Focuses on the familiar problem of students' understanding of elementary electrical circuits from a much neglected point of view. Suggests that the patterning commonly found in students' ideas might have its roots in the cognitive processing with which students operate their mental models of d.c. electrical circuits. Studies Japanese 10-11 year…

Introduces the Meteor Scatter Project (MSP) in which high school students build an automated meteor observatory and learn to monitor meteor activity. Involves students in activities such as radio frequency survey, antenna design, antenna construction, manual meteor counts, and computer board configuration and installation. (YDS)

Analyzed a corpus of videotapes in which university students solved physics problems to determine how students learn to understand a physics equation. Found that students learn to understand physics equations in terms of a vocabulary of elements called symbolic forms, each associating a simple conceptual schema with a pattern of symbols. Findings…

Three topics in particular in the National Curriculum can benefit from the use of varied resources off the Internet. Explains how to make physics more palatable using the internet. (Author)

Describes a long-term in-service training program for physics teachers grades 7-12 designed to enhance teachers' subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge. Teachers' opinions of the program were examined using a survey. Results suggest that the courses and activities that were most valuable for day-to-day teaching were those in which…

Reports on a first-year laboratory sequence known as the Interdisciplinary Laboratory (ID Lab) introduced at Harvey Mudd College. The course seeks to illustrate commonality of investigative methods and laboratory techniques in biology, chemistry, and physics and introduce discipline-specific principles. Provides details of the experiments…

Investigates parents' and students' view of science education and its success. Uses focus groups for data collection, which provides an environment for the challenge of different participant views. Includes recommendations for the improvement of schools science. (Contains 12 references.) (Author/YDS)

States that the educational mission of instruction in natural science is still not clearly defined. Explains that the unclear mission is revealed by the situation in instruction in physics today as well as by the scholastic achievement in this field. (CMK)

Suggests an approach to teaching vectors that promotes active learning through challenging questions addressed to the class, as opposed to subtle explanations. Promotes introducing vector graphics with concrete examples, beginning with an explanation of the displacement vector. Also discusses artificial vectors, vector algebra, and unit vectors.…

The speed of light is a fundamental characteristic of the universe. So many processes are related to and dependent upon it that, if creationist claims were true, the universe would be far different from the way it is now. The speed of light has never been shown to vary based on the direction from which it was measured. (PVD)

Argues that the study of refraction of sound waves, although usually neglected, is an excellent ancillary to the normal optical approach in physics courses. Discusses the historical context of interest in the science behind outdoor sound propagation, particularly during the Civil War in the United States. (WRM)

Reports on a study of physics teachers' perceptions of "contexts" and the contextual approach to teaching physics. (Contains 31 references.) (Author/WRM)

Presents a model for using the Internet to teach high school students about plasma physics and fusion energy. (Author/CCM)

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.)…

Presents ideas for adapting active-engagement physics labs for students with mobility-related disabilities. (WRM)