Divya Choudary
While the above cover stories stop at telling you that you have to create a suitable environment to cultivate kindness, this article gives you ideas on how you can create that environment and get children to practice kindness everyday.
» Being a physics student » Blow hot, blow cold » Frugal science – The origami microscope » Getting hotter is equal to getting bigger » Of numbers small and large » Osmosis and its reverse » Physics for fun » The enigma of Alan Turing » The need for real physics » The physical basis of catastrophic climate change » The fountainhead of all sciences
Pallava Bagla
A star is set to be born in southern France. A humongous effort costing over $ 20 billion is being made to construct a nuclear reactor like never before, a special steel cauldron where fusion energy could be tapped; it is called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).
Subha Das Mollick
Popular films can be used by teachers to explain physics concepts. However, teachers would need to identify portions that can elevate the classroom experience of the students. Chosen clips from the films should bring the ideas under discussion into sharp focus. This article explains how a clip from the popular film, Swades, can be used to teach the concept of energy.
Manish Jain
Straws and potatoes can be used to explain some simple laws of physics. Here are a few experiments which can be tried out in the class or by students on their own. Not only can children have fun with these toys, they can also learn a lot along the way.
Aruna B V
The classroom can come alive if the teacher introduces fun activities and games while dealing with any topic on physics. In this article, the author, while explaining Newton’s Laws of Motion, introduces three games, for each of the three laws which can be held in any open space. Each of these games is designed to explain the laws in a fun way so that children can relate to them.
Rabindra Mehta
Does a cricket ball swing more on a humid or damp day as compared to a relatively dry day? Why do fast bowlers constantly shine the ball? If you are wondering why we are talking cricket here, then it is because physics is part of cricket and by connecting physics to this much loved game, students are bound to be all attentive and teachers can rest assured that learning is happening.
Pratyush Tiwary
In this short article, we will try to understand a driving force of nature that is arguably one of the most fundamental and omnipresent – yet generally a bit poorly understood by the average high school student.
The art and science of designing experiments Subha Das Mollick Practicals and laboratory work are an inseparable part of any science subject. In the syllabus, 50 percent marks are reserved for practicals. But how are these practical classes held and what do students actually learn in these classes? Typically, in a practical class, students are told what experiment to do and what result to expect. They follow a set procedure and do the experiment. Everybody in the class does the same experiment and expects the same result. In case of a physics experiment, if the student does not get the expected result, she tries to manipulate the data. Eventually the students record the experiments in a set pattern – Aim – procedure – observations – calculations – precautions – conclusion. In a limited span of time, perhaps this is the best one can do. But this set pattern of laboratory work does not challenge the student’s creativity. The student does not get a scope to design a new experiment. Any student of science must understand the importance of experimentation in the development of science and should be able to design an appropriate experiment to test a hypothesis. This section is dedicated to a few landmark experiments in physics that have revolutionized the way we understand the world around us. Each write-up explains how the scientist overcame technical hurdles of the day and succeeded in getting error free results. The teacher may find occasion to discuss these experiments in class to drive home the importance of designing a meaningful experiment. A well-designed experiment is also a work of art, a masterpiece to be appreciated. But the difference between Da Vinci’s Last Supper and Galileo’s experiment with falling bodies is that while the former is not meant to be replicated, the latter is meant to be replicated several times with the same results. The beauty of a work of art is in its uniqueness. The beauty of a work of science is in its replicability. The stories of unravelling the truth through each of these experiments are also gripping stories, nothing short of the mystery stories children are so fond of hearing. So the special classes on these experiments can be high on entertainment value and take away the tedium of a routine class. The author is the secretary of Bichitra Pathshala, an organization that promotes learning with moving images. She is also an associate director at iLEAD Institute, Kolkata. She can be reached at subha.dasmollick@gmail.com. Related
The art and science of designing experiments Subha Das Mollick Practicals and laboratory work are an inseparable part of any science subject. In the syllabus, 50 percent marks are reserved for practicals. But how are these practical classes held and what do students actually learn in these classes? Typically, in a practical class, students are told what experiment to do and what result to expect. They follow a set procedure and do the experiment. Everybody in the class does the same experiment and expects the same result. In case of a physics experiment, if the student does not get the expected result, she tries to manipulate the data. Eventually the students record the experiments in a set pattern – Aim – procedure – observations – calculations – precautions – conclusion. In a limited span of time, perhaps this is the best one can do. But this set pattern of laboratory work does not challenge the student’s creativity. The student does not get a scope to design a new experiment. Any student of science must understand the importance of experimentation in the development of science and should be able to design an appropriate experiment to test a hypothesis. This section is dedicated to a few landmark experiments in physics that have revolutionized the way we understand the world around us. Each write-up explains how the scientist overcame technical hurdles of the day and succeeded in getting error free results. The teacher may find occasion to discuss these experiments in class to drive home the importance of designing a meaningful experiment. A well-designed experiment is also a work of art, a masterpiece to be appreciated. But the difference between Da Vinci’s Last Supper and Galileo’s experiment with falling bodies is that while the former is not meant to be replicated, the latter is meant to be replicated several times with the same results. The beauty of a work of art is in its uniqueness. The beauty of a work of science is in its replicability. The stories of unravelling the truth through each of these experiments are also gripping stories, nothing short of the mystery stories children are so fond of hearing. So the special classes on these experiments can be high on entertainment value and take away the tedium of a routine class. The author is the secretary of Bichitra Pathshala, an organization that promotes learning with moving images. She is also an associate director at iLEAD Institute, Kolkata. She can be reached at subha.dasmollick@gmail.com. Related
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