Physics News from the AIP No 2, Term 1 2005
VicPhysics News: Term 1, No 3 2018
Dear ,
Table of Contents
1. Chief Assessor's Report: 5:00pm, 1st March. Full exam coverage and Live Streaming
2. Physics Books for Babies: Quantum entanglement for babies
3. Science in Virtual Reality: An App for your Smart Phone
4. Forthcoming events for Students and the General Public
a) Physics Lectures for VCE Students: Physics of Motion- Why things move and how!, 6pm Thursday, 22nd February, University of Melbourne
b) Physics Days at Luna Park: 6th March - 9th March
c) Girls in Physics Breakfasts:
Tuesday, 13th March, Hawthorn Arts Centre
Wednesday, 28th March, SMB Campus, Ballarat, Federation University
Friday, 20th April, Sunshine Convention Centre, Victoria University
Friday, 27th April, Bendigo Campus, La Trobe University
Friday, 4th May, Waterfront Campus, Geelong, Deakin University
5. Forthcoming events for Teachers
a) 2018 Physics Teachers' Conference: Friday, 16th February, La Trobe University
b) Medical Physics In-Service, 11am, Saturday, 17th February, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
c) Excursion Taster: Australian Synchrotron, 9:00am, Saturday, 17th February
d) Excursion Taster: Victorian Space Science Education Centre, 2:30pm, Saturday, 17th February, VSSEC
e) Exploring STEM Education: Make it so, 5:30pm, 1st March, Clayton, Monash University
f) The History and Future of Climate Change in Australia, 6pm, Thursday, 5th April, Melbourne University
g) Beginning Physics Teachers In-Service, Friday, 13th April, Kew High School
6. Physics News from the Web
a) Discovery of Gravitational Waves: The story from the inside
b) Quantum Hall Effect in 4D
c) Tackling the history of physics with a database
The next meeting of the Vicphysics Teachers' Network will be at 5pm on Thursday, 8th March at Melbourne Girls' College. All teachers are welcome to attend this or any other meeting. If you would like to attend, please contact Vicphysics at vicphys@
Regards,
Frances Sidari (Pres), Bronwyn Quint (Vice Pres), Barbara McKinnon (Sec), Terry Tan (Treas) and Dan O'Keeffe (Coord), The executive of the VicPhysics Teachers' Network.
1. Chief Assessor's Report: 5:00pm, 1st March. Full exam coverage and Live Streaming
The conference address by the Chief Assessor, Andrew Hansen (see item 4a below) will provide a 50 min review of how students performed on the 2017 VCE Physics Exam.
Vicphysics and Andrew would like to provide teachers with the opportunity to hear about the full exam with an extended opportunity to ask questions and a chance to speak with Andrew.
The Chief Assessor's Report will be broken down for a question by question coverage of last year's exam.
The event will be held at University High School on Thursday, 1st March, starting at 5:00pm with a meal break at 6:30pm provided by our regular caterer, Mary and Steve, followed by a second half of the session, recommencing at 7.15pm.
To enable teachers who cannot get to the school, the event will also be streamed live on the internet. The web address of the live stream will be emailed to registered participants prior to the start of the presentation. Registered participants will be able to submit questions by email and have them answered live.
Venue: University High School, Story St, Parkville. The presentation will be in the Elizabeth Blackburn School of Sciences
Cost: $50 - to attend the event, meal is included.
$20 - To receive the live stream and submit questions by email.
Book: You need to book through Trybooking with a school or personal credit card. The address is . A receipt is provided if needed for reimbursement.
Times: 5:00pm: Start
6:30pm: Meal break
7:15pm: Recommence
8:30pm: Live stream ceases, although discussions may continue.
Vicphysics and Andrew hope this initiative is successful and the interest is strong enough for both the event itself and the live stream to continue.
This information is also on line at
2. Physics Books for Babies: Quantum entanglement for babies
Chris Ferrie, a quantum physicist from UTS in Sydney has produced a series of books that are to be read to young children. The titles include:
• Optical Physics for Babies
• Newtonian Physics for Babies
• General Relativity for Babies
• Rocket Science for Babies
• Electromagnetism for Babies
• Statistical Physics for Babies
• Quantum Information for Babies
• Quantum Entanglement for Babies
• Quantum Physics for Babies
They are available from most book suppliers. They sell for about $15 each. Chris has a website, , and also has done a Youtube presentation on the books at
Ruth Spiro has written in the same field with 'Baby Loves Quarks!' and 'Baby Loves Quantum Physics!'
3. Science in Virtual Reality: An App for your Smart Phone
Swinburne University has created an app and designed a headset to provide a virtual experience with a smart phone.
The app can be download for free from SciVR , which has other details, but the website is still largely under development. The headsets can be purchased from the Swinburne Bookshop, , for $19.95.
