2023/12/02 by Brigante, Azul María, Révora, Corina, Volonnino, Gabriel Fernando +3 · 1 citation
#Data Analysis #FOS: Physical sciences #Physics Education (physics.ed-ph) #Statistics and Probability (physics.data-an)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2312.01208
Statistical physics courses typically employ abstract language that describes objects too small to be seen, making the topic challenging for students to understand. In this work, we introduce a simple experiment that allows conceptualizing some of the underlying ideas of stochastic processes through direct experimentation. Students analyze stochastic trajectories of beads in a bouncing bed of smaller beads subjected to an external periodic drive. The analysis of the trajectories involves the application of a vast tool kit of statistical estimators that are useful in many fields of physics.