Students’ success in physics problem-solving extends beyond conceptual knowledge of physics, relying significantly on their mathematics skills. Understanding the specific contributions of different mathematics skills to physics problem-solving can offer valuable insights for enhancing physics education. Yet such studies are rare, particularly at the high school level. This study addresses the underexplored area of this topic in secondary education by investigating the associations between physics problem-solving performance using a robust methodological framework. We applied exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify latent sub-mathmetics skills relevant to physics problem-solving and employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the causal impact of these skills on students’ performance in physics. The study analyzed data from a municipal-wide assessment involving 1,878 grade 12 students in Southern China. The results demonstrate that mathematics skills impacting high school students’ physics problem-solving performance can be categorized into two sub skills, algebraic skills and geometric skills. It also indicates that algebraic skills have a stronger direct effect on physics problem-solving performance compared to geometric skills in high school setting. These findings suggest that integrating focused algebraic training within physics education can significantly improve student outcomes in STEM fields. We recommend that educators design curricula and instructional strategies that emphasize the development of algebraic skills necessary for solving complex physics problems. Additionally, these findings have important implications for policymakers, who should consider integrating targeted mathematics training within physics curricula to foster interdisciplinary learning and better prepare students for challenges in STEM education.

The authors report the most recent advances in type II InAs/GaSb superlattice materials and photovoltaic detectors. Lattice mismatch between the substrate and the superlattice has been routinely achieved below 0.1%, and less than 0.0043% as the record. The FWHM of the zeroth order peak from x-ray diffraction has been decreased below 50 arcsec and a record of less than 44arcsec has been achieved. High performance detectors with 50% cutoff beyond 18 micrometers up to 26 micrometers have been successfully demonstrated. The detectors with a 50% cut-off wavelength of 18.8 micrometers showed a peak current responsivity of 4 A/W at 80K, and a peak detectivity of 4.5¹⁰ cm x Hz^1/2/W was achieved at 80K at a reverse bias of 110mV under 300K 2(pi) FOV background. Some detectors showed a projected 0% cutoff wavelength up to 28~30 micrometers . The peak responsivity of 3Amp/Watt and detectivity of 4.25¹⁰ cm x Hz^1/2/W was achieved under -40mV reverse bias at 34K for these detectors.

In this paper, graphene oxide (GO) was modified with alkyl amidopropyl diethanolamine to obtain a nano pour point depressant (GO-PPD), which was used to improve the flowability of the waxy oil extracted from Changqing Oilfield, China. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM) and viscometer were employed to evaluate the performance of the GOPPD. The results showed that compared with traditional pour point depressant (PPD), the GO-PPD exhibited higher performance in promoting the flowability of waxy crude oil. With the presence of 500 mg/kg GO-PPD in the waxy crude oil, the pour point of which could be reduced by 5.5 °C. Also, with the presence of 500 mg/kg GO-PPD, the viscosity reduction rate of the waxy crude oil can reach up to 52% at 30 °C. Through the observation via polarized microscopy, we have also found that with the introduction of GO-PPD in the crude oil, the formation of the wax crystals can be greatly retarded. This confirmed that the graphene oxide derivates could also be served as PPD, which facilitates the flowability of certain crude oil (e.g., waxy crude oil from Changqing Oilfield).

Video instruction has been widely studied and is generally considered as effective as live instruction for teaching scientific concepts and procedures. However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of prerecorded videos for teaching more challenging content. This study conducted a controlled experiment on over 300 high school students to compare the effectiveness of live instruction versus recorded video in teaching physics problem solving, a representative example of challenging content. Our results indicate that for simpler problems, there is no significant difference in student learning outcomes between live and video instruction, corroborating previous research. However, as problem complexity increases, live instruction significantly outperforms video instruction, potentially highlighting the importance of real-time adaptability, engagement, and sustained attention in face-to-face settings. We found a negative correlation between the effectiveness of video instruction and the difficulty level of the content. This study is the first to empirically investigate the use of video instruction for complex problem solving, making a significant contribution to the current body of literature. Additionally, the findings offer practical insights for school administrators or department heads, suggesting that while video instruction can effectively substitute for live teaching in simpler scenarios, live instruction remains crucial for more complex material, impacting decisions related to human resource allocation and instructional planning.

Resonance is a topic included in most introductory physics courses. Any mechanical system experiences resonance if it is driven by a periodic force with a frequ