Capillarity and the rectangular hyperbola
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André O. Pinheiro [1] ; José Pedro Alvarinhas [1] ; Manuela Ramos Silva [1]
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[1] Universidade de Coimbra
Universidade de Coimbra
Coimbra (Sé Nova), Portugal
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- Localización: International journal of mathematical education in science and technology, ISSN 0020-739X, Vol. 52, Nº. 9, 2021, págs. 1420-1425
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
It is generally agreed that making real-world connections in mathematics teaching increases students’ motivation and interest and contributes to meaningful and permanent learning. In this paper we propose a simple and fast activity to find a rectangular hyperbola in real life and we show how to operate the data to retrieve a straight line. Since it deals with simple formulas, we believe that it can be useful in a high-school context, either in math or physics class. The activity consists of assembling a wedge with transparent plates (like glass photo frames), dipping it on a liquid and observing the rise of a hyperbola. Instructions are given on how to obtain the coordinates of the liquid/air interface and how to replot them as a straight line, using just a smartphone. For the physics class, an extension is proposed to measure the surface tension of the chosen liquid.
