Describes a simple cooling experiment that can be conducted in class at the college algebra, precalculus, calculus, or differential equations level whose aim is to determine the best exponential function to fit the experimental data. (Author/ASK)

Describes the transformation of PHY 101-02, an introductory physics course taught at Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus, into a distance learning course by putting the lecture component on video tape and transforming the laboratory component into "at-home" labs. Course requirements may be completed on students' own…

Every year, a Vermont high school teacher uses laws of physics to teach students how to design, field test, and calibrate a weapon that fires tennis balls to 100-yard distances. This article explains how the "physics war" grew to accommodate the new Vermont curriculum standards at various organizational levels. (22 references) (MLH)

Describes a Physics Exploration Center, a space where students solve lecture-related homework problems in a hands-on facility. (CCM)

Reports on a study of whether limited use of inquiry activities as a supplement to a traditional lecture and demonstration curriculum would improve student achievement in introductory physics classes for preservice teachers and general education students. Finds that students who engaged in inquiry investigations significantly outperformed other…

Investigated how Israeli secondary physics student teachers developed understanding of the concept of force during preservice teaching. Results from a longitudinal study included the fact that most respondents: held the Aristotelian impetus misconception; held the fading-away concept; had difficulty recognizing reaction as a force; and were…

Surveys internet sites that provide resources for science teachers and their students. Focuses on topics related to science and society, sound, optics, professional development, and tips for searching the internet. (DDR)

Offers a critical examination of some of the basic claims of studies that employ ideas from social constructivism and the sociology of scientific knowledge. Argues that social constructivism cannot explain some of the most characteristic features of the physical sciences. Contains 26 references. (DDR)

Describes the first moon-radar echo experiment conducted by Zoltan Bay in Hungary and comments on Bay as a model for contemporary physics education. (DDR)

Focuses on hurricanes and tsunamis and uses these topics to address other parts of the science curriculum. In addition to a discussion on beach erosion, a poster is provided that depicts these natural hazards that threaten coastlines. (DDR)

Explains how the graphing calculator can be used in simulations of physics experiments and how its use for plotting graphs requires a shift in emphasis from obtaining an experimental result to evaluating that result. (DDR)

Outlines the aims and principles underlying recent reforms in the junior school physics course in China. Focuses on developing students' abilities and the benefits of experimentation rather than the simple transfer of knowledge from teacher to students. (DDR)

Research on students' causal reasoning was used to design a sequence for teaching electricity. Students' responses suggest that several students, when they construct microscopic mechanisms to explain electrical phenomena, may envision transient states and employ a specific type of causal chain--the iterative one--in addition to simple and linear…

Describes the way in which a new applied-physics course introduced in British Columbia as part of a program in applied academics can be seen to construct different networks in different contexts. Employs actor network theory (ANT). Contains 20 references. (DDR)

Analyzes the evolution of the French physics curricula and experiments from the beginning of the century to the present. Shows the strong coherence of the aspects of energy presented through teaching content and experiments. (DDR)