Discusses factors that determine whether or not a sunburn is possible under glass, including the spectral dependence of the skin's sensitivity to sunburn, the ground-level spectrum of solar radiation, and the wavelength dependence of the transmission for the particular piece of glass. Concludes that it is possible to get sunburned through glass.…

Presents a brief life history of William Sealy Gosset, the "Student" of Student's t-test. Reviews some basic statistics and describes Student's t-test of statistical hypothesis. Contains 11 references. (JRH)

Presents a demonstration that helps students understand the differences between series and parallel circuits, and the meaning of the wattage stamped on a lamp. (JRH)

Describes the concepts behind the working of the Seiko "Kinetic" watch that uses ultracapacitors to store energy. (JRH)

Uses the analogy of water flow to introduce concepts in basic electricity. Presents a demonstration that uses this analogy to help students grasp the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance. (JRH)

Discusses the differences between the standard representation and a realistic representation of a transistor. Presents an experiment that helps clarify the explanation of the transistor effect and shows why transistors should be connected properly. (JRH)

Discusses Newton's apparent oversight of the role of energy considerations in collisions between two spherical bodies related to the third corollary of his "Laws of Motion." Investigates several theories that provide solutions to the mysterious oversight. (LZ)

Discusses the discovery of frictional electrification in 1840, which was the basis of the nineteenth-century electrostatic generator. (MVL)

Children are naturally fascinated by mechanical things, and simple machines can be used to teach them how things work and how complex machines are made up of simple ones. (SK)

Describes a science experiment in which students place a balloon into an empty plastic soda bottle, some of which have holes in the bottom, pull the open end over the rim and attempt to inflate it. Only students whose bottles have holes in the bottom will be able to inflate the balloon, because of the air in the bottle. (MDM)

Describes how red beets can be used to demonstrate a variety of membrane phenomena. Some of the activities include observation of vacuoles; vacuoles in intact cells; isolation of vacuoles in physiological studies; demonstration of membrane integrity; and demonstration of ion diffusion and active transport with purified vacuoles. (ZWH)

The relationship between sense-perception and science studied by Ernst Mach is described. The author's view is that the distinction Mach makes between two different kinds of metrical concept is Mach's greatest contribution to science. (KR)

Explored is the role of thought experiments in the development of physical theories. Drawing examples from quantum theory it asks how a method that generates no new empirical data can nonetheless exert an influence upon a subject defined by its empiricism. (Author/KR)

Discusses the life of physicist Stephen W. Hawking and his book "A Brief History of Time." Describes his attraction to people of all ages in spite of his areas of expertise and disabilities. (MVL)

Describes the life and accomplishments of Georg von Bekesy. Discusses his educational background and research career, and describes his extensive work on the ear, particularly the inner ear or cochlea. (SAH)