Describes the development and assessment of instructional materials intended to improve student understanding of the concept of time in special relativity, the relativity of simultaneity, and the role of observers in inertial reference frames. Demonstrates the effect of the curriculum and illustrates the intense cognitive conflict as students are…

Investigates the effects of conceptual assignments and conceptual change discussions on high school students' achievement and misconceptions about force and motion. Analyzes pretest and posttest data from the Force Misconception and Force Achievement Tests (FMFAT). Discusses the effects on the conceptual change discussion on reducing…

Explains the origin and significance of harmonic motion which is an important topic that has wide application in the world. Describes the phenomenon by using an auxiliary circle to help illustrate the key relationships between acceleration, displacement, time, velocity, and phase. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/YDS)

Suggests techniques used to analyze models and describes preservice elementary teachers' experiences as they critically examined popular models used in many elementary classrooms. (KHR)

Investigates the standard rounding rule for multiplication and division including its derivation from a basic assumption. Uses Monte-Carlo simulations to show that this rule predicts the minimum number of significant digits needed to preserve precision only 46.4% of the time and leads to a loss in precision 53.5% of time. Suggests an alternative…

Discusses the natural phenomena of lightning. States that the exact microphysical processes responsible for the charging of storm clouds remain in dispute although for centuries it has been known that lightning is a form of electricity. Uses diagrams to explain the structures of thunderclouds and charge transfer. (RT)

Discussed are details of what is known about the composition, physical characteristics, and formation of the planet Pluto and its satellite, Charon. Alignments of these bodies and details of their rotations and revolutions are described. (CW)

Describes Unified Science Technology, an approach to technology education in which the application of science concepts (such as chemistry or physics) to technology is explored. (SK)

Explains why the isolated sphere models are physically unsound. Describes an improved model for attempting a qualitative explanation of charge concentration. (YP)

Compared is the mass of a dozen eggs with the mass of air in an empty refrigerator. An answer and reasons for the answer are provided. (YP)

Two groups of infants were studied to demonstrate that changes in reaching are determined by the interaction of organismic and environmental constraints. The infants were placed in three different positions and observed for quantity and quality of reaching. Results indicated that both environmental constraints and growth contribute to reaching in…

Soap bubbles excited using a vibration generator can be used to model the formation of a diatomic molecule because of their analogous properties to atomic orbitals. (Author)

Examines and discusses research findings regarding the degree to which physics texts aid in student's understanding of physics concepts. Found that teachers' questioning behaviors, inclusion of seductive details, and the incorporation of analogies may influence student learning. (ZWH)

Uses a diode array spectrometer to explain why blue objects appear red when viewed through the yellowish amber lens of "blue blocking" sunglasses. (JRH)

Teachers can use the movement of a tricycle's wheels to demonstrate ratios, and the movement of an automobile's wheels can be used to explain how a differential works. Additional concepts can be taught using trains, which negotiate turns through the flanges on their wheels, allowing the outer wheels to turn more slowly than the inner wheels…