This research compared the performance of ninth grade females and males on flight protocol, with particular attention to interpretation of the graphs of paths of falling bodies, rolling objects, and projectiles. These subjects were chosen because they had received no formal instruction in projectile motion, yet through typical life experience, had…

Energy is a vital topic. Energy costs have risen dramatically during the last decade and home owners are concerned about their energy bills and the costs associated with heating or cooling their homes. An understanding of energy, its sources and ways to reduce its use or improve the efficiency with which people use it will become more important as…

This concept module on force is one of thirteen modules that provide a flexible, laboratory-based physics instructional package designed to meet the specialized needs of students in two-year, postsecondary technical schools. Each of the thirteen concept modules discusses a single physics concept and how it is applied to each energy system. This…

This bibliography is a collection of selected resources significant to a deeper understanding of the many aspects and definitions of movement education. The one hundred seventy-three annotations are arranged and ordered in a pattern to reflect an overview of both theory and practice, the latter examined under the headings of basic movement,…

Project Spectrum is a collaborative research and development project that offers an alternative approach to assessment and curriculum development for preschool and early primary years. The project, based on Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences theory and David Henry Feldman's nonuniversal development theory, emphasizes observing children…

Described is the V-scope which is a Micro-Based Laboratory system that provides direct and immediate displays of real motion as spatial images (stroboscopic snapshots), as time graphs of any combination of position, velocity, and acceleration, or as vector diagrams of velocity and acceleration. Illustrations of system components and of typical…

Proposes the use of videotaped vignettes from movies, television programs, and commercials to illustrate physics concepts. Presents two examples, complete with methods of use and follow-up activities, of videotape recordings illustrating the concepts of gravity and projectile motion. Includes guidelines for use of copyrighted videocassettes and…

In 1995, rather than require seventh-grade computer literacy classes, Texas allowed school districts to integrate technology skills into curricula. This article, the first of three, describes technology integration for sixth grade. Includes unit ideas on nations; the Holocaust; Olympic diving; Christmas; probability; organisms; Antarctica;…

Reviews "Vernier Software: Precision Timer II" for high school through college mechanics. Introduces 14 different modes including pulse time, pendulum timer, bouncer timer, gate timer, collision timers, and stroke calibration. Provides two typical displays and ratings of the software. (YP)

Describes a first-year laboratory course designed to fulfill laboratory objectives of reinforcing lecture material, teaching experimental methodology, developing hands-on skills, and imparting a sense of error. The course's six segments examine: digital electronics with students building a photogate timer; error analysis; linear accelerated…

Presents a unit of three lessons to teach Newton's Laws of Motion. After rotating through learning centers, answering questions, and recording observations, students are asked to generate a "class law" that explains the scientific phenomenon they observed. (MDH)

Examines the influence of two factors of the process of graphing on rural students' (n=93) ability to comprehend kinematics graphs on constant velocity events. Students exhibited difficulty in constructing and comprehending graphs of derived variables and were unaware of their own graphing skills deficiencies. (34 references) (MDH)

Children with Down Syndrome have the potential for the development of a large range and variety of postures, balance reactions, movements, and skills. Sometimes this potential remains relatively untapped resulting in unusual, inefficient, or even detrimental patterns of movement. By handling and playing with the child, he or she becomes more aware…

Suggests that intuition and visualization are effective methods of introducing engineering principles to pre-engineering students. Describes the development of computer simulation software as part of a "Pre-Engineering College On Disk" course. The computer game helps students visualize the relationship between shell trajectory and its…

Presents an experiment that measures the acceleration and velocity of a model rocket. Lift-off information is transmitted to a computer that creates a graph of the velocity. Discusses the analysis of the computer-generated data and differences between calculated and experimental velocity and acceleration of several rocket types. (MDH)