Our writers talk back

Some of the previous contributors to the Green Room respond to readers' questions and comments.

news.bbc.co.uk

Feilden's blog

Ground-breaking new technique in stem cell science

news.bbc.co.uk

US vows 'huge' marine protection

The US is to establish "the largest area of protected sea in the world", banning fishing and mining, around its Pacific islands.

news.bbc.co.uk

Body repair 'could be ramped up'

A combination of drugs could trick the body into sending its repair mechanisms into overdrive, say scientists.

news.bbc.co.uk

Eat it or lose it - why centuries of crop diversity are at risk

Centuries of crop diversity are at risk of being lost forever as farmers turn to just a few modern, high yielding varieties.

news.bbc.co.uk

Mosquitoes make sweet love music

Sexy songs sung by mosquitoes in courtship could be key to curbing the spread of dengue fever, say scientists.

news.bbc.co.uk

Earth Watch

Why it is hard to predict sudden environmental crises

news.bbc.co.uk

A deep-sea fish caught in the Pacific has mirrors for eyes

A deep-sea fish caught in the Pacific has eyes which use mirrors as well as lenses, scientists discover.

news.bbc.co.uk

Venomous mammal caught on camera

Rare footage of one of the world's most strange and elusive mammals is captured by scientists.

news.bbc.co.uk

Canadians claim South Pole record

A trio of Canadians claim a new record for the fastest trek across Antarctica to the South Pole.

news.bbc.co.uk

First flight of algae-fuelled jet

Continental Airlines is the latest to test fly a jet biofuel, this time with a product derived partially from algae.

news.bbc.co.uk

Black holes 'preceded galaxies'

Astronomers believe they have solved a cosmic chicken-and-egg question: what came first - black holes or galaxies?

news.bbc.co.uk

Zimbabwe troops 'eat elephants'

A Zimbabwean wildlife campaigner tells the BBC that soldiers are being given elephant meat to eat, as the economic crisis deepens.

news.bbc.co.uk

Everest trip helps critically ill

Blood oxygen levels recorded on a trip by medics to Everest could help the treatment of critically ill patients.

news.bbc.co.uk

Heat may spark world food crisis

Half the world's population could face food crisis by 2100 as soaring temperatures cripple staple crops, scientists warn.

news.bbc.co.uk

Poetry or science?

Is romantic love just a chemical cocktail?

news.bbc.co.uk

'Wolfman' returns

Explorer Jim McNeill tracks down Arctic wolves

news.bbc.co.uk

Tech fair offers greener vision

Analysts at the Consumer Electronics Show say green credentials of tech products will become critical to success.

news.bbc.co.uk

Panda bites his third tourist in two years at Beijing zoo

A panda at Beijing zoo bites a man for the third time in two years.

news.bbc.co.uk

Holes give edge to new armour

Scientists from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) have devised ultra-hard vehicle armour to protect military personnel.

news.bbc.co.uk

Animal matters

Scotland's debate over tests on primates

news.bbc.co.uk

Mummy of female pharaoh uncovered

Egyptologists find remains of a mummy thought to belong to a queen who ruled 4,300 years ago, Egypt's antiquities chief announced.

news.bbc.co.uk

Baby Jupiter's huge weight gain

The planet Jupiter must have gained mass fast during its infancy, according to astronomers.

news.bbc.co.uk

China alert over bird flu death

Chinese authorities shut down and clean poultry markets in Hebei province, after the first human death in nearly a year.

news.bbc.co.uk

Beagle hunter

On a mission to find the most famous ship of science

news.bbc.co.uk

 Science > Education

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Science > Education

Education:

Advancing Physics AS/A2 Level Course from the Institute of Physics

Provides resources for Teachers, Students and Technicians involved in the study of AS or A2 Level Physics.

http://advancingphysics.iop.org

Animations of Wave Motion

Animated GIFs and a discussion of some of the math involved.

http://physics.usask.ca/~hirose/ep225/anim.htm

APS - Division of Physics of Beams

History of beam physics research, and current information on the topic.

