Explores early railroad expansion and ways in which new railroad technologies contributed to the development of the United States, particularly the western states. Activities help students understand how steam engines work, why stopping trains can be a lengthy proposition, why magnets will figure prominently into future trains, and why train…

Gold's physical and chemical properties are without equal for use in high-tech fields such as medicine, space, architecture, and electronics. This article, with an accompanying poster on gold, contains the following sections: Lore and Legends; Matter, Metals, and Minerals; The Origins of Gold; Mining and Recovery; Cultural Crossroads; Modern…