Bringing (Century-Old) Technology into the Classroom, Part I: Teaching Mechanics and Thermodynamics with Antiques

The notion of bringing technology into the classroom has been the subject of many recent presentations at conferences and papers in physics teaching journals. The use of devices such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and clickers is rising in today's classrooms and laboratories. PhET simulations have been available online for over a decade. A column in The Physics Teacher, called “iPhysicsLabs,” was begun in February of 2012 and describes experiments to be carried out with smartphones and tablets. Students have become familiar with the operation and application of such technology. But are they aware of the underlying physics necessary to make the devices and the online simulations work? Much of the physics is hidden at the microscopic level in tiny circuit chips or in the workings of a distant server.