http://bt.pa.msu.edu/brochure/

Graand

Free Classified Ads Portal

www.graand.com

Art Ludwig's Sound Page

Various explorations of sound, sound detection and sound measurement. Includes a section on physics of sound.

http://www.silcom.com/~aludwig/

Assessing-to-Learn (A2L)

A research project on the use of continuous formative assessment in the high-school physics classroom. Provides participating teachers with a library of assessment items (carefully constructed questions) to choose from for their classes, and with an associated library of teacher aids which provide help with the pedagogically effective use of the items.

http://a2l.physics.umass.edu/

Astrophysics Science Project Integrating Research and Education (ASPIRE)

Site dedicated to helping teachers with lessons in physics and astrophysics by giving computer activities that help show how physical models work.

http://outreach.physics.utah.edu/

Bad Physics

Misunderstood things in physics with simple explanations.

http://www.geoffers2000.freeserve.co.uk/

Beginner and Intermediate Electronics

Basic electronics explained using simple theory and diagrams.

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/g_knott/

Bicycle Physics

The physics of how to steer a bicycle, and how stop signs interfere with bicycle commuting.

http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~fajans/Teaching/bicycles.html

Cartoons and Movies

Some diagrams and movies illustrating some otherwise abstract electrical principles.

http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~fajans/Teaching/cartoons/

Challenges In Teaching and Learning Introductory Physics

Addresses the troubles presented in introductory physics courses taken by students in their first two years of college.

http://www.physics.ucsb.edu/~airboy/challenge.html

Common Errors in Undergraduate Mathematics

This page describes the errors seen most frequently in undergraduate mathematics, the likely causes of those errors, and their remedies. Avoid these errors in order to improve in any math-intensive course, including physics.

http://www.math.vanderbilt.edu/~schectex/commerrs/

Communities for Physics and Astronomy Digital Resources in Education (comPADRE)

A project to create well organized, digital collections of high quality educational materials in physics and astronomy. ComPADRE consists of focused collections of materials for specific courses or serving specific constituencies, with connections to a wide range of online digital resources including curricular materials, digital libraries, and online journals, user communities that participate in the development and operation of these collections.

http://www.compadre.org/

Computer Simulation Methods

A web site devoted to faculty and students using computer simulation techniques as a method of discovery in physics. This is a companion site to a textbook, but provides content from other sources as well.

http://sip.clarku.edu/

Contemporary Physics Education Project (CPEP)

A non-profit organization of teachers, educators, and physicists; at Lawrence Berkeley Lab.

http://www.cpepweb.org/

Dropping In a Microgravity Environment (DIME)

Teacher's guide for a NASA high-school student science competition. [PDF]

http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/MSD/DIME/Ideas.pdf

The Elements of Machines

Some simple machines, explained, described and illustrated.

http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/InventorsToolbox.html

Education

A book for first-year college students who have an interest in pursuing a career in physics or a closely related field.

http://www.physicsforfree.com/essential.html

The Evil Tutor's Guide: Graphs and Figures

An amusing, yet sincere, look at where students go wrong when producing scientific graphs for school, college and degree level work.

http://www.eviltutor.com

Exploring Physics in Cyberspace

This site describes several tested extracurricular programs geared to introducing hands-on interactive physics activities for K-12 students. Supported by the National Science Foundation.

http://web.missouri.edu/~umcaswwwepic/

Fundamental Physical Constants from NIST

The values of the fundamental physical constants provided at this site are recommended for international use by CODATA and are the latest available.

http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Constants/index.html

FYKOS - Physical Correspondence Seminary

Worldwide competition in physics for grammar school (under age 19) students with an interest in physics.

http://fykos.troja.mff.cuni.cz/

Glass: Liquid or Solid - Science vs. an Urban Legend

Addressing the widespread misconception according to which glass is a liquid.

http://dwb.unl.edu/Teacher/NSF/C01/C01Links/www.ualberta.ca/~bderksen/florin.html

GRE Physics Prep

Yahoo group for people preparing for GRE Physics.

