Jonas Rolf Persson

The Cavendish experiment of 1798 is commonly presented in textbooks as the first laboratory determination of the Newtonian gravitational constant, G . This interpretation, however, is historically inaccurate. Drawing on contemporary theoretical treatises and experimental practices, it is shown that, in Cavendish’s era, gravitational interactions were treated as proportional relationships. The article situates the emergence of G within developments such as Fourier’s introduction of dimensional homogeneity, Gauss’s absolute measurements, and the British Association for the Advancement of Science’s standardisation of electrical units, which collectively enabled explicit determinations of fundamental constants. By restoring the original aim and methodological context of the Cavendish experiment, the article clarifies a persistent textbook misconception and illustrates how changing research interests in combination with the creation of universal unit systems, dimensions, and measurement practices can influence how classical experiments are retrospectively interpreted. This case illustrates how evolving unit systems, measurement practices, and research priorities shape the later interpretation of classical experiments, and it can be used as a resource in physics education.

The experiment conducted by Henry Cavendish to measure the density of the Earth is frequently mischaracterised in numerous textbooks as a measurement of the universal gravitational constant, G, despite the inaccuracy of this assertion. This paper presents a study examining the prevalence of this misconception, by analysing a total of 84 textbooks on a tertiary and university level. The findings reveal that this myth is prevalent in many textbooks published throughout the 20th century, reflecting the contemporary interests of authors and the physics community in their portrayal of the evolution of physics. The paper concludes with an exploration of the reasons behind the persistence of this misconception and proposes an alternative approach to presenting the Cavendish experiment in educational materials.

The experiment performed by Henry Cavendish to measure the density of the earth, is in numerous textbooks described as a measurement of the universal gravitational constant, G, even if we know that this was not true. In this paper, a study on how common this "myth" is based on the checklist developed by Leite on a total of 84 textbooks. The prevalence of the myth in most textbooks throughout the 20th century indicates a focus on the contemporary interests of authors and the physics community in presenting the development of physics. An explanation of the prevalence of the myth and a different approach

A review is given of the experimental values of the magnetic hyperfine structure and the Bohr-Weisskopf effect in muonic atoms. The need for more measurements and systematic calculations is discussed in the light of distinguishing between different models of the Bohr-Weisskopf effect in nuclei.

This table is an updated compilation of experimental values of the magnetic hyperfine anomaly in atomic and ionic systems. The literature search covers the period up to December 2022. A short discussion on general trends of the hyperfine anomaly and the theoretical developments are performed.

Purpose: Previous research shows that identity formation is a crucial bridge between higher education and future employment. The objective of this study was to improve our understanding and knowledge of food technology students' prior interests, their perceived identity formation, perceptions of food technology and the profession of food technologist.Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative study was conducted and the data consisted of audio recordings of 10 semi structured group interviews of first-, second- and third-year students, as well as alumni, at work. The interviews were transcribed and analysed by conventional content analysis, here following an inductive approach.Findings: Most students had previous general culinary interest, an interest in the science behind or an interest in contemporary food-related issues. Regardless of the year group and prior interest, most felt that graduation was the stage at which they could identify themselves as food technologists. They evolved from having a rather diffuse understanding of food technology and what is a food technologist before they started to have an increased awareness in their second and third years.Originality/value: The research findings inform higher education food technology programmes aiming to promote the development of food technology students' professional identity. The study suggests that a holistic approach to teaching, as well as context-based and professional activities at an early stage might help students in their identity formation.

First-year university students’ knowledge and conceptual understanding of general chemistry has been investigated using a multiple-choice concept inventory (Chemical Concept Inventory 3.0/CCI 3.0) as a pre-test (n = 221) and a post-test (n = 90) in two first-semester chemistry courses. This paper discusses the students’ answers to two questions about bond energy. Student interviews (n = 7) were performed for further insight in the students’ thought processes and validation of the CCI questions. Although many students appeared to recall that breaking a chemical bond demands energy, most were not able to use this fact to reason about the heat released in a chemical reaction, and the alternative conception that bond breaking releases energy seemed deeply ingrained and prevalent among the students. For one of the questions, more students gave the correct answer on the pre-test than on the post-test. Student interviews indicated that some students’ failure to pick the correct alternative for this question might be influenced by use of the word “always” in the correct answer, which discouraged those students that find chemistry to be a subject full of exceptions.