Presents a physics lab activity in which students determine if an electrode configuration simulates a section of concentric cylinders or concentric spheres. (WRM)

Explains why one orientation of an asymmetric spring-and-mass system leads to a higher frequency of 0000000000 than another orientation. (WRM)

Discusses the history of the development of Newton's Law of Cooling. Describes an experiment conducted in the kitchen that is designed to test the rate of cooling of a hot block of iron. Finds that Newton's law does not represent very well the mechanism of heat loss. (Contains over 10 references.) (WRM)

According to historical stories, the Saxons placed a bowl with a hole in its bottom in water and used the time it took the bowl to submerge to limit orations. Describes a science activity in which students find a relationship between the diameter of the hole and the time to submergence. (WRM)

Describes an experiment that extends Newton's instantaneous-impulse method of orbital analysis to a graphical method of orbit determination. Discusses the experiment's usefulness for teaching both horizontal projectile motion and instantaneous impulse. (WRM)

Describes a simple demonstration of the flow of sand through an orifice at the bottom of a sandbox. Advocates the experiment's use with dimensional analysis for students in an introductory physics course. (WRM)

Explains how students can perform a refutation of the ether theory using information from the Global Positioning System (GPS). Discusses the functioning of the GPS, qualitatively describes how position determination would be affected by an ether wind, and illustrates the pertinent ideas with a simple quantitative model. (WRM)

Presents a device to illustrate the concepts of entropy of mixing and the contribution of one term in the Gibb's equation. Notes the device is relatively easy to construct and provides a visual demonstration on diffusion. (MVL)

Describes changes in scientific research methods that have been brought about by the use of computers. Presents an example of the falling of a body in a fluid to show students how computers can be used to experiment with mathematical models and to automate experiments. Contains 11 references. (Author/WRM)