Table of contents

Physics on Stage: Physics on the political stage Women in Physics: Allez les girls! Curriculum: Students want ethics debate in school science Physics on Stage: Buzzing around the tulips Events: GIREP 2002 Competition: Schumacher in the shower! Higher Education: Universities consider conceptual physics courses Resources: Evaluation of Advancing Physics Research Frontiers: Physics Teachers @ CERN 2002 UK Curriculum: Preparing useful citizens China: Changing the approach NSTA Annual Convention: Innovations and simplicity Europe: European Community Science and Society Action Plan Citizenship: ASE-Wellcome Trust citizenship education initiative

Physics teaching gets politicalKerry Parker

The 20th century brought great changes: scientific advances have improved transport, communication and information for millions but the development of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction has threatened us all. Now we must continue our first steps towards a war-free world by developing a loyalty to humanity; scientists must accept responsibility for their work and teachers need to emphasize the global nature of science.

The introduction of citizenship as a National Curriculum subject in English schools offers new opportunities for the effective teaching of science. This article also looks at some challenges for busy physics teachers and the resources available to support them.

For many students, learning quantum atomic models raises difficulties that result from the major differences between quantum-mechanical perspectives and the classical physics view. After being taught the probability atomic model, which is traditionally introduced in Germany in upper secondary school (age 18-19), the understandings of the overwhelming majority of students differ significantly from the intended learning outcomes. An alternative atomic model, the descriptive quantum atomic model `Electronium', is outlined in this paper, and the way in which it is intended to support students in learning quantum-mechanical concepts is discussed.

This is the second of two papers focusing on the quantum atomic model `Electronium'. The `Bremen teaching approach', in which this model is used, is outlined and an analysis of the learning of two students as they progress through the teaching unit is presented. Finally an argument is presented to support the assertion that the Electronium model can be considered to be a successful teaching tool.

The origins of the pion exchange model of nuclear forces are described and the exchange process is reinterpreted in the light of current views on the quark-gluon structure of nucleons. It is suggested that the reinterpretation might provide a picture of cohesive nuclear forces that is more intellectually satisfying than that produced by the traditional approach. It is argued that it might be time to review the way we present the exchange particle concept at pre-university level.

This article provides a simple practical introduction to wave-particle duality, including the energy-time version of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. It has been successful in leading students to an intuitive appreciation of virtual particles and the role they play in describing the way ordinary particles, like electrons and protons, exert forces on each other.

Defining `force' in everyday terms is not a simple matter. Experience with various examples discussed here shows that it is useful to examine whether students have indeed grasped the correct meaning.

Does a sensori-motor experience help a young physics student understand the movement of molecules in solids, liquids and gases? Students aged 9-10 were given either traditional demonstrations of solids, liquids and gases and the variation of molecular motion with temperature (iconic presentation), or they were involved in physical activities as they pretended to be molecules (enactive presentation). This enactive group did significantly better in subsequent tests on the subject.

At the pre-college and first-year college level of physics instruction, Kepler's laws are generally taught as empirical laws of nature. Introductory physics textbooks only derive Kepler's Second law of areas. It is possible to derive all of Kepler's laws mathematically from the conservation laws, employing only high-school algebra and geometry. Moreover, a treatment of Kepler's Third law can naturally proceed from the general elliptic orbit to the special case of a circular orbit. Consequently, a study of Kepler's Third law need not be restricted to circular orbits.

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Featuring relationships, personalities, interactions, environments and reputations involved in physics and education

ON THE MAP (264) Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics, UkraineKerry Parker

STARTING OUT (265) Preparation, preparation, preparationSteven Chapman

TEACHING ANECDOTES (266) Lise Meitner

PERSONALITY (267) The Accidental AstronomerKerry Parker talks to Marie Radbo, Astronomer

BOOK REVIEWS (269) The Science of Imaging - An Introduction Northern Lights Vacuum Bazookas, Electric Rainbow Jelly, and 27 other Saturday Science Projects Physics and Engineering in Medicine in the New Millennium

CD-ROM REVIEWS (272) I fell in love with a STARBase trooper Aber - greatest hits...

WEB WATCH (273) 'Here is the guess of their true strength and forces'Gary Williams

EDITOR'S NOTE (275) Reviews of Christopher Bishop's Astrophysics (John Murray, 2000)

PHYSICS TEASER (276) Why or How, Sophistry and Guestimation

A thought from Cassandra 'Surely you're joking, Mr Reviewer' Creative student thinking

The Devil's Physics DictionaryKen Zetie