Over the course of history, scientists have constructed models and equations that provide insight into the motions of the heavens. However, research indicates many people hold alternative conceptions that, to them, explain the same observable phenomenon. Science educators have found that students learning about lunar phases may hold misconceptions…

In April 2005 the World Year of Physics (Einstein Year in the UK and Ireland) was celebrated with an Einstein week in Stockholm House of Science. Seven experiments illustrated Einstein's remarkable work in 1905 on Brownian motion, the photoelectric effect and special relativity. Thirteen school classes with 260 pupils, 30 teachers and 25 members…

This report describes the initial employment and educational paths pursued by physics and astronomy degree recipients at the bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels for the classes of 2002-03 and 2003-04. The report includes starting salaries, primary work activities, ratings of professional challenge and other aspects of initial employment. The…

The research interrogates the connections between information and communication technologies' (ICTs') use and change processes in Australian higher education. The empirical investigation focuses simultaneously on three domains of practice: the educational, the technological and the organizational, with a particular interest in their overlaps and…

In sixth grade, students understand that Earth gets visible light from the Sun, but students may also believe the Earth gets heat from the Sun. This last part is incorrect because the Sun is too far from the Earth to heat it directly. So, how does the Sun heat the Earth? When light strikes an object, it can be reflected or absorbed. Absorbed light…

Course designers adopted a language-learners approach to the online teaching of New Zealand secondary school students in the subject of astronomy. This was possible because the curriculum for astronomy that was in 2004 established as a part of New Zealand's national curriculum was specifically designed to engage underachieving students in science…

This is a resource book for four major areas of study: basic astronomy, a star's life, the planets, and the atmosphere. The activities and demonstrations included can be done in a classroom setting during the day by using readily available materials. Topics covered include: refracting and reflecting telescopes, star finder, circumpolar…

This document reports on a 1995 survey of students graduating with a bachelor's degree in physics or astronomy as part of an ongoing series of surveys that have been conducted by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) since the 1960s. The data obtained on the 1995 class build upon established trends in students' immediate postbaccalaureate plans…

This learning guide provides detailed information about exploring the planet Mars. The guide covers a variety of topics related to space exploration including: (1) the reasons for exploring Mars; (2) a history of the exploration of and thinking about Mars beginning with the Babylonians and continuing through the Viking missions; (3) the status of…

This paper will explore a problem finding task the authors developed as one component of the Mission to Mars curriculum, an inquiry-based science unit developed by Petrosino & The Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (CTGV). The paper also attempts to address evolving conceptions of the problem generation task, primarily from that of…

This information packet on quasars consists of an introductory paper, four articles from "Mercury," a journal of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and a bibliography. Methods used to measure distances in the universe and the nature of quasi-stellar objects (QSO's), the name preferred by many workers in the field, are discussed in…

Details the assembly and operation of two interactive computer-student dialogs developed for use primarily with elementary and secondary teachers. The dialogs use graphic facilities for teaching about the sky as seen from the earth and about the phases of the moon. (Author/CP)

Presents data from a study to show that a mystique effect can occur for classroom students. Recommends that teachers provide orientation session before content objectives are taught. (CP)

Presents a computer program that uses radial and transverse star movements to make approximations of the closest approach in light years. In addition using the present actual visual magnitude the greatest magnitude attained is calculated. (Author/GS)

Observing the relationship of general relativity and the geometry of space-time, the author questions whether the rest of physics has geometrical explanations. As a partial answer he discusses current research on subatomic particles employing geometric transformations, and cites the existence of geometrical definitions of physical quantities such…