A new set of d orbitals, constructed as a linear combination of the omnipresent set of d[subscript xy], d[subscript yz], d[subscript xz], d[subscript x[superscript 2]-y[superscript 2]], and d[subscript z[superscript 2]] orbitals, is suitable for the discussion of octahedral transition-metal complexes. The main feature of the newly derived set…

A simplified treatment of the traditional theory of solvatochromism, attributed to Bayliss and McRae, is presented and used to describe the four main types of dipolar and dispersive physical interactions between solute and solvent. The theory is extended so that it may also be used to describe barochromism (pressure-induced spectroscopic shifts).…

A demonstration of the damping effect of an oil monolayer on water waves is described. The history of this remarkable demonstration--with a 2000 (or more) year span--and a brief explanation in terms of the properties of water and the monolayer are presented. If a layer of olive oil, one molecule thick (about one-ten millionth of a centimeter), is…

The structure of David's Bloor argument for the Strong Programme (SP) in Science Studies is criticized from the philosophical perspective of anti-skeptical, scientific realism. The paper transforms the common criticism of SP--that the symmetry principle of SP implies an untenable form of cognitive relativism--into the clear philosophical issue of…

This paper presents the early investigations about the nature of sound of the Pythagoreans, and how they started a tradition that remains valid up to present times--the use of numbers in representing natural reality. It will touch on the Pythagorean notion of musical harmony, which was extended to the notion of universal harmony. How the…

The singularity of the exact electromagnetic fields is derived to include the "source terms" for harmonically oscillating electric (and magnetic) dipoles, so that the fields will be consistent with the full Maxwell equations with a source. It is shown explicitly, as somewhat expected, that the same [delta]-function terms for the case of static…

The 1935 debate opposing Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen to Bohr elicited so many comments and developments, both theoretical and experimental, until this day, that the main point at stake at that time can be overlooked by modern readers, especially students. This paper draws the reader's attention to the historical background of Einstein's paper and…

The teaching of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle provides one of those rare moments when science appears to contradict everyday life experiences, sparking the curiosity of the interested student. Written at a level appropriate for an able high school student, this article provides ideas for introducing the uncertainty principle and showing how…

Tutoring systems become complex and are offering varieties of pedagogical software as course modules, exercises, simulators, systems online or offline, for single user or multi-user. This complexity motivates new forms and approaches to the design and the modelling. Studies and research in this field introduce emergent concepts that allow the…

This dissertation addresses the research question: To what extent do secondary school science students attending the U.S. Particle Physics Masterclass change their view of the nature of science (NOS)? The U.S. Particle Physics Masterclass is a physics outreach program run by QuarkNet, a national organization of secondary school physics teachers…

School science has been criticized for its lack of emphasis on the tentative, dynamic nature of science as a process of learning more about our world. This criticism is the guiding force for this present body of work, which focuses on the question: what are the educational benefits for middle school students of reading texts that highlight the…

A traditional physical science course was transformed into an environmental physical science course to teach physics to non-science majors. The objective of the new course was to improve the learning of basic physics principles by applying them to current issues of interest. A new curriculum was developed with new labs, homework assignments,…

Students need to reflect on the practice of science to fully understand the nature of science (NOS), which is an important component of scientific literacy. In this paper, the authors describe how to implement an explicit and reflective pedagogy in college science laboratories and share examples from their implementation in a multiple-section…

This study examines how well second-year nonmajor organic chemistry students are learning to draw, interpret, and understand resonance-related structures. Students were tested seven times throughout an academic year using a set of four tasks that reflected their understanding of what these structures represent and how they relate to each other.…

The purpose of the present study is to examine the effectiveness of a metacognitive prompts intervention-science (MPI-S), which is based on the nature of science with 162 eighth-grade science students. It was hypothesised that students exposed to the intervention will show higher levels of content knowledge and knowledge about the nature of…