Presents a physics course for social scientists. Physics problems are presented within the context of several urban and environmental case studies. The problems considered include transportation, air pollution, thermal pollution of water, and scarcity of resources. (LS)

Reports on a study to assess the abstract reasoning ability of 449 subjects in six distinct groups ranging from fifth graders to college physics teachers. Findings imply that intellectual development in abstract reasoning, as defined by the instrument used in this study, reached a plateau in the high school age group and did not progress much…

Speech given by Professor Edwin C. Kemble on the occasion of his being awarded the 1969 Oersted Medal by the American Association of Physics Teachers. The theme was the need to apply critical thinking habits to the solution of social problems of today. (LC)

Describes the objectives and content of a freshman physics laboratory course designed to eliminate the cook-book type of experiments. Instead, students are encouraged to devise their own experimental designs, execute the experiments, and interpret the results in their own way. The authors report that student reaction to the course is generally…