VicPhysics News: Term 1, No 3, 2016
Dear ,
The detection of Gravitational Waves was announced overnight. In this newsletter there are numerous links to background stories, classroom activities, etc.
In other news the Physics Days at Luna Park will now start at 10:30am on all days, with the aerobatic display at 10:00am on the Tuesday. The Careers Survey report now covers the aspects 'years to retirement' and 'teaching and administrative responsibilities', about 21% of surveyed teachers plan to retire within 5 years. Information on the Conference Karaoke is also supplied. Conference Registration is still open
The next meeting of the Vicphysics Teachers' Network will be at 5pm on Tuesday, 8th March at the University of Melbourne. All teachers are welcome to attend this or any other meeting. If you would like to attend, please contact Vicphysics at
Regards,
Frances Sidari, Jane Coyle, Barbara McKinnon and Dan O'Keeffe.
The executive of the VicPhysics Teachers' Network
Table of Contents
1. 2016 Physics Careers Survey: A Further Update
2. Karaoke at the Conference
3. Gravitational Waves detected
4. Forthcoming events for Students and the General Public
a) Black hole binaries - a unique love story, 6:30pm, 18th Feb, Swinburne University
b) Physics Days at Luna Park and Roulette Display: A Change of Times & an Update on Numbers
c) Why Space Matters Photography Competition
5. Forthcoming events for Teachers
a) Physics Teachers' Conference, 19th, 20th February, Monash University
b) Physics in General Science Conference, 19th, 20th February, Monash University
c) Astronomy from the Ground Up! , 29 April - 1 May, CSIRO Parkes Observatory
6. Physics News from the Web
a) Polarised light throws birds' magnetic compass off course
b) Revealing the network within: 'Network physiology'
c) Sweatband measures tiny electrical signals in perspiration
This newsletter is compiled by the Vicphysics Teachers' Network Inc.
1. 2016 Physics Careers Survey: A Further Update
The email sent yesterday was a link to Physics Careers Survey. Already there have been 213 responses.
The purpose of the survey is to obtain a profile of the physics teaching profession, focussing on qualifications, responsibilities in schools, and intended retirement. The information will be of great benefit to the Vicphysics in its lobbying of Government, the universities and industry on behalf of teachers.
If you haven't completed the survey yet, please do so. It is also at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C3XBPW2
Analysis of the 213 responses so far received shows:
· Years to retirement: About 21% plan to retire within 5 years, and an extra 16% within 10 years. The average number of years to retirement is 15 years with a standard deviation of 10.
· Teaching Responsibilities: 80% teach Physics, 61% teach Science before the senior years, 46% teach Maths before the senior years and 39% teach senior Maths.
· Administrative responsibilities: 15% are Science coordinators, 9% timetablers, 8% level coordinators and 5% Maths coordinators
· Gender: 30% female, 70% male
· Qualifications: Science degree with 3 years of physics: 38%, Engineering degree: 21%, Science degree with 2 years of physics: 14%, Honours degree in physics: 9.5%
· Teaching experience: Mean = 19 years with a standard deviation of 12 years
· Number of physics classes: Mean = 1.4 with a standard deviation of 0.9. 30 respondents had no physics classes, while three people had four classes.
2. Karaoke at the Conference
The Karaoke session at the conference will be scheduled between the after lunch address on Cosmology and Afternoon Tea in the three adjacent Banquet Rooms.
The speakers and topics in each room are listed below. Descriptions of each talk are at http://www.vicphysics.org/conf2016.html and will also be in your Registration Folder.
Eastern Room
Spiros Liacos: Graphing Real World Motion
David Hoxley: FARLabs
Spiros Liacos: My Ongoing Experiences in the Flipped Classroom
David Hoxley: FARLabs (Repeat)
Centre Room
Dan O'Keeffe: Trends in the Participation in Physics and other Sciences
Dr Barbara MacKinnon, Hew High School: Misconceptions: Diagnosis and Treatment
Dan O'Keeffe: The Energy Spectrum as a theme in Unit 1 Physics
Dan O'Keeffe: Count Rumford - Spy, Scientist, Social Reformer, Inventor
Western Room
Jane Coyle, Paul Fielding, Rosenbrock Michael : Teacher developed websites
Russell Downie: European Tour: History of Scientific Revolution
Dr Moses Khor: Barbie Bungee Jumping
Jane Coyle, Paul Fielding, Rosenbrock Michael : Teacher developed websites (Repeat)
3. Gravitational Waves detected
No longer a rumour, scientists at Caltech, MIT, VIRGO and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration have confirmed that gravitational waves have been detected! The discovery of these ripples in the fabric of spacetime could revolutionise our ability to understand the workings of the universe.