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/physicsgre/

Henry Greenside's Duke Physics Challenges

Physics-related word-problem puzzles.

http://www.phy.duke.edu/~hsg/physics-challenges/challenges.html

How Atoms Work

Shows how man determined the structure of the atom and learned how atoms interacted with each other.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/atom.htm

How Things Work

A service providing answers to questions about physics, science, and how things in the world around us work. Companion to the book by the same name.

http://howthingswork.virginia.edu/

How to Study Physics

A University of Texas classic, written before the web was around, but now revised and web-ready.

http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/chapman.htm

HSC Physics

School of Physics, University of New South Wales. Details about professional development workshops for physics teachers intended to provide background and advice on the Stage 6 HSC syllabus. Some resources related to this workshop are found on the site.

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/hsc/

HyperPhysics Concepts

A concept map of physics showing relationships between topics while giving explanations and references.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hph.html

I Love Physics Forum

Discuss physics education and related topics that come up in discussions about physics.

http://www.ilovephysics.com/forum/

Innovations in Undergraduate Physics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

Several recent developments have stimulated a major revitalization of UIUC's introductory physics curriculum. Here are the details. Also includes references, previous presentations, and course outlines.

http://research.physics.uiuc.edu/PER/Course_Revisions.html

Institute of Physics (IOP) - Teaching Physics in Schools and Colleges

A website aimed at those with an interest in the teaching and learning of physics in schools and colleges. The site provides visitors with information about the current activities of the IOP education department including details of forthcoming events, news about the institute's latest curriculum development initiatives as well as providing access to a range of resources. [PDF]

http://www.iop.org/activity/outreach/Resources/file_5978.pdf

Interactive Physics Scenarios by A. John Mallinckrodt

A collection of intermediate and advanced level modules in mechanics, gravitation, thermodynamics, and electrostatics for use with the Interactive Physics software distributed by MSC Working Knowledge.

http://www.csupomona.edu/~ajm/myweb/index.ip.html

Interactive Textbook

College freshman-level physics textbook online in several different formats, notably a java-interactive format.

http://dept.physics.upenn.edu/courses/gladney/mathphys/Contents.html

International Physics Olympiads

Regional and international physics olympiads. Information, mailing lists, and links to all the IPhO problems available on the web.

http://www.geocities.com/links2ipho/

Intuitor - Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics

Reviews and rates Hollywood movies for bad physics content.

http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/

ISU Physics Teacher Education Program

From Illinois State University.

http://www.phy.ilstu.edu/programs/ptefiles/

Kenny Felder's Math and Physics Help Page

A collection of papers written to explain various concepts in math and physics, as well as papers generously donated by other people.

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/kenny/home.html

Mathematical Thinking in Physics

Articles, essays, and problems designed for students to learn more about the importance of math in the study and application of physics.

http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/Numbers/Math/Mathematical_Thinking/index.htm

MIT OpenCourseWare - Physics

Undergraduate and graduate courses available for noncredit study and review. Materials provided may include syllabi, reading assignments, videotaped lectures, problem sets with solutions, lecture notes, and exams with solutions.

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Physics/

The Motion Mountain Physics Text

A free physics textbook on the introductory physics course level, written to be surprising, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Chapters are downloadable pdf files.

http://motionmountain.dse.nl/welcome.html

New Physics Teacher Project

Advice for the first year physics teacher gathered from interviews with expert physics educators.

http://earthfuture.tripod.com/mp/adviceproject.html

NSTA - Position Statement on Laboratory Science

Since the laboratory experience is of critical importance in the process of enhancing students' cognitive and affective understanding of science, the National Science Teachers Association makes the following recommendations.

http://www.nsta.org/about/positions/laboratory.aspx

Open Text

Project to provide high quality free physics teaching materials to anyone who has access to the Internet. Similar to the “open source” concept for computer software. A cooperative building site for physics materials.

