This study questions the effectiveness of a traditional teaching-by-example technique when used with students who hold misconceptions. Interview techniques were used to explore students' (n=21) responses to two different uses of examples and to provide indications of student reasoning. Results indicate that when students hold a misconception,…

Presents instructions to build a device that helps students see the effects of the ultraviolet radiation around them. Suggests ways to utilize the device. (MDH)

Portuguese researchers studied secondary teachers' conceptions of teaching physics. Subjects examined vignettes describing various plans for physics lessons, then reflected on the situations. Researchers analyzed subjects' pedagogical arguments and delimited types of science teaching conceptions. Most subjects appeared to work according to a…

The union of sophisticated computer and digital technology with musical instruments made out of recycled materials is discussed. Directions for making the instruments and interfacing the instruments with other equipment are included. Tuning of the instruments, customizing sounds, and sound processing are described. (KR)

By carefully watching and listening to his students explain how they solved simple physics problems, one college instructor gained insight into how students visualize problems and developed techniques to help students change perspective more easily. Student metacognitive skills, student confidence, and student-teacher communication have also…

Explains the chaos theory and its effect on education, relating it to quantum physics. The article suggests implications for education (predictions about student achievement are limited, the brain learns in nonlinear ways, and the knowledge base in teacher education needs modification to account for recent discoveries in science and mathematics).…

Eleven demonstrations of light polarization are presented. Each includes a brief description of the apparatus and the effect demonstrated. Illustrated are strain patterns, reflection, scattering, the Faraday Effect, interference, double refraction, the polarizing microscope, and optical activity. (CW)

Describes the nineteenth-century parlor trick entitled the Fluttering Heart phenomenon which uses a red heart on a bright blue background. Discusses theories concerning the apparent fluttering. Suggests doing the trick with a red light-emitting diode in a darkened room. (MVL)

Uses extremely strong neodymium magnets to demonstrate several principles of physics including electromagnetic induction, Lenz's Law, domain theory, demagnetization, the Curie point, and magnetic flux lines. (MDH)

Explores the problem-solving behavior of a university lecturer as well as that of undergraduate and graduate students. Identifies and describes 14 physical and cognitive actions employed in the problem solving. Contains 28 references. (DDR)

Analyzes students' main difficulties in learning the concept of electric field. Briefly describes the main conceptual profiles within which electric interactions can be interpreted and concludes that most students have difficulty using the idea of electric field. Contains 28 references. (DDR)

Presents the equations of motion governing the trajectory of a cricket ball subject to a linear drag force. Uses a perturbation expansion technique to solve the resulting trajectory equation for the range of a cricket ball struck into the outfield. (Author/ASK)

Analyzes didactic problems related to the inseparability of electric charge from the mass, the impossibility of its direct observation, and the meaning associated with the basic concepts of electricity. Contains 44 references. (DDR)

Demonstrates how an historical case such as the invention of the telephone can be used to teach invention and design in a way that combines engineering, social sciences, and humanities. Turns the historical problem of transmitting speech into a learning module. Contains 53 references. (DDR)

Discussion of structural knowledge assessment for large groups focuses on the features of a "KNOT" computer program which uses a network similarity index (NETSIM) to compare novice and expert concept maps. Treatment in three high school physics classes investigated reliability as well as content, construct, concurrent, and predictive…