In his "The Making of the Atomic Bomb," Richard Rhodes remarks of the July 16, 1945, Trinity atomic bomb test in New Mexico that "had astronomers been watching they could have seen it reflected from the moon, literal moonshine," an allusion to Ernest Rutherford's famous dismissal of the prospect of atomic energy. Investigating…

Several times a week I walk by a metal chair that is fastened to a flat concrete slab at an outdoor bus stop here in Boulder. One day I noticed on the concrete a nice shadow image of the woven metal seat of the chair (Fig. 1). The seat and back of the chair are formed from 3.8-cm wide strips of metal spaced 3.8 cm apart. The seat is about 39 cm…

Science is often referred to, particularly in curriculum documents, as one way of knowing, one way of describing, classifying, and understanding our universe. For students to become scientifically literate, they need "to engage in the discourses … about science" (Eastwell, 2002), so developing an understanding of the nature of science…

Describes the construction, function, and applications of heat pipes. Suggests using the heat pipe to teach principles related to heat transfer and gives sources for obtaining instructional kits for this purpose. (GS)

It has been found that the primary difference between the superior and average undergraduate psychology student was not in the command of factual materials, but in familiarity with the philosophy of science. The better students were more able to separate science form non-science, and to critically evaluate materials presented to them. This book…

Presented is the prepared text of a public lecture given by the president of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Handler attempts to articulate the state of science today. He deals with such issues as nuclear power and genetic engineering. (MDR)

Kuhn's theory, that science is heavily influenced by non-rational procedures, and that new theories are viewed as being more complex than those they usurp but do not stand any closer to the truth, is outlined. Included are implications of this theory and criticisms of it. (AJ)

Discusses forces that shape the behavior of water as a drop meanders down a windowpane. A homemade apparatus for studying meanders is described along with several experiments. Contact angles, molecule attraction, surface area, air tension, and gravity drag forces are some of the topics addressed. (DH)

Poses the question of whether reading researchers should acknowledge that different definitions of reading are really geometries, each with its own set of theorems and means of validating its hypotheses. (FL)

Relates two experiments in a physics lab that contain percentage errors. (HOD)

Objections have been raised against religious education as indoctrination rather than education. This article provides an argument against this theory by discussing indoctrination in science and various teaching methods. (DF)

Very little has been published about the amount and nature science teaching in Australian primary schools and that which has is largely based on written surveys completed by teachers and principals at a sample of schools. This study was designed to follow these surveys into the classroom. I observed fourteen science lessons, interviewed twelve…

This paper is linked to the theme History and Philosophy of Science. The Evolution and creation science controversy is now in the general public's arena and poses a challenge for school science. The paper begins by briefly describing the current situation concerning this issue in Australia and the United States of America. In the subject Biology,…

This publication presents examples of inquiry-based science teaching in which students develop an understanding of the natural world. Sections include: (1) "Connecting Students to Science and the World" (Jennifer Stepanek); (2) "Apple Orchard Lush with Life's Lessons" (Helen Silvis); (3) "Student Scientists Team Up with the Pros" (Amy Sutton); (4)…

Metascientific education of prospective science teachers is seen as a priority in many European countries, in accordance with the central role that contents about the nature of science have achieved in national curricula. In this paper, we present an original theoretical tool, which we have called the matrix of stages and strands that may prove of…