Gravity is an intangible abstract force when considered theoretically and yet we are affected by it constantly. The apparently "strong" nature of gravity, which in the layperson's mind causes him or her to stick to the Earth, is belied by the fact that it is the weakest of the fundamental forces. Demonstrations that allow pupils,…

Using model rockets to teach physics can be an effective way to engage students in learning. In this paper, we present a curriculum developed in response to an expressed need for helping high school students review physics equations in preparation for a state-mandated exam. This required a mode of teaching that was more advanced and analytical…

This paper extends the interesting work of a previous contributor concerning the analogies between physical phenomena such as mechanical collisions and the transfer of power in an electric circuit. Emphasis is placed on a mathematical function linking these different areas of physics. This unifying principle is seen as an exciting opportunity to…

The recent discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has contributed to a surge of interest in particle physics and science education in general. Given the conceptual difficulty of the phenomenon in question, it is inevitable that teachers and science communicators rely on analogies to explain the Higgs physics and its…

We have frequently enhanced our department's laboratory experiment involving standing transverse waves in a taut horizontal cord. In addition to the standard experiment, students in these labs investigate the surprising concept that the acceleration of a pulse in a chain hanging vertically is a constant and is equal to half the acceleration…

A discussion of some student conceptions of the solid-liquid and liquid-vapor phase transitions is presented. Data from open-ended, short-answer questions were collected from first-semester general chemistry students and then discussed in the context of previous studies. The responses gave insight into the various student conceptions about these…

In this study, we evaluate the structural validity of Q.16 and Q.7 in the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). We address whether respondents who answer Q.16 and Q.7 correctly actually have an understanding of the concepts of physics tested in the questions. To examine respondents' levels of understanding, we use subquestions that test them on concepts…

We describe recent experiments at CERN in which antihydrogen, an atom made entirely of antimatter, has been held in a magnetic minimum neutral atom trap and subjected to microwave radiation to induce a resonant quantum transition in the anti-atom. We discuss how this, the first experiment to observe an interaction between an antihydrogen atom and…

The familiar bell-jar demonstration, commonly used to show that sound cannot travel in a vacuum, is revisited in this study. It is suggested that by emphasizing the different media present in this set-up, sound propagation in near-vacuum conditions can be made possible. In this way, the concept of sound propagation in this set-up can be examined…

Starting with the fundamental and general criterion for a spontaneous process in thermodynamics, delta S[subscript tot] greater than or equal to 0, we review its relationships to other criteria, such as delta A and delta G, that have limitations. The details of these limitations, which can be easily overlooked, are carefully explicated. We also…

Textbooks still have the distinction of being the most dominant teaching tool in science teaching. The manner in which a scientific concept is expressed in a textbook is of importance in the in-depth learning process of that concept. With this in mind, problems with expressing the "amount of substance" concept were reviewed in 15…

Two demonstrations are presented that show the immiscibility of five or six layers of liquids. The setup of both demonstrations is such that one homogeneous layer in a multiphasic mixture separates into two new layers upon shaking. The solvents used are methanol, toluene, petroleum ether or "n"-pentane, silicone oil, perfluoroheptanes,…

The "cis"-regulatory hypothesis is one of the most important claims of evolutionary developmental biology. In this paper I examine the theoretical argument for "cis"-regulatory evolution and its role within evolutionary theorizing. I show that, although the argument has some weaknesses, it acts as a useful example for the importance of current…

Background: Design and science inquiry are intertwined during engineering practice. In this study, we examined the relationship between design behaviors and scientific explanations. Data on student design processes were collected as students engaged in a project on designing energy-efficient buildings on a blank square city block surrounded by…

With evolutionary biology relatively recently introduced into the South African school curriculum, the need arose to explore practising teachers' knowledge of the subject. A number of anticipated as well as unanticipated cognitive and affective barriers to the understanding of evolutionary biology were identified from a questionnaire with…