Describes a student project to build a car powered by the energy in a mousetrap as part of a unit on simple machines. (PR)

Presents a three-lesson unit that uses fractal geometry to measure the coastline of Massachusetts. Two lessons provide hands-on activities utilizing compass and grid methods to perform the measurements and the third lesson analyzes and explains the results of the activities. (MDH)

Describes a science competition challenge that has students solve several hands-on physical science problems, thus reinforcing both problem-solving skills and science knowledge. (PR)

Describes a structure building activity using cocktail straws for helping students understand force and vectors. (PR)

Describes a teaching-exchange visit between the United Kingdom and the United States that reveals the dangers of making too many cultural assumptions. Differences can be traced to long-term cultural divergence and different technologies. (DDR)

Outlines an in-depth case study of teachers' use of image processing in biology, earth science, and physics classes in one high school science department. Explores issues surrounding technology implementation. Contains 21 references. (DDR)

Relates that concerns about the dropout rate among physics majors at the University of Montreal (Canada) led to a study of student persistence. Indicates that those who dropped out and those who stayed differed in their perceptions of their skills and knowledge, and their confidence in finishing the program. Presents preliminary recommendations.…

Describes "Reaching for the Stars," a program which develops teaming and mentoring skills in senior physics students. Phase 1 requires student pairs to design a rocket; Phase 2 pairs seniors with gifted second graders who build the rocket from written instructions; and in Phase 3, pairs of seniors create a children's storybook explaining…

Describes a physics laboratory exercise that focuses on an idea common to all scientific disciplines; that is, there are scaling laws that relate one measurable physical variable to another. (WRM)

Reports on procedural and conceptual knowledge for solving a basic quantitative problem in chemistry by expert and novice secondary school students. Concludes that the major differences between experts and novices lay in conceptual understanding, use of a qualitative procedure, and the type of strategy used. Suggests some instructional techniques…

Describes a simple cooling experiment that can be conducted in class at the college algebra, precalculus, calculus, or differential equations level whose aim is to determine the best exponential function to fit the experimental data. (Author/ASK)

Describes the transformation of PHY 101-02, an introductory physics course taught at Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus, into a distance learning course by putting the lecture component on video tape and transforming the laboratory component into "at-home" labs. Course requirements may be completed on students' own…

Every year, a Vermont high school teacher uses laws of physics to teach students how to design, field test, and calibrate a weapon that fires tennis balls to 100-yard distances. This article explains how the "physics war" grew to accommodate the new Vermont curriculum standards at various organizational levels. (22 references) (MLH)

Describes a Physics Exploration Center, a space where students solve lecture-related homework problems in a hands-on facility. (CCM)

Reports on a study of whether limited use of inquiry activities as a supplement to a traditional lecture and demonstration curriculum would improve student achievement in introductory physics classes for preservice teachers and general education students. Finds that students who engaged in inquiry investigations significantly outperformed other…