development of projects and educational practices in physics teaching.

Acompanha: Experimentação em óptica nas séries finais do ensino fundamental: uma compreensão fenomenológica / Este trabalho teve como objetivo geral analisar sob uma perspectiva fenomenológica, as contribuições que o emprego de atividades experimentais proporcionam para o ensino e aprendizagem em óptica. A opção metodológica foi pela pesquisa de natureza aplicada, qualitativa, exploratória e viés interpretativo. Durante o desenvolvimento, foram reconstruídos pelo autor experimentos que pudessem evidenciar os fenômenos ópticos sobre a natureza da luz, reflexão, refração e difração. O trabalho foi desenvolvido com a participação de 28 (vinte e oito) alunos regularmente matriculados nas séries finais do Ensino Fundamental em uma escola particular no Município de Ponta Grossa-Pr. Na fundamentação teórica contempla-se aspectos históricos do método experimental, inaugurado por Galileu Galilei, estendendo-se às contribuições realizadas por Isaac Newton, no tocante às atividades experimentais para o desenvolvimento da óptica. Apresentam-se também, as diferentes abordagens e enfoque, atualmente aplicados ao trabalho experimental para o ensino de Ciências, realizando uma reconceitualização do método experimental. As externalizações realizadas pelos alunos ocorreram fundamentalmente em dois momentos; antes da experimentação, evidenciando os conceitos prévios, e após a atividade experimental, por meio do discurso e mapas conceituais. Os resultados indicam que a atividade experimental para ensino de óptica, reconceitualizada a luz do construtivismo, aproxima-se de um método plural para o ensino, pois além de proporcionar uma variedade de conflitos cognitivos aos alunos, permite ao experimentador a ligação entre o mundo dos objetos reais, das linguagens simbólicas, leis e teorias com o mundo dos conceitos em óptica, favorecendo a evolução conceitual. / This work aimed to analyze under a phenomenological perspective, the contributions that the use of experimental activities provide for teaching and learning in optics. The methodological option was by nature applied research, qualitative, exploratory and interpretive bias. During development, they were reconstructed by the author experiments that could show the optical phenomena of the nature of light, reflection, refraction and diffraction. The study was conducted with the participation of 28 (twenty eight) students enrolled in the final grades of primary education in a private school in the city of Ponta Grossa-Pr. In theoretical foundation includes up historical aspects of the experimental method, inaugurated by Galileo Galilei, extending to the contributions made by Isaac Newton, with respect to experimental activities for the development of optics. It is also present, the different approaches and focus currently applied to the experimental work for the teaching of science, performing a reconceptualization of the experimental method. The externalizations performed by students occurred mainly in two stages; before the trial, showing the previous concepts, and after the experimental activity, through discourse and conceptual maps. The results indicate that the experimental activity to optical teaching, reconceptualized the light of constructivism, approaches a plural method for teaching, as well as providing a variety of cognitive conflict students, allows the experimenter the link between the world of real objects, symbolic languages, laws and theories with the world of concepts in optics, favoring conceptual evolution.