The Institute of Physics Publishing (IPP), a subsidiary body of the Institute of Physics (IOP), has used electronic publishing on the Internet as a major means of improving the speed of dissemination of physics information. The development of the Comprehensive Electronic Journals service is described along with recent enhancements and other…

Lists 31 useful physics-related Internet sites to help physicists who are just starting to use the Internet. The sites are also useful in teaching or to assist students in doing research. Sites have a range of sponsors including physics organizations, government agencies, universities, and corporations. (PVD)

Describes two Internet sites devoted to astronomy that will help students avoid information overload. The Leicester University site is strong on information while the other site, maintained by the Astro-Web Consortium, offers a host of useful links. Also discusses the advantages of offline browsers, a student-use must that shows only Web pages in…

Addresses some basic aspects of Archimedes' law. Focus is on potential energy relationships so as to elucidate some common misunderstandings and to facilitate making bridges with other physical topics. A spreadsheet model is used as a simulation tool. (Author/NB)

Explains a novel way of approaching centripetal force: theory is used to predict an orbital period at which a toy train will topple from a circular track. The demonstration has elements of prediction (a criterion for a good model) and suspense (a criterion for a good demonstration). The demonstration proved useful in undergraduate physics and…

Describes a toy shaped like a bird that has an intuitively astonishing property: no matter how far away from equilibrium it is moved, it oscillates back to equilibrium. The behavior of this physical system is explained and is used to illustrate the concept of mechanical stability and the usefulness of making simple, idealized models for describing…

Focuses on the relationship between loudness and intensity of sounds. (Author/PVD)

Focuses on the concepts of pitch and timbre of sounds. (PVD)

An investigation was conducted of the relative drag experienced by different types of tea/coffee stirrers to make deductions about their stirring efficiencies. Experiments compared the stirring performances of convex and concave sides of a plastic teaspoon with the performance of a commercial stirrer. The performance of the spoon exceeded that of…

Argues that by examining which concepts of a particular area of physics are fundamental and which are defined, teachers can choose concepts for investigation that progress logically and should minimize students' misconceptions and confusion. (Author)

Describes an initiative to develop and incorporate early Chinese scientific ideas into the teaching of physics in Hong Kong schools. Provides the background and rationale for the development and gives as an illustration an account of some of the scientific ideas included. Ideas include the Chinese magic mirror, force and motion, and atomic theory.…

Presents a method for using spreadsheets to model special relativistic phenomena based on the connection between electric and magnetic fields in special relativity. Uses the time dilation equation to carry out transformations between reference frames that show the connection between the fields quantitatively. (DDR)

Reports the results of an experiment with undergraduates in a physics laboratory that indicates that preparation before a lab session improves student performance in the lab. Also concludes that follow-up work can lead to meaningful learning. (DDR)

Explains how the graphing calculator can be used in simulations of physics experiments and how its use for plotting graphs requires a shift in emphasis from obtaining an experimental result to evaluating that result. (DDR)

Describes a procedure based on the assumption that during the rated lifetime of a light bulb roughly half of the radius of the filament evaporates. Explains how the filament's operating temperature can be deduced. (DDR)