Describes an activity that uses paper airplanes to demonstrate natural selection and is preceded by a lesson on the fossil record to supply a foundation for the concept of evolution. (JRH)

Describes activities for helping students learn the metric system. Suggests teachers use metric units in ordinary conversation. Describes a homework assignment for students to make 20 metric measurements. Provides instructions on conducting a "TV studio" style game that is played on Metric Day (October 10th). (PR)

Reviews the discovery, the properties, and the composition of the physical phenomena of fields with a focus on magnetic and electrical fields and what makes them special. Provides a method to detect and estimate the strength of electromagnetic fields using an ordinary portable radio. (Author/JJK)

Suggests that Robert Frost's poem entitled "West-Running Brook" should be used to illustrate the second law of thermodynamics. The poem is included in the article. (ZWH)

Expands upon the popular belief that mirrors cause the left-right reversal of objects placed in front of them. The image-location rule and image-symmetry rule are applied throughout the article to help summarize some important properties of mirror images. (ZWH)

Describes a semester long project that allows physics students to apply what they have learned by building a device that illustrates key physics concepts and principles. Assessment tips and classroom observations are also included. (ZWH)

Discussed are some of the topics at the forefront of modern astronomical research. Topics include quasars, black holes, and the beginning of the universe. The uses and types of telescopes are described, both spaceborn and ground based. (KR)

Described is how an amateur weather observer measures and records temperature and precipitation at a well-equipped, backyard weather station. Directions for building an instrument shelter and a description of the instruments needed for measuring temperature and precipitation are included. (KR)

Presents a science experiment about oil spills and oil pollution for 7th- and 8th-grade science students. This variation on a method used by pollution control experts to clean up oil spills shows students how oil is collected after an oil spill, explaining that with this method, much of the damage from an oil spill can be averted. (SM)

Presents a quantitative laboratory experiment to aid students in understanding how to account for a loss of species biodiversity due to habitat fragmentation. (ASK)

Presents a lab exercise that introduces students to the concepts of community structure, succession, and adaptation by having them make detailed observations from two or more stone walls differing in some historical, environmental, or physical variable. (ASK)

Discusses the use of epidemiology as an introduction to useful aspects of biology, mathematics, and simulation skills for kindergarten through university undergraduate students. (Contains 20 references.) (ASK)

Surveys 15 introductory biology textbooks for their presentation of the scientific method. Teaching the scientific method involves more than simplified steps and subjectivity--human politics, cultural influences, and chance are all a part of science. Presents an activity for students to experience the scientific method. (Contains 34 references.)…

Reports the effects of Bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki (BT), which is highly toxic, to a non-target lepidopteran, the Painted Lady butterfly. Indicates that BT kills some Painted Lady butterfly larvae at the lowest dilution tested after 48 hours. (ASK)

Suggests two improved methods to measure the speed of sound in a metal rod. One employs a fast timer to measure the time required for a compression pulse to travel along the rod from end to end, and a second uses a microphone to measure the frequency of the fundamental mode of a freely suspending singing rod. (Author/ASK)