Many didactical difficulties encountered in contemporary school physics are due to an outdated philosophy of science as illustrated by the energy concept, an example of a theoretical term which cannot be defined operationally with the help of simple measurement operations. (Author/DS)

Offers reasons why microelectronics and computing should be combined and offered as a specialized course, different from both physics and mathematics. Includes course content and discusses subject combinations within school science and technology departments. (Author/SK)

Discusses the effect of silhouetting a vertical vibrating string against a television screen. The article also reports the usefulness of the effect in tuning stringed instruments and as a possible basis for lecture demonstrations and student discussions and investigations. (HM)

Discusses three ways of recruiting more physics teachers in the United Kingdom. (HM)

Describes an introductory physics laboratory course, used at the University of California in Berkeley, designed to teach students some general intellectual skills. Results of the course evaluation are also discussed. (HM)

Describes how a group of teachers of high school and university physics in the Chicago area exchange new ideas and teaching techniques with each other. (HM)

Presents results of a survey of undergraduate physics students which was conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in order to ascertain the students' career goals, perceptions of the job market in physics, and reasons for pursuing a degree in physics. (HM)

Compares changes in attitudes toward science and open-mindedness in treatment and nontreatment groups of preservice elementary teachers enrolled in an inquiry-oriented methods course and an expository freshman physics course, respectively. Concludes that course design effects a difference in attitude and open-mindedness. (CS)

Outlines two examples of the use of matrices to describe optical systems in introductory physics courses. Teaching packages on these two topics which have been developed at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom for A-level and undergraduate students are also described. (HM)

Explores the influences of text structure on students' conceptual change. Case studies were conducted and results showed that individuals used refutational text to change their alternative conceptions and acquire new concepts. Findings indicate that refutational text does cause cognitive conflict. While refutational text is effective for groups,…

Describes a simple computer-interface experiment for recording the response of an RC network to an arbitrary input excitation. The setup is used to pose a variety of open-ended investigations in network modeling by varying the initial conditions, input signal waveform, and the circuit topology. (DDR)

Researchers at the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) examined preservice physics teachers' motives for attending an orientation course, noting how the motives developed and changed. Periodic surveys indicated that students had five motives, the most important being desire to learn whether they wanted to be secondary teachers (followed by…

Described is an activity in which students calculate constant velocity using a tape cassette player. The objectives, procedures, graphing directions, and formulas and values needed for the calculations are included. (KR)

Described is an undergraduate interdisciplinary project encompassing physics, computer science, and geology and involving a number of students from several academic departments. The project used the topic of the occurrence of in-home radon. Student projects, radon sampling, and results are discussed. (CW)

Described are the theory and operation of Van De Graaff generators. The experience of one group of people in the reconditioning and repair of their apparatus is discussed. (CW)