4. Forthcoming events for Students and General Public
a) Physics Lectures for VCE Students: Physics of Motion- Why things move and how!, 6pm Thursday, 22nd February, University of Melbourne
The now well-established series of “Physics Lectures for VCE Students” are again offered in 2018.
The lectures will be held every three weeks in the Laby Theatre, School of Physics, Melbourne University starting at 6 pm.
Their focus will be on the requirements of the Study design, but will also give students a view of the excitement of Physics as a whole.
The first two lecture in the series is on Thursday, 22nd Feb in the Laby Theatre at Melbourne Physics. A/Prof Roger Rassool will be answering the question 'Why things move and how!' which will include some amazing practical demonstrations of the concepts involved
Up coming lectures will include topics on Thermal Physics and Special Relativity. Youtube videos of last year's lectures are available at .
b) Physics Days at Luna Park, 6th March - 9th March
Update: There is still space on all four days. The Carousel will not be available this year.
The Physics Days at Luna Park will be on Tuesday, 6th March to Friday, 9th March. Bookings are open at . The cost is $25.50 per student. Teachers enter for free. Worksheets are available at .
Data loggers can be booked for a half day on a basis of one per school. There is no cost. Please email vicphys@ with subject: Dataloggers, with your name, school and day you are going to Luna Park. There are also extra vests available that can hold a student's mobile phone for the SparkVue app or other datalogging apps. These can also be booked as above.
The solutions to the worksheets have been moved to a google drive, so you will need to request access from vicphys@ .
c) Girls in Physics Breakfasts: 6 events in 6 venues across Victoria
Update: There is a change of speaker for the Sunshine event, see details below.
This year there will be six Girls in Physics Breakfasts, three in different parts of Melbourne and three in regional Victoria in Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong.
The breakfasts are for students in Years 10 to 12. At each breakfast the students will share a table with two or three young women in the early stages of a career in science or engineering. The students have a chance to ask questions about their careers and what study at university is like. Students will be seated with students from other schools. There is also an address by a prominent scientist, who will talk about her area of interest at a level appropriate to her audience.
As student at last year's event said: 'I was talking to a guest at my table and her career sounded so amazing. Then I realised that in 8 years that could be me. I got so excited.'
The Breakfasts are earlier in the year to attract Year 10 students prior to their making their Year 11 subject choices. They also have a later start at 7:30am.
This year there also will be an additional optional activity after the breakfast - a hands on practical activity. Each student constructs, tests and keeps a technological device. This year it is a one transistor freezer alarm circuit using a thermistor and an LED.
The Cost per student is $15 with teachers free. There is no extra cost for the additional optional activity. Because of generous funding from the Laby Foundation, a discounted fee of $5 is available to schools with a low ICSEA score. Check the website for details about how to obtain the discount.
Times: The Breakfasts will each start at 7:30am and finish about 9:15am. The additional activity should finish about 10:15am.
Bookings must be made through Trybooking with a credit card. The Trybooking links for each event are on the Vicphysics website.
There is a maximum of six students per school so as to allow more schools to participate.
Dates, Venues and Speakers
• 13th March, Hawthorn Speaker: Dr Sue Barrell, Chief Scientist, Bureau of Meteorology, Topic: Severe weather: How we forecast its impact.
• 28th March, Ballarat Speaker: Dr Elizabeth Hinde, University of Melbourne, Topic: Glow in the dark: Using fluorescence to observe DNA in a living cell.
• 20th April, Sunshine Speaker: Dr Laura Wolz, University of Melbourne, Topic: Radio Astronomy through the eyes of a Cosmologist.
• 27th April, Bendigo Speaker: Prof Frances Separovic, University of Melbourne, Topic: MRI for Molecules, Biophysics meets Cell Chemistry
• 4th May, Geelong Speaker: Dr Gail Iles, RMIT, Topic: Human spaceflight and science in space
• Late July, Clayton The date and speaker are yet to be finalised.
Check the website, for further details and flyers to promote the events in your school. They also contain:
• the address of the venue,
• a biography of the speaker and
• the abstract of her talk.
These events are sponsored by the Laby Foundation, ANSTO, Vicphysics Teachers' Network, the Victorian Branch of the Australian Institute of Physics, the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Swinburne University, the School of Engineering at Deakin University in Geelong, the College of Engineering and Science at Victoria University, the College of Science, Health and Engineering at La Trobe University, the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low Energy Electronic Technologies (FLEET), the Faculty of Science and Technology at Federation University and supported by Federal Government's Inspiring Australia - Inspiring Science Program.
d) 3D Astro Tours, School Holidays, Swinburne University
Swinburne University is running their 'Experience the Universe in 3D' during the April school holidays. The 50-minute session is a journey starting in the solar system and then on to explore a Universe. AstroTours feature 3D movies, created by the award-winning Swinburne Astronomy Productions team, and all sessions are presented by the Centre’s astronomers or post graduate researchers.
