The answer to this month's question, "Can electromagnetic waves affect emotions," is yes. Wherever there are electromagnetic (EM) waves (basically everywhere!), there is the potential for them directly or indirectly to affect the emotions. But what about the likely motivation behind the originally-posed question? Can EM waves affect your…

Bill Robertson thinks that questioning the physics behind simple machines is a great idea because when he encounters the subject of simple machines in textbooks, activities, and classrooms, he seldom encounters, a scientific explanation of how they work. Instead, what one often sees is a discussion of load, effort, fulcrum, actual mechanical…

A rich science learning experience not only captures students' attention but also motivates them to investigate and solve problems and investigate how scientists carry out their work. This article describes how secondary science coordinator Patrick Brown's found success teaching students the nature of science by engaging them in…

Ah, springtime, and young people's thoughts turn to... baseball, of course. But this column is not about "how" to throw a curveball, so you'll have to look that up on your own. Here, the focus is on the "why" of the curveball. There are two different things that cause a spinning ball to curve. One is known as the "Bernoulli effect" and the other…

One thing scientists study is how objects move. A famous scientist named Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) spent a lot of time observing objects in motion and came up with three laws that describe how things move. This explanation only deals with the first of his three laws of motion. Newton's First Law of Motion says that moving objects will continue…

The often observed and misunderstood phenomenon of movement of black and white vanes in toy radiometers under illumination is discussed in a generalized non-mathematical manner. Effects of light pressure, low gas density, friction, heat, and motion are illustrated. (JM)

Presents a unit of three lessons to teach Newton's Laws of Motion. After rotating through learning centers, answering questions, and recording observations, students are asked to generate a "class law" that explains the scientific phenomenon they observed. (MDH)