This paper draws upon the theory of embodied cognition to provide a robust account of how gestural interactions with and around multi-touch tabletops can play an important role in facilitating collaborative meaning-making, particularly in the context of science data visualizations. Embodied cognition is a theory of learning that implies that…

Video analysis with a 30 Hz frame rate is the standard tool in physics education. The development of affordable high-speed-cameras has extended the capabilities of the tool for much smaller time scales to the 1 ms range, using frame rates of typically up to 1000 frames s[superscript -1], allowing us to study transient physics phenomena happening…

Mobile devices have become a popular form of education technology, but little attention has been paid to the use of their sensors for data collection and analysis. This article describes some of the benefits of using mobile devices this way and presents five challenges to help students overcome common misconceptions about force and motion. The…

The Rockwell AIM 65 is recommended for use in physics laboratories. Among advantages cited are that the basic board can be purchased customized; for example, it can be purchased with or without a printer, power supply, extra memory, and other items. In addition, the computer is basically designed to control equipment and take data from peripheral…

Describes the development of a robot whose mainframe is essentially transparent and walks on four legs. Discusses various gaits in four-legged motion. Reports on initial trials of a full-sized model without computer-control, including smoothness of motion and actual obstacle crossing features. (CW)

Describes a one-dimensional model for an ideal gas to study development of disordered motion in Newtonian mechanics. A Monte Carlo procedure for simulation of the statistical ensemble of an ideal gas with fixed total energy is developed. Compares both approaches for a pseudoexperimental foundation of statistical mechanics. (Author/JN)

Describes the use of a microcomputer in studying a model experiment (Brownian particles colliding with thermal particles). A flow chart and program for the experiment are provided. Suggests that this experiment may foster a deepened understanding through mutual dialog between the student and computer. (SK)

An elementary formalism is developed for representing curved space-time which allows transparent qualitative explanation of general relativistic effects and is used to make a conceptual analysis of Einstein's principle of equivalence. A final section outlines a number of student activities. (Author/SK)

Different programs have been developed for the simulation of physics experiments by using TI-57 programmable calculators. Two of these programs, describing the simulation of a successive radioactive decay and the random motion of a gas molecule, are presented. (Author/SK)

Regrouping cars from incoming trains into blocks of cars for outgoing trains is accomplished in railroad "hump" classification yards. Discusses: hardware and software elements of such installations; physical models on which software is based; success in predicting/regulating car speeds; and results of recent research into factors…

Microcomputer-based instrumentation packages enable computers to collect continuous analog data, convert data to digital form for processing, and display results on monitor. Discusses classroom advantages of these packages, describes one package for teaching harmonic motion, and provides a list of currently available packages (including vendor and…

Describes a series of laboratory experiments and computer simulations of the motion of electrons in electric and magnetic fields. These experiments, which involve an inexpensive student-built electron gun, study the electron mean free path, magnetic focusing, and other aspects. (Author/HM)

A computer program, making use of interactive computer graphics, has been developed to help students become fluent in the mathematical procedures needed to understand concepts of addition of waves. Background theory, use of the program, and technical and educational features of the program (written in Fortran) are discussed. (Author/JN)

Presents an experiment that measures the acceleration and velocity of a model rocket. Lift-off information is transmitted to a computer that creates a graph of the velocity. Discusses the analysis of the computer-generated data and differences between calculated and experimental velocity and acceleration of several rocket types. (MDH)