We present a comment on "Benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory electricity and magnetism course", by F. J. Kontur, K. de La Harpe, and N. B. Terry PRST-PER 11, 010105 (2015). Our data show that the conclusions Kontur and coworkers draw from their data may not be generally applicable.

The idea that children develop their own alternative conceptions of mechanical principles that can interfere with their learning of school physics is well recognized, and not only within the physics education community. "Intuitive physics" is one of three domains of "folk" science commonly acknowledged--the others being folk biology and folk…

Children are naturally fascinated by mechanical things, and simple machines can be used to teach them how things work and how complex machines are made up of simple ones. (SK)

The paper deals with the problems of engineering education with special emphasis on mechanical engineering. The study is based on the situation at the end of the 20th century when the rapid development of information technologies stresses the need of a global context for all educational problems. The current social, economic and technical trends,…

Presents Newton's main ideas for the formulation of classical mechanics as given in the Principia. Discusses Ernst Mach's criticisms of Newtonian mechanics as contained in his book, "The Science of Mechanics". Analyzes the influence of Mach's ideas in the teaching of classical mechanics by considering five textbooks. Concludes that…

Discusses the development of the Rutherford-Bohr atom. Indicates how the objectives of the historian may differ from those of the retrospecting or historicizing physicist. (Author/SK)

Discusses the place that Robert Hooke has in science history versus the scientific contributions he made. Examines the relationship between Hooke and his contemporary, Isaac Newton, and Hooke's claims that Newton built on his ideas without receiving Newton's recognition. (26 references) (MDH)

Considers the perspective that method is independent of subject matter and that certain areas might be better conceived of in terms of signs and interpretations rather than in terms of objects and interactions. Contains 32 references. (DDR)

Explains the chaos theory and its effect on education, relating it to quantum physics. The article suggests implications for education (predictions about student achievement are limited, the brain learns in nonlinear ways, and the knowledge base in teacher education needs modification to account for recent discoveries in science and mathematics).…

Argues that it is advantageous to adopt a more modern approach that systematically builds on students' knowledge of the atomic structure of matter and elementary mechanics. (Author/CCM)

Argues that inclusion of demonstrations on examinations increases students' ability to observe carefully the physical world around them, translate from observation in terms of models, and make quantitative estimates and physicist-type "back-of-the-envelope" calculations. Presents demonstration ideas covering the following topics:…

Presents the epistemology of scientific concepts from a schematic modeling perspective. Discusses students' initial cognitive states based on the level of commensurability between students' own concepts and their scientific counterparts. Contains 87 references. (DDR)

Makes a recommendation for more direct teaching of the basic principles of mechanics. Contends that students currently learn mechanics in terms of standard examples. This causes difficulty when the student is confronted with a problem that can be solved from basic principles, but which does not fit a standard category. (GS)

Discusses the correctness of the directions of acceleration at various points in a pendulum problem shown in Reif (1987). Provides the author's responses to the comments on the problem. (YP)

Six articles discuss the work of Michael Faraday, a chemist whose work revolutionized physics and led directly to both classical field and relativity theory. The scientist as a young man, the electromagnetic experiments of Faraday, his search for the gravelectric effect, his work on optical glass, his laboratory notebooks, and his creative use of…