Discusses the teaching of vectors and the inadequate and inappropriate examples given in many textbooks. Suggests using the motion of a sailboat or the motion of a car moving on the Earth's surface as possible examples. Details a proper vector teaching example. (MVL)

Uses a TI-82 graphics calculator to model the air drag of plastic, wood, cork, and foam balls during projectiles experiments. Provides equations and typical data table. (MVL)

Describes the Macintosh equipment and software necessary to obtain and use digitized video for motion analysis. Also provides a simple strategy for undertaking such an analysis. (MVL)

Provides a first-week activity in which student groups brainstorm and build cars to win a race. Includes rules, suggestions, time line, and evaluation methods. Notes that many misconceptions may arise from the activity but these are dealt with in the next few weeks of class. (MVL)

To assess whether movement artifacts reported in visual inspection time (IT) tasks were under metacognitive control, 29 young adults in Edinburgh (Scotland) were tested on a dual-task paradigm in which IT was conducted along with a concurrent task. Reports of movement artifacts are not usually examples of metacognitive processing. (SLD)

The seven articles of this theme issue bring together recent theoretical work in investigating the kind of conceptual change that occurs in the learning of the physical sciences. How conceptual change occurs and the implications for science instruction are considered. (SLD)

Two task analytic instructional procedures, a traditional strategy and a strategy based on therbligs (fundamental hand motions), were compared in teaching vocational skills to three adults with severe disabilities. Both strategies led to the acquisition of the target tasks, but the therblig-based strategy was more efficient and efficacious.…

The consistency, if any, with which force concepts are used by individual students in different, but closely related, contexts was investigated. A total of 534 university and high school students were tested to elicit their beliefs about the forces acting on various objects. Students' beliefs about the forces acting on objects at rest and in…

Addresses the problem that students balk at the notion velocities do not add algebraically. Offers a geometric model to verify the algebraic formulas that calculate velocity addition. Representations include Galilean relativity, Einstein's composition of velocities, and the inverse velocity transformation. (MDH)

Uses the problem of determining when a car and truck traveling at the same speed will collide after the truck has applied its brakes to illustrate the need to consider boundary conditions when solving problems in elementary mechanics. (MDH)

Describes the construction of a demonstration apparatus to illustrate the law of strings by using the light from a television screen to slow down the apparent motion of the waves of a string. (MDH)

Presents five models of the human body as a mechanical system which can be used in introductory physics courses: human arms as levers, humans falling from small heights, a model of the human back, collisions during football, and the rotating gymnast. Gives ideas for discussions and activities, including Interactive Physics (TM) simulations. (WRM)

Presents an activity that allows students to observe crawling and swimming behavior in Lumbriculus variegatus, a freshwater oligochaete worm. Contains 12 references. (WRM)

Describes an experiment that extends Newton's instantaneous-impulse method of orbital analysis to a graphical method of orbit determination. Discusses the experiment's usefulness for teaching both horizontal projectile motion and instantaneous impulse. (WRM)

Analyzes the mathematics of rotational and translational motion and how one can influence the other in the context of cams and cranks. Describes how the individual components can be brought together to simulate a four-stroke engine and how the engine animates again using the same simple macro. (Author/ASK)