http://www3.baylor.edu/Physics/open_text/

Physical Science for Nonscientists - Physics 1020 (2nd Semester)

Course website at University of Colorado. Includes lecture notes in pdf format.

http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phys1020/phys1020_sp05/

Physical Science Resource Center (PSRC)

This site has plenty of resources for physics and physical science teachers K-16.

http://psrc.aapt.org/

Physics 2000

An interactive journey through modern physics. Have fun learning visually and conceptually about 20th century science and high-tech devices. Uses java applets.

http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/index.pl

Physics at Merton College

Matters related to the AS-level and A-level physics courses. The material covers topics in physics and its related mathematics and will supplement one's normal classwork.

http://www.lokon.demon.co.uk/

Physics Central

The outreach site of the members of The American Physical Society. Find out how physics is part of your world, ask questions on how things work, see physics in pictures, get updates on physics in the news, read about research and the people who are doing it and, if you want more, recommended links.

http://www.physicscentral.org/

Physics Comics

Comics-style lessons in physics fundamentals. Topics include motion, forces, vectors, work and energy, and impulse and momentum.

http://www.bmts.com/~stoeckli/

The Physics Encyclopedia

This site provides exhaustive, comprehensive, carefully selected and structured lists on Internet physics resources.

http://members.tripod.com/~IgorIvanov/physics/

Physics for Beginners

An introduction to some concepts in physics for the absolute beginner. Included is a equation solver which is for use with the Physics For Beginners section.

http://physics.webplasma.com/

Physics Laws and Quizzes

Solve some problems using the fundamental laws and be announced as a Quiz Master.

http://members.tripod.com/arilizi/

The Physics of Learning

Extending a physics analogy to teaching and learning creates a rich set of terms and relationships that are already familiar to scientists. This paper defines those terms, suggests methods for quantifying those terms and thus provides teachers with a method for optimizing student learning.

http://icn2.umeche.maine.edu/instruments/PHYSLRNR.html

Physics Pointers

Physics reading guides, links to physics websites, teaching tips, and physics activities.

http://physicspointers.com/

Physics Reference

Physics symbols, constants, and SI units, prefixes and rules.

http://www.alcyone.com/max/reference/physics/index.html

Physics Simulations - Teaching Programs

Free and commercial site with physics programs and some other materials available for download and/or sale. No Macintosh materials offered.

http://www.colba.net/~htran/physics/

Physics Simulations in Education

ZIP-format files for DOS or Windows covering a variety of physics phenomena and applications.

http://www.clab.unibe.ch/physim/index.htm

Physics, the Neglected Science

Pages to help increase awareness about the value of physics and to lend support to high school physics students, teachers, and parents.

http://www.intuitor.com/physics/

Physics Virtual Bookshelf

A collection mostly of University of Toronto physics professor David M. Harrison's various presentations and course materials.

http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/GeneralInterest/All.html

Practical Physics

Enables teachers of physics to share their skills and experience of making experiments work in the classroom.

http://www.practicalphysics.org/

A Prelude to the Study of Physics

A paper first published in Quantum Vol 7 No 2, pg. 45, Nov/Dec 1996.

http://www.winbeam.com/~trebor/prelude.html

Professor Stephen Hawking Online

Biographical, educational, and scholarly. Also includes a bit of fun (did you know he was on The Simpsons TV show?)

http://www.hawking.org.uk/

The Quantum Exchange

A collection of information and resources for teachers of quantum physics.

http://www.thequantumexchange.org/

QuarkNet

Supports centers at 60 universities and laboratories that are participants in the collider experiments at CERN in Switzerland and at Fermilab in Illinois. Physicists will mentor and collaborate with high school teachers. Stipends are provided to the teachers who participate.

http://quarknet.fnal.gov/

Radiation Physics and Radiocarbon Research Labs at University College Dublin

Specialises in the measurement of minute traces of artificial and natural radionuclides in the environment.

http://www.ucd.ie/radphys/

A Radically Modern Approach to Introductory Physics

A web text by David J. Raymond.

