Hooke's law for springs, stating that the force needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance is proportional to that distance, is a topic covered by almost all introductory physics courses at both school and university levels. In this article we present a much more efficient and intuitive approach, compared to the traditional method, for…

In this paper we describe the results of some experiments about using surprising physics demonstrations, presented as magical phenomena followed by scientific explanations, for introducing physics topics in several teaching contexts. All the demonstrations have been designed to be implemented with easy to get and cheap materials, so that students…

Secondary and post-secondary science and engineering educators share common class arrangements with both a laboratory and lecture component, coordinating both components so they build upon each other to create meaningful learning experiences. The COVID-19 pandemic forced educators to convert lectures and exams to online delivery. Doing so came…

Describes the technology of the recycling process for high density polyethylene plastics; illustrates a way for technology teachers to demonstrate the process. (SK)

Physics is perceived by many students to be a difficult subject, and misconceptions about it are quite common not only among school students but also among undergraduates and pre-service postgraduate science teachers. In teaching the topic of gas pressure to primary student teachers studying in the Bachelor of Education programme at my institute,…

Describes a five-stage intervisitation program in which teachers within a department visit each other for demonstrations of teaching methods. (IRT)

The author describes a student visitation and recruitment program, "Look into Vocational Education" (LIVE) sponsored annually by the Capital Area Vocational Center in Springfield, Illinois. During the three-day program, nearly 1,000 high school sophomores visit vocational programs and interact with teachers and current students. (CH)

Offers various suggestions for teaching the Bernoulli principle. Several demonstrations that work well in classroom situations are included. (JN)

Presents an illustration to demonstrate the smallness of molecules; also a derivation of a temperature scale (Fahrenheit/Celsius) interconversion equation by plotting temperatures of one scale against corresponding temperature of another. (CS)

Presents an activity on soap-bubble geometry using a guessing contest, explanations, and demonstrations that allow students to mesh observation and mathematical reasoning to discover that mathematics is much more than just number crunching. (ASK)

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of psychomotor skill instruction in crop production provided by agricultural production teachers in Illinois and the methods used for this teaching. Responses from 79 of 100 teachers indicated that most do not have students observe or practice a procedure for skill improvement. More experienced…

Describes the construction of a box that is filled with indicator of a particular concentration. A little acid is added to one side and a little alkali to the other so that the complete colour range of the indicator is observable. (GS)

Describes a cure for the high school chemistry student with Second Semester Poisoning (SSP), the student disease of apathy which occurs in the spring. Remedy: an outdoor (preferably) demonstration of a series of controlled combustion experiments, with accompanying explanations of the chemistry involved. (MLH)