The Perimeter Institute is offering you several ways to share this pivotal moment in scientific history with your students:
· Share the excitement through classroom lessons plans at https://perimeterinstitute.ca/store/perimeter-individual-lesson-plans/cutting-edge-science-lessons?cm_mid=5396736&cm_crmid=8118cff9-f695-e111-a456-005056800012&cm_medium=email . There is one free lesson on gravitational waves plus another 20 on different aspects of physics that range in price from $1 CAD to $5 CAD.
· The press release from the Perimeter Institure: http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/news/gravitational-waves-detected-new-era-cosmology-begins?cm_mid=5396736&cm_crmid=8118cff9-f695-e111-a456-005056800012&cm_medium=email .
· The webcast of the announcement is available on demand at http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/node/93558/
· A Guide to gravitational waves is at http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/node/98299?cm_mid=5396736&cm_crmid=8118cff9-f695-e111-a456-005056800012&cm_medium=email.
Other resources include:
· The Conversation website: http://theconversation.cmail20.com/t/ViewEmail/r/A06F985C74D3EBC42540EF23F30FEDED/77C48D72374804F27EEA1DAE616D4B3C There are articles on the i) the discovery of gravitational waves, ii) Description of LIGO and iii) reactions of scientists from around the world.
· PhysicsWorld: http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2016/feb/11/ligo-detects-first-ever-gravitational-waves-from-two-merging-black-holes A detailed description of the discovery.
For additional background about the project, you may be interested in these websites:
· LIGO Lab: https://ligo.caltech.edu/ (Observatories: Livingston | Hanford)
· Advanced LIGO: https://www.advancedligo.mit.edu/
· LIGO Scientific Collaboration: http://www.ligo.org/
· LIGO Partner Experiments and Collaborations: http://www.ligo.org/partners.php
4. Forthcoming events for Students and General Public
a) Black hole binaries - a unique love story, 6:30pm, 18th Feb, Swinburne University
Speaker: Dr Pablo Rosado, Swinburne University
Abstract: This talk is about the curious romance of Alice and Bob. Nobody has heard it before, but we can speculate about what happened: how they were born, how they grew, how they first met, and how they finally became one forever. The true story is actually written in space-time, has been travelling across the Universe for more than a billion years, and is reaching Earth now. This is the story of two distant black holes merging into one.
You may be wondering how we can hear it: is there really a way to listen to the voice of space-time? I will endeavour to answer this question, and explain how we attempt to discover new sounds of the Universe that we have never been able to listen to before. The talk will involve the loudest events in the Universe, like supernovae or collisions of neutron stars and black holes. In other words, I will speak about the dawn of gravitational wave astronomy, and pose that the mysterious love story of Alice and Bob might soon be finally heard, loud and clear.
Time: 6.30pm - 7.30pm (please arrive by 6.25 pm if possible)
Venue: Swinburne University, Hawthorn Campus, ATC building (Burwood Road), Room ATC101
Map: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/media/swinburneeduau/about-swinburne/docs/pdfs/hawthorn-map.pdf
To Book: Please click on this link to register for 18 February https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JRtL-hfvOxjtaRz0Y9DFFfpU7SRmYZe2-MeRsCHccpY/viewform
b) Physics Days at Luna Park and Roulette Display: A Change on Times & an Update on Numbers
New Times: The Physics Days at Luna Park will now all start at the same time on every day at 10:30am and finish at 2:30pm.
The aerobatic display on the Tuesday will start promptly at 10:00am.
Update on Numbers: Tuesday 1st March is full. Wednesday 2nd to Friday 4th were on about 500 each day earlier this week, so there is some capacity on these days. There is plenty of space on Monday, 29th February.
You can book on line at http://lunapark.com.au/schools/vce-physics-days/ or contact Luna Park by phone on 9525 5033 or by fax on 9534 5764.
The cost will be $24.95 per student with teachers free.
If you wish to book a data logger for a half day, please contact Vicphysics at with subject: Datalogger booking and indicating on which day you will be coming and whether you want Vernier or Pasco.
b) Why Space Matters Photography Competition
NASA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, or UNOOSA, have launched a global photography competition to highlight how the vantage point of space helps us better understand our home planet, improve lives, and safeguard our future by aiding sustainable development on Earth.
To highlight the role of space-based science and technologies and their applications on Earth, NASA and UNOOSA are inviting the public to submit photos depicting why space matters to us all in our daily lives. There are several possible themes for photos such as: Agriculture, Education, Health, Environment, Peace, etc. To participate, post a picture and description on Instagram using the hashtag #whyspacematters and tagging @UNOOSA.
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who is on a one-year mission aboard the International Space Station, will announce the winning photo each month by posting it from his Instagram account@StationCDRKelly.
