Presents some facts about Albert Einstein's life and work. (CM)

Presents a demonstration that uses insulated conductors and hairs clipped from rabbit fur to help students visualize the electric field in three dimensions and motivate them to try their own variations. (JRH)

Attempts to quantify the subjective sensation of brightness of the spot projected by a helium-neon laser and compares this with conventional sources of light. Provides an exercise in using the blackbody radiation formulas. (JRH)

Presents a derivation of Kepler's Third Law for elliptical orbits that requires students to have a knowledge of angular momentum and conservation of energy. (JRH)

Describes the objective of the Hubble Space Telescope, the equipment on board, and how repairs have been made on the telescope. Presents examples of the main results achieved so far. (JRH)

Outlines an approach to introduce students to special relativity using a discussion of stopclocks and measurement of the transmission of light pulses to produce a natural derivation of the time dilation factor. Aims at providing a frame of reference from which they can be tempted to explore special relativity at a more sophisticated level. (JRH)

The explanatory power provided by the chaos theory is explored. A dynamic and reciprocal relationship between culture and chaos theory indicates that the progressive cultural work may be formed by the cross-disciplinary resonance of chaos theory.

It is quite easy to make a version of the well known Cartesian diver experiment that uses two immiscible liquids. This allows students to test their knowledge of density and pressure in explaining the diver's behaviour. Construction details are presented here together with a mathematical model to explain the observations.

Radiocarbon dating has been central to the construction of archaeological chronologies for over 50 years. The archaeological, scientific and (increasingly) statistical methods for interpreting radiocarbon measurements to produce these chronologies have become ever more sophisticated. The accurate measurement of the radiocarbon content of an…

High-speed photography can show that the shape often used for a newly forming drop is wrong. Knowledge of drop behaviour is important for inkjet printers, and a close look at the formation of drops as given here can enhance critical observation, thinking and analysis.

On 8 June 2004 Venus will pass in front of the Sun as seen from the Earth. Many people will watch the small dark dot cross the solar disk, but will they stop to think about Venus as a real place? In this article we discuss what we know about Venus, what it looks like from orbit, what you might see if you were on the surface and future plans for…

Teaching Romer's discovery alongside the Doppler effect can reveal a satisfying linkage between the two and give students a better understanding of both than they get from studying either alone.