Textbook companies are increasingly including larger numbers of animations as complementary resources for students and teachers. Are all animations useful as teaching tools? The answer is no. Animations can be useful for communicating dynamic events and processes but only when specific rules are followed. The authors review the important…

Presents the results of a series of studies on the production, transformation, and interpretation of graphical representations from grade 8 to professional scientific practice in formal testing situations (inside) and in the course of field/laboratory work (outside). (Author/CCM)

Discusses the use of property diagrams as an instructional tool to help students understand and visualize important, complex thermodynamic relationships. Also discusses the approach used in preparing these diagrams, which were computer-generated as part of graduate students' research. (JN)

Describes a computer program that computes field lines and equipotential surfaces for a wide range of field configurations. Presents the mathematical technique and details of the program, the input data, and different modes of graphical representation. (MLH)

GrafTalk is a powerful, easy to use, business-oriented graphics package for producing pie, bar, and line-plot graphs. GrafTalk should run on nearly any CP/M-based system that drives a graphics device through serial/parallel output port. Discusses package installation, structure, documentation, and use, plotting scientific data, and comparison with…

The use of the microcomputer in an interactive graphics mode offers exciting possibilities for mathematics and science education. Errors made with graphs are used to introduce ideas of what should be taught. Both understanding equations and graphing utilities are stressed. (MNS)

Effects of microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) exercises and level of cognitive development on high school biology students' ability to construct and interpret line graphs were investigated. Forty-six students enrolled in general biology classes at a rural high school volunteered to participate in the study. These students were administered…