Presents tips for using experiments in the classroom: start slowly, be organized, prepare follow-up discussions, be flexible, use them where appropriate. Addresses how to encourage participation, where to insert in a course, what to do if it fails, and how computers can be used. (SK)

Explains that some metal springs have an initial tension that must be overcome before using the F=kx relationship (Hooke's Law) for experimental calculations in the physics laboratory. (WRM)

Reports on a study of elementary and middle school students' (n=254) intentions to perform science learning activities. Finds that students value different sources of information and support relative to their intention to engage in science learning activities. Contains 40 references. (Author/WRM)

Explains how to determine the polarity of static electric charges by using an electrician's tool called the test pencil. (WRM)

Suggests specific ways in which laboratory activities might be slightly modified to increase students' understanding in science, based on recommendations from the National Science Education Standards and on constructivist understandings of the learning process. Contains 42 references. (WRM)

Presents a science experiment about oil spills and oil pollution for 7th- and 8th-grade science students. This variation on a method used by pollution control experts to clean up oil spills shows students how oil is collected after an oil spill, explaining that with this method, much of the damage from an oil spill can be averted. (SM)

Uses Galileo's 'jumping-hill' experiment as an historical element to improve science teaching in the classroom. Illustrates that the experiment can stimulate an animated discussion in the classroom, even if precise historic circumstances are not mentioned. The historical dimensions bring some color into the lesson, which increases attention. (SAH)

Introduces a science experiment in which students investigate the wind-leaf relationship by using a leaf blower. Assesses damage differences between leaf species under wind stress. (YDS)

Presents a laboratory experiment on determining the molecular weight of an unknown molecule by using gel filtration chromatography. Describes the procedure and lists required materials. (YDS)

Presents a quantitative laboratory experiment to aid students in understanding how to account for a loss of species biodiversity due to habitat fragmentation. (ASK)

Presents a lab exercise that introduces students to the concepts of community structure, succession, and adaptation by having them make detailed observations from two or more stone walls differing in some historical, environmental, or physical variable. (ASK)

Presents a method to measure the mass of a definite amount of a gas that occupies a known volume at a given pressure in order to determine experimentally the root mean square speed of molecules of a gas. (JRH)

Describes a simple manual apparatus designed to serve as an effective demonstration of the differences between isothermal and adiabatic processes for the general or elementary physics student. Enables students to verify Boyle's law for slow processes and identify the departure from this law for rapid processes and can also be used to give a clear…

Presents activities and investigations that provide a trail of physics-related topics for students to investigate at a bowling alley. (JRH)