This letter comments on the paper "Analysis of Citric Acid in Beverages: Use of an Indicator Displacement Assay" ["J. Chem. Educ." 2010, 87 (8), 832-835 (EJ918557)]. Discrepancies in figures and host:indicator complex behavior are discussed and an alternative experimental protocol presented.

Three and a half centuries ago, a five-year experiment was conducted involving the growth of a willow tree in a pot which received only water. The conclusion, that a tree is therefore made solely from water, was not so ridiculous when there was still general acceptance of the Aristotelian view of only four "elements": water, earth, fire and air.…

Not only are rubber bands great for binding objects together, but they can be used in a simple science experiment that involves predicting, problem solving, measuring, graphing, and experimenting. In this article, the author describes how rubber bands can be used to teach the force of mass.

It is well established that thought experiments are both scientifically and philosophically significant, and even that they are pedagogically significant. However, the basis and methodology for their pedagogical use is not as well established. Pedagogical thought experiments are defined as mental simulations with special features to isolate…

Presented is an expression of opinion on the use of the discovery method in secondary school chemistry classes. The author believes that general rules (lemmas) should be given to students and then they should attempt to disprove the lemmas by observation of experiments. (Author/SA)

Discusses difficulties of learning and teaching science at the secondary school level. Highlights include the nature of science concepts; multilevel thought; the use of scientific experiments; language problems; students' learning processes; and an information processing model that can be used to guide thinking and research in this area. (10…

This 12-chapter book examines different phenomena as viewed by those trained in physics. These views (or vistas) are promulgated to demonstrate that the infinite variety of things seen in the material world can be reduced to a handful of general laws and to share with the public the richness of the scientist's world view. The phenomena examined…

Finds that interpretation of Galileo's only known experimental manuscript produces some interesting questions that offer pedagogical applications. Promotes classroom "research games" consisting of reconstructed experiments with Galileo's inclined plane and with other instruments to allow further speculation. (Author/WRM)

Uses capillarity as an example of a problem in physics which has been explained mathematically in two different ways. Argues that only one explanation is indeed valid and demonstrates this opinion through experimentation and discussions. Proposes that mathematics should be used in physics as a tool to predict, not to explain. (TW)