Discusses a misconception about the cycloid that asserts the final point on the path of shortest time in the "Brachistochrone" problem is at the lowest point on the cycloid. Uses a BASIC program for Newton's method to determine the correct least-time cycloid. (MDH)

Discusses the working of a dial lock using a scaled-up model. (JRH)

Presents a participation activity for students of all ages that stimulates the processes that occur in the build-up of a laser pulse. Exposes students to the concepts of coherence, monochromaticity, stimulated emission, pulse build-up from background fluctuations, and the properties that dictate the shape of a typical laser pulse. (JRH)

Discusses the theory behind the changes in the times of sunrise and sunset and the sun's apparent gradual week-to-week motion. (JRH)

This editorial proposes that famous people in physics be immortalized as heroes through trading cards that present their pictures, personal backgrounds, and contributions to physics. Includes 18 cards for the first collection. (MDH)

Describes an apparatus that can be used to illustrate the relationships that are necessary between the earth, the moon, and the sun, and the orbital tilts of these bodies to produce eclipses. (JRH)

Presents a rail gun demonstration that addresses a broad group of educational goals in introductory electricity and magnetism. Uses a battery-powered circuit consisting of a movable conductor placed across two conducting rails in a magnetic field to review mechanics, foster approximate reasoning and lateral class discussion, and demonstrate the…

Presents two separate models for implementing a hands-on calculus-based introductory physics course. Included in the discussion are context; purpose; topics; implementation of model one and two; and conclusion. (ZWH)

Describes the Colorado Scale-Model Solar System, a display illustrating the sizes and distances to the Sun and the nine planets on the campus of Colorado University. Discusses the model's educational value and uses for the classroom and the community. (MDH)

Describes a two-hour physics laboratory experiment modeling the phenomena of eclipsing binary stars developed by the Air Force Academy as part of a week-long laboratory-oriented experience for visiting high school students. (BT)

Presents a simple experiment--a marble rolling on a tilted desk--to introduce students to moving bodies. Makes difficult subjects such as measurement, calculus, modeling, and uncertainty easier to identify by putting them into a simple context. Discusses misconceptions, models, and measurements. (JRH)

Describes the construction of models of two-dimensional surfaces with negative curvature that are used to illustrate differences in the triangle sum rule for the various Big Bang Theories of the universe. (JRH)

Describes the Capacitor-Aided System for Teaching and Learning Electricity (CASTLE) project which is a high school electricity curriculum developed by high school and college physics teachers. The project is motivated by research on students' conceptual difficulties in electricity. The instructional materials developed allow students to challenge…

Critiques the Capacitor-Aided System for Teaching and Learning Electricity (CASTLE) curriculum. Criticism is made of the model's use of a compressible-fluid model to demonstrate charge conduction. An alternative model is proposed. (ZWH)

Presents an interdisciplinary model. The life style coefficient illustrates data expression as an equation with an exponential term. (GH)