Conveners
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach
- Mark Herbert (University of the Western Cape)
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach
- Jennifer Williams (Rhodes University)
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach
- MAKONDELELE NETSIANDA (UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO)
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach
- molamo Letsoalo (University of Limpopo)
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach: PHYSICS IN INDUSTRY DAY
- There are no conveners in this block
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach: PHYSICS IN INDUSTRY DAY
- There are no conveners in this block
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach: PHYSICS IN INDUSTRY DAY
- Azwinndini Muronga (Nelson Mandela University)
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach: SAIP BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
- Irvy (Igle) Gledhill (U. Witwatersrand)
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach
- There are no conveners in this block
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach
- There are no conveners in this block
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach: REVIEW OF SAIP TEACHER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
- There are no conveners in this block
Physics for Development, Education and Outreach
- There are no conveners in this block
This study aimed to develop learners' conceptual understanding of chemical equilibrium, using problem-based learning. The study used a qualitative research approach with ethnography as a design. Data was gathered from a rural school in Dimamo circuit of the Capricorn district in the Limpopo Province. The school had 24 learners in the grade 12 Physical Science classroom. Participatory...
Through an interpretation of Greeno’s model of the domains of problem-solving and the application of the theory of cognitive load, this paper shows why linking representations through a model aids understanding. The use of a drawing can help physics students to translate more easily between the abstract, concrete and symbolic representations of a physics problem. Physics teachers may find that...
Physics education covers various topics, including classical mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and relativity. In most topics in physics, vectors are essential because they represent physical quantities such as displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, and momentum. These quantities have both a magnitude and a direction, and vectors provide a convenient way to...
The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of the Western Cape partnered with Western Cape Education Department (WCED) in their Teacher Mentorship Programme. The role of the department in the programme is to provide short Continuous Education (CE) courses on different physics topics in the Physical Sciences CAPs curriculum identified by WCED. This paper reports on the Dynamics...
ABSTRACT
The production of biogas in South Africa is gaining popularity as a sustainable solution to waste management and energy production. However, the biogas produced from organic waste needs to be upgraded biomethane to meet the required specifications for use as fuel for road transport, electricity generation, and or for injection into the national gas grid. Biogas is a renewable energy...
Globally, several countries/regions have been busy strategizing around their physics visions for the next decade or so. The African continent has also started with a similar journey.
In this talk I will present the current international efforts as well as the initiatives in Africa regarding vision(s) for physics. I will focus on the issues of (i) diversity, equity, and inclusion in...
Physics is acknowledged to be one of the academic disciplines that students find the hardest, certainly to master but even simply to succeed in. Reasons proposed for this are varied but often incorporate the necessity of working in both the abstract (mathematical) and concrete (physical) realms and the need to transfer knowledge between these realms, while, at the same time, expending great...
Most first year mainstream physics students of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of the Western Cape generally have difficulty solving problems about Kinematics position and displacement concepts. After the COVID -19 the problems seem to have gotten worse. This paper aims to tell the student's conception of the position and displacement in physics learning. The...
The measure of the heat capacity of gases is one of the fundamental experiments in scientific disciplines. Usually, the determination of the heat capacity requires the knowledge of the speed of sound. To measure the speed of sound, the classical experimental setup consists of a Knundt's tube, one oscilloscope, and a function generator to determine the wavelength of the wave. While the Knundt's...
Operating from the University of Zululand, Unizulu Science Centre (USC) had been running face to face matric workshops for 25 years, presenting practicals and sharpening skills for over 200 000 matric science students. The 2020 lockdown presented a dilemma: matrics needed assistance more than ever, but schools were closed and large gatherings impossible. USC piloted a unique offline, digital...
A review of undergraduate physics education in public higher education institutions undertaken by the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) in partnership with the Council of Higher Education (CHE) has identified the major challenge of the under-preparedness of university students entering undergraduate physics programmes as a teacher development problem. As a result, student throughput...
This paper outlines a structured and intentional approach to the development of learning material for high school physics teaching. This approach is informed by the theory of cognitive apprenticeship and an understanding of cognitive load. The use of worked examples and multiple representations is also promoted. A list of the features that are important in learning material is provided,...
For tens, if not hundreds of thousands of years, learning was widely understood to be an everyday occurrence, something people did to support their needs and interests. In this world, most people, most of the time, controlled their own learning. Learning was active, supported by observing others, doing and practicing. Learning happened in pairs or in small groups typically supported by peers...
The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) has been involved in collaborating with stakeholders in the engagement of High school learners for better achievement at various stages of basic education. This is done to enhance and improve learners’ retention in the education system, access to next-level movement within the system, success at standard...
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is a method to investigate the properties of materials. The technique consists of sending an electrical stimulus into the material or solution, through two electrodes, and simultaneously measuring the impedance of the substance by varying the frequency. Once the impedance characterization is performed, the data are used to find the equivalent electric...
Reading the published paper claiming that Africans discovered gravitation before Newton, one begins to wonder. How many other discoveries have been taught in the universities that completely ignore the contribution of Africans in the discourse from ancient physics to modern physics. At the University of Zululand (Unizulu), there is an emergence to include the African perspectives in our...
Relatively to the atomic constituents’ counterparts, the neutron is singular as it is sensitiveto the four fundamental interactions: strong, weak, electromagnetic, and gravitational. This multi-sensitivity makes neutron wave-matter optics a particularly versatile tool for testing quantum mechanics specifically and fundamental physics concepts in general.The lifetime of a free neutron defined...
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In industry and in large companies, physicists face a variety of challenges. Some are minor, like the Einstein stereotype, and some are significant, for example adapting to a hierarchy. In this talk we’ll take a look at what drives a company and how the drivers affect the work of the physicist. We’ll talk about the context of research and innovation in the private sector and explore some of...
The SAIP plays a pivotal role creating a platform for physicists to network, collaborate, support one another, communicate their subject, influence science and technology policies, promote the study and applications of physics, monitor the quality standards of physics training, and foster the development of physics in South Africa. This presentation highlights how the SAIP has delivered on...
