Discusses the nature, resolution, focal length, and angle of a pinhole camera. Describes the development and some applications of the camera. Nineteen references are listed. (YP)

Described are the history, formation, and observing techniques of meteors and comets. Provided are several pictures, diagrams, meteor organizations and publications, and meteor shower observation tables. (YP)

Extends hermeneutic philosophy to the understanding of natural science, with a special interest in the significance of this for education. Shows how the "ontological" version of hermeneutics describes features of scientific activity neglected by most philosophies of science and education. To this end, the paper focuses especially on the…

Describes a classroom exercise that uses a letter from Max Delbruck to George Beadle to stimulate interest in the mechanics of a nonoverlapping comma-free code. Enables students to participate in the rich history of molecular biology and illustrates to them that scientists and science can be fun. (JRH)

Describes briefly the development of ancient as well as current theories and ideas on biological evolution. (ZWH)

Presents a model of expert reasoning practices that focuses on constructive modeling, a tacit dimension of the thinking practices of expert physicists. Draws on historical cases and protocol accounts of expert reasoning in scientific problem solving and argues that having expertise in physics requires facility with the practice of constructive…

Presents an historical perspective of astronomy. Discusses how Columbus' discovery of America demonstrated the incompleteness of the ancient knowledge of the world and paved the way for unorthodox astronomical ideas, including the sun-centered cosmology of Copernicus. (MCO)

Presents a brief historical sketch of the life and work of one of the founders of modern mathematical physics. Discusses three problem-solving applications of the Poisson distribution with examples from elementary probability theory. Provides background on two of his noteworthy results from the physics of oscillations and the deformation of rigid…

Describes a study of beliefs and knowledge about the history and philosophy of science possessed by 13 college graduates in a teacher education program. From the use of a questionnaire and interviews, the author concluded that most beginning teachers had almost no knowledge of or coursework in the history or philosophy of science. (PR)

Presents a short biographical sketch of the great mathematician, Henri Poincar, whose significant achievements in mathematics were applications within the fields of astronomy and physics. (JJK)

Discusses how early notions about celestial mechanics were restructured, one by one, involving the following concepts: the celestial sphere and its rotation; the spherical earth; planetary motion; and models for the solar system initiated by Eudoxus, Hipparchus, Ptolemy, and Copernicus. (JJK)

Explores William Harvey's work, "On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals." Highlights Harvey's fear of publication and his strategies for reducing resistance to his ideas. Underscores his use of circular references, metaphors, and organizational techniques that enhance and demonstrate his underlying thesis. (SG)

Ways of describing the past of science and studying the evolution of scientific ideas are presented. Sociology and scientific ideas, the use of the history of science, historians of science, and why the history of science is needed are discussed. (KR)

Investigates from a Deweyan pragmatic perspective the question of the cultural significance of the sciences and implications of these ideas on science education by addressing comments made by Wallis Suchting (authored a paper that challenges the cultural significance of the sciences). Comments are made regarding what Suchting calls his…

Explains why teachers addressing the nature of science should know the work of Michael Polanyi. Outlines Polanyi's intellectual career and examines his ideas on the education of scientists, research, and knowledge. Polanyi presaged Kuhn, Feyerabend, and the constructivists, yet insisted that science produces true knowledge about reality. (Contains…