Two approaches to the content of thermodynamics were used in an introductory college physics course: traditional organization and organization based on Ausubel's learning theory. The influence of these organizations on engineering student's (N=58) cognitive structure was investigated using a word association test analyzed through hierarchical…

Four applications of microcomputers in the chemical laboratory are presented. Included are "Mass Spectrometer Interface with an Apple II Computer,""Interfacing the Spectronic 20 to a Computer,""A pH-Monitoring and Control System for Teaching Laboratories," and "A Computer-Aided Optical Melting Point Device." Software, instrumentation, and uses are…

Reviews the problem of certain logical and conceptual shortcomings in textbook presentations of the energy concepts in introductory physics. Discusses concepts and principles related to thermodynamics and echanics. Provides many formulas and diagrams. (YP)

Suggests an apparatus to improve the measurement of the mechanical equivalent of heat. Describes the materials needed to construct the apparatus; the methodology of an experiment to measure the heat gained by lead shot falling through a distance of 100 meters; and the calculations made to register that gain. (MDH)

Discussed is how modern physics is usually approached via the photoelectric effect and how this can lead to a physically wrong picture of light. The importance of using the quantum theory developed after 1920 to explain the properties of light is discussed. (KR)

The Department of Education has undertaken an ambitious effort to develop statewide career and technical education skill standards. The standards in this document are for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC&R) programs and are designed to clearly state what the student should know and be able to do upon completion of…

This book is a result of a workshop where 14 science educators were invited to draft chapters on the implications that the research studies in a specific content area of science have for its teaching. The relations between social forces and perceptions of purpose and content lay behind discussions in the workshop, and influenced the emergence of…

This study investigates how students participating in the same curriculum construct understanding in elementary thermodynamics during a semester-long eighth-grade physical science class. Two questions were addressed: (1) How does the learners' understanding change during the study of elementary thermodynamics? and (2) What role do students'…

Discusses the problems created in graduate chemical engineering programs when students enter with a wide diversity of understandings of transport phenomena. Describes a two-semester graduate transport course sequence at the University of Notre Dame which focuses on fluid mechanics and heat and mass transfer. (TW)

Discusses how to address the concept of chemical equilibrium through the use of thermodynamic activities. Describes the advantages of setting up an equilibrium constant in terms of activities and demonstrates how to approximate those activities by practical measures such as partial pressures, mole fractions, and molar concentrations. (TW)

States that quantitative modelling allows teachers to concentrate more on qualitative understanding. Suggests the main benefits as (1) repetitive calculations are reduced allowing greater attention to be focused on underlying models; (2) more "what if" models can be tested; and (3) a wider variety of data can be used to test models. (MVL)

The outline for a unit on the chemistry of fitness and nutrition is presented. Topics discussed include the organic basis of life, functional groups, kitchen experiments, micronutrients, energetics, fitness vs. fatness, current topics, and evaluation. This unit reviews the basic concepts of chemical bonding, acid-base chemistry, stoichiometry, and…

This document is the second of a three-volume teacher resource book for use with the Energy 80 energy education program. The program is designed to enhance students' understanding of energy, either through supplements to traditional courses, such as mathematics, science, social studies, or homemaking, or by developing a mini-course or…

This concept module on work is one of thirteen modules that provide a flexible, laboratory-based physics instructional package designed to meet the specialized needs of students in two-year, postsecondary technical schools. Each of the thirteen concept modules discusses a single physics concept and how it is applied to each energy system. In this…

Describes a laboratory exercise designed to introduce students to the Pourbaix diagram for cobalt. Discusses the use of a Pourbaix diagram as a potential-pH plot which displays some of the most thermodynamically stable species for a given element. Outlines a laboratory demonstration and a student investigation. (TW)