http://www.physics.nmt.edu/~raymond/classes/ph13xbook/bookc.html

School Mathematics and Science Programs Benefit From Instructional Technology

NSF report summarizes key findings about mathematics and science in controlled evaluations of instructional technology in elementary and secondary schools.

http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf03301/

The Science of the Bicycle

Divided in two parts. The first is a theory study and the second is a report of the experiment. This study was done as a part of The Bicycle Project from September till December 1999. The research was done at the Kansas State University's department of physics.

http://www.science.uva.nl/research/amstel/bicycle/

Science-Pseudoscience

Science, non-science and pseudoscience: a set of lessons to teach students to define and differentiate the three.

http://www.chem1.com/chemed/flimflam.shtml

Select Physics Topics

This physics online ebook covers basic physics from Newton's laws to electricity and magnetism. Lots of applets and animation included.

http://www.science-ebooks.com/phy/select_physics_topics.htm

Simple Electric Motors

Summary of science projects by Stan Pozmantir, a junior secondary student. Easy-to-build and inexpensive electric motors utilizing many physics principles.

http://www.simplemotor.com/

Society of Physics Students (SPS)

Complete set of information for members of any level of SPS. Scholarships and awards, news, activities, staff, structure, online forms, student resources, and links to significant physics sites.

http://spsnational.org/

The Sound of Solitary Waves

Physicists have demonstrated the first acoustic solitary waves in air--waves that can travel long distances without changing shape.

http://focus.aps.org/story/v4/st24

Space and Time

Course based on Stephen Hawking's best selling book, "A Brief History of Time". The course deals with topics in modern physics such as Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, Quantum Theory, Black Holes and the Creation of the Universe.

http://info.hartwick.edu/physics/spacetime.html

Space Station Phyve

A WebQuest for high school physics and MST students to research and design a rotating space colony. This highly scientific mission contains links and teacher rubric.

http://www.geocities.com/r_deruvo/

Spacetime Wrinkles

Major advances in computation are only now enabling scientists to simulate how black holes form, evolve, and interact. Learn about relativity and its predictions through text and video files at this site.

http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/NumRel/NumRelHome.html

Static Electricity

Scientific explanation of the phenomenon of static electricity.

http://www.electrostatics.com/page2.html

Teralab

Descriptions and photographs of electrostatics, electron bombardment and wave experiments done with home equipment.

http://www.rhunt.f9.co.uk/

Thermal and Statistical Physics Curriculum Development Project

Includes an introduction to the project and its conferences, related papers and links, and some Java applets.

http://stp.clarku.edu/

Todd's Quantum Intro

A brief overview of quantum mechanics.

http://www.hi.is/~hj/QuantumMechanics/quantum.html

TYC Physics Workshops

Information about workshops provided for two-year or community college physics teachers and the products of this project.

http://tycphysics.org/

UMPERG: Minds-On Physics (MOP)

A one-year curriculum for high-school physics. It is the result of a materials-development project supported by the National Science Foundation, and its design was guided by educational research findings.

http://srri.umass.edu/mop

Web Physics Project

A flexible low budget outlet for small volume, high quality, HTML-based curricular material. It provides a forum for physics educators to exchange curriculum ideas and resources that make use of web technology (primarily public domain material), and provides a medium for the dissemination of student work.

http://webphysics.davidson.edu/

West Point Bridge Design Contest

Bridge design contest (using specialized software). U.S. students age 13 through grade 12 are eligible for prizes. Anyone else may enter the Open Competition. Overview, rules, resources, software download and FAQ.

http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/

The World of Beams (Both Energy and Particle)

Explores the nature of particle beams, laser beams, and related physics topics.

http://bc1.lbl.gov/CBP_pages/educational/WoB/home.htm

World Year of Physics 2005

Plans to bring the excitement of physics to the public and inspire a new generation of scientists. Includes information about projects, events and Einstein, sources for teachers, downloads, international links and press room.

http://www.physics2005.org/