Although the teaching of mechanics at advanced K12 levels often starts with a brief introduction to physical quantities and units, the nature and function of measurements in physics and their inherent uncertainty are hardly ever discussed. The laboratory is mainly used to illustrate the theoretical principles taught in class. This paper presents a…

Discusses teaching of two project experiments to nonscience students who were asked to measure the acceleration of a system any way they could and investigate any phenomena that they thought might follow a Poisson distribution. Indicates that physics learning performed outside the physics building is the experiment highlight. (CC)

Discusses a student project which is intended to teach undergraduates concepts and techniques of nuclear physics, experimental methods used in particle detection, and provide experience in a functioning research environment. Included are detailed procedures for carrying out the project. (CC)

The use of independent experimental investigations of topics of the student's choosing is described in physics courses at Wittenberg University. Various projects which have been done are listed. (TS)