As a part of the U. S. Naval Academy Self-Paced Physics Course materials, orientation is presented in this manual to assist an instructor in developing his individual class policies. Descriptions are given of objectives, class atmosphere, student progress, counseling activities, and remedial work. Under the heading of the management sequence,…

The second review segment of the Self-Paced Physics Course is presented in this volume and arranged to match study segments 19 through 40. The segment is divided into five subsegments, each of which is composed of a set of problems and solutions. A study guide is provided for each subsegment. The problem set is designed in a back-referencing…

Reports on an experiment in which students were taught the learning skills necessary for the understanding of a physical definition or law and those skills necessary for a type of problem solving. Results indicate that students can be taught such general cognitive skills and that they can transfer these skills to areas outside of physics.…

Provides two exercises in abstract problem solving. Intended to parallel a physicist's approach to the solution of a law of nature, the activities are open ended without definite answers. (CP)

Describes a simple computing system which can solve the quantum mechanical problem of a particle trapped in a rectangular potential well. (SL)

Considered are parallel and perpendicular relative velocities and their effect on the minimum time it takes a boat to cross a river. (Author/MA)

Determined if providing feedback to students had any impact on the correlation between performance in physics and a test of simple, mechanistic mathematics skills. Also determined if students who drop out of the physics course demonstrated any identifiable difference in performance on tests involving a variety of reasoning and problem-solving…

Plotting a polynomial over the range of real numbers when its derivative contains complex roots is discussed. The polynomials are graphed by calculating the minimums, maximums, and zeros of the function. (MNS)

Discusses a high school laboratory in which the students take an active role in designing, implementing, and performing experiments concerning basic concepts in physics. (MLH)

This book is one of four books in the Science-by-Design Series crated by TERC and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). It integrates history, physics, mathematics, and technology in its challenge to high school students to design and build a working catapult system. Students investigate elasticity, projectile launching, and learn about…

While increasing teachers' scientific knowledge base has been identified as a challenge for teacher education (e.g., NCES, 1996), the skills used to identify a need for knowledge and the skills necessary to search for that knowledge have been less discussed. Yet, the ability to learn for oneself is really the goal of lifelong teacher education. In…

This document explains the importance of problem solving in the high school physics curriculum and points out the lack of opportunities in textbooks for students to practice their problem solving skills. The necessity of having introductory-level work texts cannot be ignored and having a work-text book would be beneficial from the teachers' point…

Describes a system for remedial assistance with problem solving for first year physics by using synchronized tape-slide materials with provision for control to be exercised by a group rather than by individuals. (PR)

A large-scale computer managed training program in problem-solving in applied mathematics and basic physics for first-year medical students at the University of Leuven is described. Students do calculations away from the terminals, but are corrected and evaluated at terminals. Some tentative results are presented. (Author/MSE)

Mathematical modelling and an example used with undergraduates were presented in part 1 (v17, n5, p212-18, 1982). A second example, Power from Windmills, is provided which has considerable potential for development both as a model and as a series of modelling experiences of increasing difficulty for students with different backgrounds. (Author/JN)