As I approach my 70th year in physics, let me tell my younger colleagues about my adventures with computation. When I was 14, my father gave me a slide rule because I appeared to be headed toward a career in physics. Since then, I have had experience with many other calculating devices.

With improving technology and monitoring efforts, the availability of scientific data is rapidly expanding. The tools that scientists and engineers use to analyse data are changing in response. At the same time, science education standards have shifted to emphasize the importance of students making sense of data in science classrooms. However, it…

One way to develop a cross-curricular lesson is to select the most common mathematical formulas used in science and carefully develop and implement tasks that allow students to make connections between the mathematical representations and theoretical/physical science concepts. The slope-intercept formula, which is used to study relationships…

The subject of buffer solutions in chemistry is a challenging concept for students to learn due to its abstract nature. The difficulties that students face in learning about buffer solutions can lead to poor performance and alternative conceptions about the topic. The development of successful conceptual understanding to solve buffer solution…

PQcalc is an online calculator designed to support students in college-level science classes. Unlike a pocket calculator, PQcalc allows students to set up problems within the calculator just as one would on paper. This includes using proper units and naming quantities strategically in a way that helps finding the solution. Results of calculations…

Among computational methods, DFT (density functional theory) and TD-DFT (time-dependent DFT) are widely used in research to describe, "inter alia," the optical properties of transition metal complexes. Inorganic/physical chemistry courses for undergraduate students treat such methods, but quite often only from the theoretical point of…

"The Language of Mathematics in Science" is an ASE/Nuffield project aimed at supporting teachers of 11-16 science in the use of mathematical ideas in the science curriculum. Two publications have been produced. This article focuses on the first of these, "The Language of Mathematics in Science: A Guide for Teachers of 11-16…

This report, the 20th edition of "Technology Counts," examines how schools are tackling tech training for teachers, "passive" vs. "active" use of digital tools, and online learning needs. Contents include: (1) Tracking 20 Years of Change in Ed Tech (Kevin C. Bushweller); (2) Poor Students Face Digital Divide in How…

The concept and importance of curriculum integration in Science and Mathematics has come to the fore in the recent years (Czerniak, 2007). Ireland's Science and Mathematics performance is well documented and extensively reported in the media and elsewhere (e.g. Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, 2008; Task Force on the Physical Sciences, 2002).…

A solid foundation of chemistry principles is only gained through a true comprehension of the material as opposed to pure memorization. One of the most fundamental concepts in chemistry is that of determining the amount of product formed in a chemical reaction when one of the reactants is limiting. To increase students' comprehension of this…

Although in some schools cell phones have to be turned off or perhaps kept in lockers to avoid misuse, the authors hope to demonstrate in this article how they can be used under supervision to assist learning. This ubiquitous device can be a powerful classroom tool. (Contains 2 figures.)

This technology report alerts upper-division undergraduate chemistry faculty and lecturers to the use of Texas Instruments emulators as virtual graphing calculators. These may be used in multimedia lectures to instruct students on the use of their graphing calculators to obtain solutions to complex chemical problems. (Contains 1 figure.)

The history and meaning of the term "microelectronics" is reviewed, followed by a discussion of the key inventions of the Intel microprocessor in 1971 and the Texas Instruments electronic pocket calculator in 1975. The six characteristic features of microelectronic components are then defined. The UK prime minister Jim Callaghan's…

Before the advent of microcomputer-based labware (MBL), "time-of-flight" measurements for the speed of a transverse pulse on a string required elegant apparatus. This paper describes how to use an off-the-shelf MBL force sensor and a computer to perform the measurement. The data shown in this paper were collected using Vernier Software's wireless…

New methodologies in science (or mathematics) learning process and scientific thinking in the classroom activity of engineer students with ICT (information and communication technology), including graphic calculator are presented: visual modelling with ICT, action research with graphic calculator, insight in classroom and communications and…