Describes a simple time-of-flight experiment using readily available equipment. The method of measuring the speed of light uses a modulated laser and introduces students to some concepts of optics, measurement of very small time intervals, modulation of lasers, waveform generation, fast detectors, and data processing. (Contains 20 references.)…

Extracting and applying lessons from history is rarely easy and sometimes risky but there are moments when historical records are so compelling that they rise above mere proof to the level of interocular impact. In this article, the author shares his similar experience while visiting his colleague, Professor Bruce Clark, at the University of…

Students of General Physics often complain that the course is too abstract and remote from daily life. As teachers, we emphasize that the abstract concepts of physics are indispensable for understanding our daily experiences, and we try to give the impression that quantitative descriptions can be achieved by adopting concrete mathematical…

In studying young children learning in inclusive environments, we designed ways to enable children to explore scientific knowledge that is usually believed to require later didactic teaching. Aspects of this design under scrutiny here are, first, the capacity of natural learning to lead to effective scientific ideas, and second, further…

Opportunities to learn and discover surround a young child every day. The activities and ideas within this book have been formulated to encourage a child's natural curiosity and sense of wonder and to engage all the child's senses in learning and discovery. The activities focus on the child as a natural explorer and involve children in identifying…

Describes how astrophysics can be a do-it-yourself project within a school boy's budget and background, by giving detailed instruction on equipment construction. In addition, this article describes many experiments to undertake, with the equipment, such as determining color temperature, star spectra, chemical composition and others. (BR)

This study focused on misconceptions related to light and vision. Researchers administered diagnostic tests about light, vision, and color before and after instruction to 227 fifth-grade students over a 2-year period. They also conducted 11 clinical interviews. The tests and interviews revealed that almost all students shared certain…

This 12-chapter book examines different phenomena as viewed by those trained in physics. These views (or vistas) are promulgated to demonstrate that the infinite variety of things seen in the material world can be reduced to a handful of general laws and to share with the public the richness of the scientist's world view. The phenomena examined…

Describes various topics which can be used to organize lesson plans for elementary school activities concerning the theory of light. Lists general and specific objectives for the lesson plans. (MLH)

Deals with a diffraction experiment using wrapping paper. Provides a magnified picture of the paper, a diffraction diagram, and some instructional information. (YP)

Discusses using Apple II microcomputers for measuring resistance, temperature, and light intensity. Also discusses digital input and output and timing techniques. Although focusing on Apple II, the circuits and programs described may be applicable to other microcomputers. (JN)

While the new movement in the teaching of physics--the study of the physics of daily life--is the keynote of the recent text-books, yet the laboratory manuals still adhere to the old method, leaving the presentation of material from everyday life to the text-book alone. It is the authors' belief that the manual as well as the text-book should be…

Describes the application of an inexpensive relaxation oscillator circuit which uses a thermistor or a cadmium-sulfide photocell to affect the rate of an audio pulse output. It is especially well suited for qualitative and quantitative measurement of heat or light in classroom situations because of its clearly audible output. (Author/JR)