Dates: Wednesday 4/4/18 @ 2pm, Tuesday 10/4/18 @ 10am, Tuesday 10/4/18 @ 2pm, Wednesday 11/4/18 @ 10am, Wednesday 11/4/18 @ 2pm
Please note that sessions will be cancelled with less than 12 attendees.
Venue: Swinburne University, Hawthorn campus, AR104 -
Bookings are essential and can be made via email to Elizabeth Thackray ethackray@swin.edu.au
Payment: Cost is $10 per person which can be paid at the door by cash or cheque. If you would like to pay by credit card please ask for a form which you can pre-complete and bring with you on the day, with your card. Please aim to arrive at least 10 – 15 minutes before the advertised start time.
*Please advise if you require space for a wheelchair.
Astrotours are suitable for children aged 6 years and above. Unfortunately, Swinburne are not able to admit children younger than this, with one exception: 5-year olds are able to attend if they are accompanying another child aged 6 years or above. They apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. For safety reasons, no prams/strollers, etc. are allowed in the theatre.
4. Forthcoming events for Teachers
a) 2018 Physics Teachers' Conference: Friday, 16th February, La Trobe University
The registration form, the program and online registrations are available at .
The program includes:
• An opening address by the Chief Assessor, Andrew Hansen, on this year's VCE exam,
• A VCAA update by Maria James, Science Manager,
• A keynote address by Dr Eric Thane from Monash University on the Discovery of Gravitational Waves,
• Three sessions of workshops with over 16 workshops in each,
• Excursion tasters on Saturday *, and
• A Medical Physics In-Service * on Saturday morning
The registration fee is $180 for an individual STAV member, $296 for a STAV school subscriber and $322 for a non-STAV member.
* The Excursion tasters and the Medical Physics In-Service can also be booked separately, see next items.
b) Medical Physics In-Service, 11am, Saturday, 17th February, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
The program will feature a one-hour talk on:
• the physics aspects of the effect of radiation on the human body and of the medical technology at Peter Mac,
• how the technology is used in diagnosis and treatment, as well as
• information on the training and career paths associated with medical physics.
The second hour will be an extensive tour of the facilities at Peter Mac.
Venue: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, 305 Grattan St, Melbourne VIC
Cost: Nil
To register: Email Vicphysics at vicphys@ with your name, school and mobile phone number. A reminder text message will be sent in the evening of the Friday before.
c) Excursion Taster: Australian Synchrotron, 9:00am, Saturday, 17th February
Participants will have a guided tour of the facility as well as an opportunity to see the range of practical activities that are available for secondary students to do as part of an excursion.
Duration: One hour
Venue: Australian Synchrotron, Blackburn Rd, Clayton.
Cost: Nil
To register: Email Vicphysics at vicphys@ with your name, school and mobile phone number. A reminder text message will be sent in the evening of the Friday before.
d) Excursion Taster: Victorian Space Science Education Centre, 2:30pm, Saturday, 17th February, VSSEC
The tour explains the various student programs that VSSEC offers. Their programs provide a sensory rich, hands-on, scenario-based science experience for students from primary to senior secondary. There are also programs on Astronomy (co-ordinate systems, solar system and telescopes) and Astrophysics (models of the nature and origin of the Universe, and the life cycle of stars)
Duration: 90 min
Cost: Nil
To register: Email Vicphysics at vicphys@ with your name, school and mobile phone number. A reminder text message will be sent in the evening of the Friday before.
e) Exploring STEM Education: Make it so, 5:30pm, 1st March, Clayton, Monash University
The Engaging STEM Education seminar series in 2018 explores how STEM education can develop literacies and capabilities in learners. The first in a series of four seminars begins with a panel of educators exploring the influence, history and digital technology connections and how this might provide opportunities to develop STEM literacies and capabilities in learners. Attendees will be able to engage with a ‘pop-up' maker space in the new Learning and Teaching building.
Cost: Free.
For more information and to register go to
f) The History and Future of Climate Change in Australia, 6pm, Thursday, 5th April, Melbourne University
Join award-winning climate scientist and writer Joëlle Gergis as she shares her fascinating journey through Australia to unearth our climate history.
Joëlle's new book, Sunburnt Country (MUP, 2018), pieces together Australia’s climate history for the first time. It uncovers a continent long vulnerable to climate extremes and variability, gives an unparalleled perspective on how human activities have altered patterns that have been with us for millions of years, and what climate change looks like in our own backyard. Sunburnt Country highlights the impact of a warming planet on Australian lifestyles and ecosystems and the power we all have to shape future life on Earth.
