Our study sets out to identify the difficulties that high school students, teachers, and university students encounter when trying to explain atomic spectra. To do so, we identify the key concepts that any quantum model for the emission and absorption of electromagnetic radiation must include to account for the gas spectra and we then design two questionnaires, one for teachers and the other for students. By analyzing the responses, we conclude that (i) teachers lack a quantum model for the emission and absorption of electromagnetic radiation capable of explaining the spectra, (ii) teachers and students share the same difficulties, and (iii) these difficulties concern the model of the atom, the model of radiation, and the model of the interaction between them.

Research has highlighted difficulties experienced by students when studying quantum physics in introductory courses. In this paper, we present a teaching and learning sequence (TLS) aiming at introducing a quantum model of emission and absorption of radiation and we assess its impact on the students' learning about atomic spectra. The TLS has been designed based on the contributions from physics education research and it was implemented among high school seniors. A detailed description of the TLS is also presented accompanied by a description of how it is implemented. Based on a pre-and post-assessment questionnaire and student interviews, we conclude that students are able to successfully use the models to reason about relevant phenomena.

El espectroscopio cuantitativo como instrumento para la construcción y uso de modelos de emisión y absorción de radiación en física cuántica La introducción de la física cuántica en el bachillerato se limita en gran medida al estudio de los espectros de los gases y el efecto fotoeléctrico, obviando la gran cantidad de aplicaciones cotidianas que esta tiene. La construcción y calibrado de un espectroscopio cuantitativo nos permite trabajar con modelos cuánticos más allá de las experiencias que sirvieron para establecerlos. Palabras-clave: espectros de luz visible, espectroscopio, modelos, física cuántica.The introduction of quantum physics in high school is reduced to the study of gas spectra and photoelectric effect, forgetting the wide range of daily applications. The construction and calibration of a quantitative spectroscope allow us to work with quantum models beyond the experiments that were used to establish them.

In this work we present a water-driven clock (clepsydra) that uses the water that flows from a Mariotte flask to work. By designing and building all the elements properly, we get the seconds hand to make a full turn (1 min) at the right pace.

Durante los últimos años la investigación en didáctica de la Física ha destacado el interés que tiene la plataforma Arduino y los sensores asociados a ella en la mejora de la enseñanza. En este trabajo presentamos una propuesta para el estudio de la termodinámica en los cursos introductorios. Hemos construido un motor de Stirling casero con materiales de bajo coste. A partir de un estudio teórico del ciclo termodinámico asociado al motor, proponemos diversas estrategias para medir su rendimiento. A continuación, describimos el montaje experimental, basado en sensores Arduino, que nos permite registrar las medidas necesarias para desarrollar las estrategias propuestas. Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto el bajo rendimiento de los motores térmicos y las diferencias existentes entre los ciclos teóricos y los experimentales.