This educator guide provides background information on Wilbur and Orville Wright and activities on aeronautics that provide templates for building the 1900, 1901, and 1902 Gliders and the 1903 Flyer. Activities include: (1) Early Aviation; (2) Your First Interview; (3) Your First Report; (4) Build a Model of the 1900 Glider; (5) Questions on the…

Proposes the science show as a means to increase science awareness and interest among middle school students to increase future student enrollment and interest in high school science. Provides eight steps to help ensure a successful program. (MDH)

This book is organized around a set of simple observational physics activities that stimulate questioning and answering and encourage the generation of answers to stimulate individual creativity. The activities integrate drawing, counting, measuring, predicting, recording, hypothesizing, and verifying. The activities are designed to sharpen…

Reports on a high school egg dropping contest as a means of increasing student interest in science. (SL)

Discusses the etymology of physics words. Provides a list of English words and their original meaning. (YP)

Presents a collection of suggestions, ideas, and reminiscences relating the first-day classroom activities of 13 different teachers at high schools and colleges. (YP)

Describes the physics displays at the University of Canterbury (New Zealand), including the facility, static displays, and interactive displays. Discusses the basic philosophy, general principles, and evaluation of the displays. (YP)

Proposes that physics teachers play the role of Galileo. Describes historical resources, costumes, materials, makeup, and objectives of the role-play. Provides three references on Galileo. (YP)

Presents strategies aimed at increasing physics enrollment by creating and advertising a physics program that appeals to the majority of students but sacrifices neither rigor nor content. Involves extensively publicizing the class at school and moving the course out of the classroom and into the home. (JRH)

Discusses the science used in the war with Iraq. Explains principles of mechanics and feedback systems, and describes how they were used in war technology. Explains the need for engineers to know physics and chemistry, to understand the capabilities and limitations of their equipment, to make accurate measurements, and to work in teams. (PR)

Examines five poems by Robert Frost that illustrate Frost's interest in science. The poems include allusions to renowned physicists, metaphoric descriptions of some famous physics experiments, explorations of complementarity as enunciated by Bohr, and poetic formulations of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. (20 references) (MDH)

Discusses experiments with students and teachers in a project to encourage girls to achieve their full potential and to consider nontraditional career choices. Describes a two-week practice program and opposition to the project from teachers and girls. Outlines an extensive course in physics and effects of the course. (YP)

Evaluated is a course for twelfth graders to demonstrate a variety of aspects of applied science. The basic structure and content of the course are described. The evaluation results including achievement, interest/difficulty with other courses, lateral transfer, and attitudes are reported. Examples of problems and application questionnaire are…

This paper identifies predictor variables for physics achievement in Nigerian high schools. Nine student variables (age, gender, home language, word knowledge, interest in physics, study habits, attitude, mathematical ability, and test anxiety) accounted for 63 percent of the total variance. Mathematical ability appeared to be the best predictor.…

Describes a secondary school visitation program by scientists in Australia. The program was designed to increase students' motivation related to science, especially physics. Discusses the effects of the program. (YP)