Also speaking is Dr David Karoly, University of Melbourne
Venue: Basement Theatre (B117), Melbourne School of Design, Parkville, Masson Road
To book go to
g) Beginning Physics Teachers In-Service, Friday, 13th April, Kew High School
Vicphysics will be running a full day in-service on Tuesday, 4th April at Kew High School. The event is free, lunch is provided and travel support is available for country participants.
The event is for:
• Teachers beginning their teaching career,
• Teachers returning to physics teaching and
• Teachers who have been asked by their school to take a VCE Physics class
The program will include:
• Information on course planning, resources, advice of teaching specific topics and suggestions from some of last year's participants after teaching physics for the first time in 2017,
• Andrew Hansen, Chief Assessor for the Physics exam, from Ringwood Secondary College on Exam advice,
• Brian McKittrick, experienced teacher and author of 'Physics and Experiments and Investigations' on CUPs (Conceptual Understanding Procedures) for Forces.
To register please email the Vicphysics at vicphys@ with subject “Registration: New Physics Teachers” and include in the email, not only your school, contact details and any dietary requirements, but also your reason for applying as this will guide the design of the program. Information about last year's program is at .
5. Physics News from the Web
Items selected from the bulletins of the Institute of Physics (UK) and other sources.
Each item below includes the introductory paragraphs and a web link to the rest of the article.
a) Discovery of Gravitational Waves: The story from the inside
b) Quantum Hall Effect in 4D
c) Tackling the history of physics with a database
a) Discovery of Gravitational Waves: The story from the inside
The first observation of gravitational waves from two merging neutron stars that was recently made by the LIGO and Virgo detectors has – along with data from telescopes across the globe and in space – kicked off a new era in multimessenger astronomy. Imre Bartos describes this watershed moment, which crowned decades of research and will shape the future of observational astronomy
It was almost over. There was only one week to go before the Advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors would complete their observational run, and be shutdown for a year. Indeed, many of my colleagues from the LIGO–Virgo team were already on vacation, while I was awaiting relatives who were visiting. Then my phone buzzed. An automated text message, which read “ALERT FROM GWHEN | New event: G298048 | Check your email!” prompted me to rush to my computer, to look at the signal in a LIGO database. When a flurry of agitated phone calls from collaborators followed, it became clear that a historic moment was unfolding. We observational astronomers needed to act quickly, and as our findings were still a secret, I couldn’t even tell my relatives, who had arrived in the middle of the excitement, why I would need to work.
b) Quantum Hall Effect in 4D
The properties of a hypothetical 4D material have been simulated in experiments done by two international teams of physicists. One team used light to emulate the 4D quantum Hall effect (QHE) while the other did it with ultracold atoms.
The quantum Hall effect has been the subject of several Nobel prizes and occurs in very thin conducting layers that are essentially 2D in nature. When such materials are cooled to near absolute zero and subject to a strong magnetic field, the electrical conductance is quantized and can change only in discrete steps. The QHE is a universal property of 2D conductors and can be seen in a wide range of materials – even when the samples are disordered.
While the QHE does not occur in 3D materials, in 2001 physicists predicted that it could also occur in systems with four spatial dimensions. But nature only has three spatial dimensions, so the idea of the 4D QHE had been a theoretical novelty – until now.
c) Tackling the history of physics with a database
Robert P Crease describes his adventures creating a database to tackle the history of physics.
I’ve gone over to the dark side.
That, at any rate, was what one historian told me when I mentioned I was working on a database with imaging capabilities. Databases, I was informed, are booby traps for historians. Convenient boxes for storing data, they only return reshuffled versions of what you put in. History is about the unboxable motives and meanings that give rise to events. I was ceasing to be a true historian, my colleague concluded, and about to become a big-data wonk.
I did not mean to go to the dark side. It was forced on me by my attempt to understand how research develops at synchrotron light sources – central facilities that produce multiple tunable and intense beams of X-rays. Half a century ago, researchers from academia or industry who needed information about a process or material would run an experiment at one of a synchrotron’s many beam lines. They would take the results back to their labs, generate new questions and then do another experiment. A historian could easily describe this process, which consisted mainly of short and simple feedback loops, by consulting the facility’s annual reports.
No longer. The research at synchrotrons – and at other materials-science facilities with a large user base – is teeming with webs of instruments, industries and interests. A team from China, say, could be doing research on an instrument built by a German company that’s been installed temporarily at a US synchrotron, working alongside art historians, chip makers and government scientists. The same instrument can support several different research programmes simultaneously, while the same programme can use different instruments at the same facility.
What we historians like to call the research “space” at a synchrotron facility is therefore less like a set of feedback loops and more like a rapidly changing ecosystem.
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