Resource Letter TMGR-1: Teaching the mathematics of general relativity
This Resource Letter provides some guidance on issues that arise in teaching general relativity at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Particular emphasis is placed on strategies for presentin...
This Resource Letter provides some guidance on issues that arise in teaching general relativity at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Particular emphasis is placed on strategies for presentin...
Probability, pendulums, and pedagogy
Deterministic pendula exhibit a spectrum of behavior ranging from periodic to chaotic and provide an opportunity for an introductory discussion on the application of probability techniques to a determ...
Deterministic pendula exhibit a spectrum of behavior ranging from periodic to chaotic and provide an opportunity for an introductory discussion on the application of probability techniques to a determ...
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Einstein, Perrin, and the reality of atoms: 1905 revisited
American Journal of Physics -- June 2006 -- Volume 74, Issue 6, pp. 478-481
Issue Date: June 2006
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We have repeated Perrin's 1908 experiment for the determination of Avogadro's number by determining the mean square displacement of small particles undergoing Brownian motion. Our apparatus differs from Perrin's by the use of a CCD camera and is much less tedious to perform. We review Einstein's 1905 analysis of Brownian motion and Langevin's alternative derivation of the Einstein equation for the mean square displacement. We also show how Einstein's thinking was a reflection of his belief in the validity of molecular-kinetic theory, a validity not universally recognized 100 years ago.
©2006 American Association of Physics Teachers
©2006 American Association of Physics Teachers
| History: | Received 8 November 2005; accepted 24 February 2006 |
| Permalink: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.2188962 |