For more information about the competition and the monthly winners so far, visit http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/contests/whyspacematters/index.html. The Competition has been running since September last year. For more information about the International Space Station and the One-Year Mission, visithttp://www.nasa.gov/content/one-year-crew.
Supplied by Gary Bass.
5. Forthcoming events for Teachers *
a) Physics Teachers' Conference, 19th February, Monash University
The program includes:
· Day and late afternoon sessions. Participants can attend the day and/or the late afternoon sessions,
· Address on 'Cosmology: From the Big Bang to Formation of Atoms' by Dr Phillip Urquijo, University of Melbourne and CoEPP
· Address on 'Particle Physics: From Alpha particles to Quarks' by Prof Emma Ryan-Weber, Swinburne University
· Report by Andrew Hansen, the Chief Assessor, on the 2015 November Exam,
· Karaoke: Short presentations in three adjacent and linked venues,
· Workshops across four sessions, some on VCE topics, some on general topics across Years 7 - 12 and others specifically for Years 7 - 10,
· A Saturday program of excursion tasters at Quantum Victoria and VSSEC, and a medical physics in-service at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Copies of the Program, the Registration form and on line registration are available on the STAV website, http://www.sciencevictoria.com.au/confVCE.html . Copies of Program and the Registration form are on the Vicphysics website, http://www.vicphysics.org/conf2016.html . Maps of the campus showing parking and walking paths are now on the website.
Late afternoon registrations are also available for the last two sessions of workshops which start at 4:20pm and include the Chief Assessor's Report.
b) Physics in General Science Conference, 19th February, Monash University
The Physics in General Science Conference is for middle school science teachers who wish to improve their teaching of physics related topics in the Years 7 - 10. It is a half day conference starting after lunch to reduce the conference fee. Please pass on the information The Physics in General Science Program includes:
· Four afternoon sessions with an emphasis on the new Victorian Curriculum starting in 2017,
· Address on 'What can be seen with rays of light?' by Dr Christina Hart
· Karaoke: Short presentations in three adjacent and linked venues,
· Workshops across two sessions specifically for Years 7 - 10.
Copies of the Program are available on the Vicphysics website, http://www.vicphysics.org/pigs2016.html Maps of the campus showing parking and walking paths are now on the website.
c) Astronomy from the Ground Up! , 29 April - 1 May, CSIRO Parkes Observatory
An opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills in astronomy at CSIRO's Parkes Observatory, home of the iconic 64m Parkes radio telescope. Over three days you will hear about the latest research in astronomy, tour The Dish, trial classroom activities, learn new approaches to teaching astronomy and how to run a viewing night while networking with colleagues and professional astronomers. This professional development event also qualifies as a Galileo Teacher Training Program workshop, giving you international accreditation.
Cost: $550 includes GST, resources and most meals.
For more information and Registration go to http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education/teachers/workshops/
6. Physics News from the Web
Items selected from the bulletins of the Institute of Physics (UK) and the American Institute of Physics.
Each item below includes the introductory paragraphs and a web link to the rest of the article.
a) Polarised light throws birds' magnetic compass off course
b) Revealing the network within: 'Network physiology'
c) Sweatband measures tiny electrical signals in perspiration
a) Polarised light throws birds' magnetic compass off course
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2016/feb/03/polarized-light-throws-birds-magnetic-compass-off-course
The magnetic compass that birds use for orientation is affected by polarised light. That is the finding of researchers in Sweden, who studied zebra finches navigating a simple maze and found that the birds were only able to use their magnetic compass when the polarisation of the illuminating light was parallel to an applied magnetic field. However, the birds became disoriented when the polarisation was perpendicular to the magnetic field.
Although it has been known for more than half a century that birds can perceive direction, altitude or location using the magnetic field of the Earth, the precise mechanism that drives this "avian magnetoreception" is poorly understood. A popular theory is the "radical-pair" model, which says that incoming photons excite magnetically sensitive molecules – known as "cryptochromes" – in the birds' retinas, causing an electron to transfer between two neighbouring molecules, leaving each molecule with an unpaired electron spin.
b) Revealing the network within: 'Network physiology'
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/indepth/2016/feb/04/revealing-the-network-within
Can we map all the information being circulated in the human body, and would doing so be any use? Jon Cartwright explores the emerging interdisciplinary field of "network physiology"
It might seem obvious to say that everything in the human body is connected. Without a doubt, your various organs – heart, liver, lungs – work together to keep you alive, and functioning as close to normally as possible. Just think how both your heartbeat and your breathing speed up if you receive a shock – or how, in a starker example, the failure of one organ can lead to a cascade of failures in other organs, sometimes resulting in death.