NYSTCE Physics case studies
NYSTCE Physics · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Physics is one of the Content Specialty Tests in the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) program, used toward certification to teach physics in New York schools. The Physics CST, test code 163, has retired and is replaced by the National Evaluation Series™ Physics (822) test: the NYSTCE test index lists 163 for testing only through 8/9/2026 and 822 for testing 1/27/2026 and after. The NYSTCE Physics case studies are 5 cases and about 3,480 words.
1The 15-Degree Pendulum and the 'Weak Gravity' Claim
During a unit on measurement and uncertainty, a student team is asked to determine g with a simple pendulum and then to defend or retract its result. The bob is a steel sphere 2.54 cm in diameter; the string, measured with a meter stick from the pivot to the top of the sphere, is 0.837 m, so the team records L = 0.850 m to the center.
747 words, about 4 min2Stirling Engine Efficiency, Entropy, and an Over-Unity Proposal
Students are characterizing a small Stirling engine in an energy-conversion lab. The hot cylinder sits in a beaker of boiling water held at 373 K; the cold cylinder sits in an insulated ice-water bath at 273 K.
735 words, about 4 min3Double Slit, an Out-of-Spec Laser, and a Hidden Distance Error
An inexpensive diode laser is labeled 650 nm. A student sets up a double-slit slide whose package states d = 0.250 mm.
684 words, about 3 min4Why the 9 V Battery Cannot Run Two Loads at Once
A student is investigating why a 9 V battery cannot seem to run two devices at once. With a digital multimeter the battery's open-circuit terminal voltage is 8.95 V.
657 words, about 3 min5Photoelectric Work Function from Three LEDs with a Drifting Electrometer
A student uses a phototube with an unknown cathode and three LEDs whose datasheet wavelengths are 450 nm, 550 nm and 650 nm. For each, the student finds the stopping potential by adjusting a reversing supply until the photocurrent just vanishes, recording 1.15 V, 0.62 V and 0.15 V respectively.
657 words, about 3 min