Welcome to the Teacher Notes section of my website. Here you will find resources to aid in lesson planning, facilitate student engagement, and promote conceptual understanding and critical thinking.
Check here periodically for new additions, improvements, corrections, etc.
The files are divided within the five topics of the curriculum, but occasionally some files may belong to more than one topic.
Files that have been edited are denoted by tags—be sure to download them so you always have the most updated version.
LAST UPDATED: 30 July 2025
- A challenging problem with friction and momentum
- A human powered helicopter
- A neat problem in energy conservation
- A peculiar problem of motion under gravity
- A problem in rotational motion
- A problem on torques leading to an IA
- A problem on torques
- A problem with a math connection
- A problem with angular momentum
- A puzzle with velocities of points on a rolling ring
- A shocking and beautiful result in Kin
- A specimen paper relativity question
- A study of air resistance
- An energy and momentum problem
- An equilibrium problem requiring intuition
- An impressive demonstration
- An impulse problem
- An instructive relativity problem
- An interesting result in kinematics
- An unexpected motion
- Another instructive relativity problem
- Another problem on circular motion and work done
- Average power
- Ball falling off a sphere
- Ball on an accelerating wedge
- Ball on movable inclined plane
- Birthdays and Doppler
- Circular motion and work done
- Conservation of energy
- Conservative forces
- Cue hitting snooker ball
- Energy density
- Energy transfer
- Free body diagrams and Newton_s second law
- Free body diagrams and Newton_s third law
- Friction
- Galilean vs Einstein simultaneity
- Independence of horizontal and vertical motion
- Invariant interval
- Is seing believing
- Kinematics graphs
- Maximum possible energy transfer
- Motion on a vertical circle
- Motion under gravity
- On centripetal acceleration
- Pendulum meets peg
- Pole in the barn
- Rolling ball falling off a sphere
- Rolling without slipping
- Scales in the Universe
- Spacetime diagrams
- The leaking carriage
- The power of the work-kinetic energy relation
- The three cylinder problem
- Three ways to solve a problem
- Twenty Conceptual problems in mechanics
- Two classic questions on buoyancy
- Two problems on projectile motion
- Variable mass and rockets
- Walter_s problem
Topic A
- A basic problem in thermodynamics
- A circuit problem often gotten wrong
- A temperature difference puzzle
- About rms speed
- Another derivation of gas pressure
- Another view of entropy
- Cooling curve for a radiating sphere
- Demonstrating blackbody radiation
- Derivation of gas pressure
- Earth equilibrium temperature
- Fun with emissivity
- Hydrogen in the Sun
- Internal energy
- Molar specific heat capacities
- Resistance increases with temperature
- So you bought a Carnot air conditioner
- Stars are made of gas
- Temperature during melting
- The Planck radiation law
- The black body peak puzzle
- The missing equation
- Wrong methods can give the right answer
Topic B
- A challenging problem
- A common exam question
- A detailed explanation of 14.24
- A longitudinal wave puzzle
- A problem on driven oscillations
- A problem on elastic energy in SHM
- A resonance problem
- About phase difference
- An extension of problem 14.32 in the textbook
- An instructive interference problem
- Another longitidinal wave problem
- Another missing equation
- Ball oscillating in a bowl
- Energy and oscillations
- Forced oscillations
- It is hard to believe but it is true
- Least time
- Longitudinal waves
- Reflection from an open end
- Resonance and energy conservation
- SHM equation
- SHM
- Single slit diffraction
- Standing waves and SHM
- Standing waves or interference
- Standing waves
- The Huygens principle
- The approximate Doppler formula
- Two problems on the Doppler effect
- Wave graphs
Topic C
- A basic induction problem
- A qualitative problem
- Asteroids attacking Earth
- Chiara_s problem on magnetic forces
- EM and Newton third law
- Electric potential
- Electrical effects and SHM
- Estimate of the drag force on a satellite
- Flux and monopoles
- Force between point charge and neutral sphere
- Gravitational potential and work done
- Induced emf in a rotating coil
- Is the earth moving away from the Sun
- Loop entering magnetic field
- Magnetic force on current
- Making planets
- Meteorites again
- Negative mass
- Non Coulomb electric fields
- Origin of magnetic force on wire
- Questions based on an induction experiment
- The Hohmann transfer orbit
- The aurora
- The binary star system
- The gravitational slingshot
- The magnetic field of a straight wire
- Two basic induction questions
Topic D
- A problem on the Compton effect
- A special energy level
- Antiparticles
- Binding energy per nucleon
- Bohr condition and de Broglie
- Compton vs photoelectric
- Electron degeneracy pressure
- Energy released
- HR diagram
- Heisenberg's pencil
- Helium and the Sun
- Iron or nickel
- Mass defect
- Nuclear density
- Nuclei as protons and electrons
- On the photoelectric effect
- Quantized flux
- Stellar equilibrium
- The Compton effect
- The Thomson model of the atom
- The de Broglie hypothesis
- The decay constant and probability
- The distance of closest approach
- The relation between luminosity and mass
- What about momentum conservation
- Why alpha decay
- Why is energy released