Presents guidelines for equipping physics labs with components from each of four technology-use categories: (1) computer interfacing; (2) modeling; (3) simulations; and (4) research-reference-presentation. Includes references to useful websites discussing educational technology. (WRM)

Describes a study of the professional qualifications of high school physics teachers conducted by the American Institute of Physics (AIP). Concludes that high school physics teachers are better trained than they are given credit for, and that instances of utterly unqualified instructors are rare. (WRM)

Describes and explains the semi-periodic pattern obtained when comparing days of the month to the number of recorded births. (WRM)

Discusses mathematical and physical evidence that air consists of a tiny volume of particles moving at an average speed of over 1000 miles per hour. (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 a method for measuring the earth's magnetic field using an empty toilet paper tube, copper wire, clear tape, a battery, a linear variable resistor, a small compass, cardboard, a protractor, and an ammeter. (WRM)

Discusses the need for college science teachers to show students the fundamentals before expecting them to "dive in." Argues for the importance of homework in post-secondary science classes. (WRM)

Presents an accurate answer for a common problem related to Archimedes' principle in order to correct an erroneous one given in popular physics texts. (WRM)

Discusses the merits of the Spectrum Techniques gamma spectroscopy system as used by university students to determine the mass-energy of an electron from measurements of the energies of Compton-scattered gammas. (WRM)

Presents detailed instructions and teaching tips for demonstrating resonance and the resulting fracture in a wine glass. (WRM)

Discusses in detail the claim that certain well-known physics experiments demonstrate the magnetic field produced by Maxwell's displacement current. Addresses the question of whether the displacement current acts as a source of magnetic field in the same way as a current in a wire would. (Contains 12 references.) (WRM)

Discusses the events surrounding a famous picture of Albert Einstein in which he poses near a blackboard containing a tensor form of his 10 field equations for pure gravity with a question mark after it. Speculates as to the content of Einstein's lecture and the questions he might have had about the equation. (Contains over 30 references.) (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)

Describes experiments with electrostatics that are convenient for classroom demonstrations or laboratory activities. These experiments use a Kelvin balance and a relatively inexpensive electronic scale with 0.01-g sensitivity and essentially stationary pans. (WRM)