The high-stakes Lebanese Brevet examinations are undertaken by almost all school students at the end of year 9 and include papers in Chemistry and Physics. This research presents an analysis of the 2007 examinations in these two science subjects using official statistics and response patterns arising from samples of candidate scripts. The…

"If I have seen further, it is because I have stood upon the shoulders of giants." Whenever the author hears this quote from Isaac Newton, she thinks about the work being done by the Royal Society in schools throughout the country, bringing science to life for their students. Much of it is also cutting edge, and represents the best of…

The paper on "Magnetism and Simultaneity" by Adler provides an excellent new thought experiment involving the lack of simultaneity in Einstein's special relativity. Adler uses the lack of simultaneity rather than the Lorentz contraction to derive the formula for the magnetic force on a moving charged particle. Advantages of his derivation are that…

It is possible for a relatively small force, applied to one end of a rope, to support a much larger force if the rope is merely wrapped a few times around a post. This setup, called a "capstan", has been discussed in a number of papers in this journal and elsewhere. If we wrap a cord around a rough curved surface, T[subscript 1] and T[subscript 2]…

A simple experiment is presented to visualize inferior and superior mirages in the laboratory. A quantitative analysis is done using ray tracing with both photographic and computational techniques. The mirage's image, as seen by the eye or the camera lens, can be used to analyse the deflection and inversion of light rays. (Contains 6 footnotes, 1…

The induction cooker is a common appliance nowadays. How does it work? Why is it not possible to use aluminium utensils with it? What experiments can be carried out with it (at different levels) and not only in physics lessons? Searching for the answers to these and other questions is the purpose of this article. (Contains 5 figures.)

Google Earth photographs often show ships and their wakes in great detail. We discuss how the images can be used to calculate the velocity of these ships. (Contains 4 figures.)

A technique discovered in 1939 can be used to build a device that is driven by standard circular motion (as in a drill press) and drills exact square holes. This device is quite different from the classic design by Watts, which uses a Reuleaux triangle and drills a hole that is almost, but not exactly, square. We describe the device in detail,…

The authors examined the origins of linear and logarithmic speed-accuracy trade-offs from a dynamic systems perspective on motor control. In each experiment, participants performed 2 reciprocal aiming tasks: (a) a velocity-constrained task in which movement time was imposed and accuracy had to be maximized, and (b) a distance-constrained task in…

Two independent lines of research--mental simulations and thought experiments--provide strong arguments about the importance of perceptual modalities for the instructional practices in science education. By situating the use of mental simulations in the framework of thought experiments, this study investigated the nature and the role of mental…

A simple low cost demonstration experiment is performed using common apparatus in order to show various flexural patterns and to give a dynamical measure of Young's modulus. (Contains 4 figures.)

The objective of this article is to contribute to the scant literature that exists on historical developments on the nature of light. It traces the nature of light from the times of the ancient Greeks to the classical theories prior to Planck. The development of thought that characterizes the evolution of a concept in physics over time affords…

As a culminating activity in their study of optics, my students investigate polarized light and the Brewster angle. In this exercise they encounter a situation in which it is impossible to measure the Brewster angle for light reflecting from a particular surface. This paper describes the activity and explains the students' observations.

This paper argues that a European controversy over a "mystical" hypothesis, one assigning the mind a role to play at the material level of reality, shaped much of the debate over the interpretation of the quantum equations. It traces back the controversy to the past two decades, beginning in the late 1920s--birth of quantum theory--and concluding…

Radio broadcasting offers a unique opportunity to reach the public and facilitate their entertainment and education. In this vein, a series of high profile lectures in honour of Sir John Reith was initiated by the BBC in 1948 as a way of introducing the public to some of the greatest scientists of the age, enabling such thinkers to spread a…