Describes a variation of "the suffocating candle" activity used to develop the process of predicting based on reliable data. Instead of using jars of varying sizes under which the burning time of candles is measured, the same jar is used while the candle is elevated on varying numbers of blocks. (CS)

Do observers analyze the stimulus into its logical components, as the experimenter does when constructing them, and judge these components separately, or do observers initially judge the entire stimulus in a holistic manner? (Editor)

This research was designed to investigate sentence comprehension and recall through an examination of cue effectiveness. It was expected that a cue which contained information about an object that was a probable inference from the sentence would be an effective recall cue. (Author/RK)

Describes interfacing a hand-held oxygen probe with a microcomputer and suggests experiments for undergraduate chemistry courses that could facilitate student understanding of aquatic environmental processes which involve dissolved oxygen. Data can be analyzed through the program or exported into other software. Presents results of an experiment…

Presents simple laboratory experiments to help students understand the principle of buoyancy and mass balance. Buoyancy experiments can simulate lithospheric mass balance, crustal loading and unloading, and can be used to model differences between the oceanic and continental lithosphere. (MKR)

Presents a chemistry experiment to illustrate the solubility behavior of an indicator in its neutral and ionic state and the consequences of acidity and basicity. (NB)

Presents activities in which students explore the conditions necessary for a candle to stay lit. Enables students to construct an accurate concept to explain their observation of water rising inside a tube in which a candle has burned out. (JRH)

Describes a pilot project for the home-study component of a first-year general chemistry course at Athabasca University that uses microscaled experiments. Presents four experiments and discusses home-study versus in-lab experience. (JRH)

Investigates students' causal beliefs about the relationship between variables in an electric experiment and the degree to which their tendency to make either idea-based or evidence-based statements depends on a prior belief about the causal efficacy of that variable. Reports that 34% of responses were idea-based despite the presentation of…

Presents demonstrations that use a "magic" flask to teach elementary concepts such as the color changes of various indicators and using the scientific method to predict the sequence of color changes. Catches students' attention by using an unexpected trick or element of magic. (JRH)

Evaluates the long-term use of integrated laboratories in undergraduate chemistry programs. Reports that this approach offers a number of advantages over conventional laboratories, including an improvement in the amount of student knowledge and experience gained, better preparation of students for research, and more efficient utilization of lab…

Presents a range of experiments in heat conduction suitable for upper-level undergraduate laboratories that make use of heat sensitive liquid crystal film to measure temperature contours. Includes experiments mathematically described by Laplace's equation, experiments theoretically described by Poisson's equation, and experiments that involve…

Examined 7- and 9-month-olds' ability to categorize cats and dogs as separate from one another. Found that both groups formed a cat category that included novel cats but excluded a dog and an eagle, and formed a dog category that included novel dogs and a novel cat but excluded an eagle. Results mirrored those of 3- to 4-month-olds with visual…

Describes experiments to address the properties of brass musical instruments that can be used to demonstrate sound in any level physics course. The experiments demonstrate in a quantitative fashion the effects of the mouthpiece and bell on the frequencies of sound waves and thus the musical pitches produced. (Author/NB)

Describes the application of an integrated-circuit (IC) chip which provides an easy-to-use, inexpensive, rugged, computer-interfaceable temperature sensor for calorimetry and differential temperature measurement. Discusses its design and advantages. (JRH)