Eric Rogers was a great physics educator, with a worldwide reputation for the passion, profundity and quirkiness of his thinking. This book honours his memory by collecting together writings about science education which have lasting relevance, on subjects about which Eric Rogers cared deeply, by an international group of distinguished authors who each have something to say of wide and general interest. Part I contains substantial essays that deal with issues of current and lasting concern in science education. They are all matters which Eric Rogers had close to his heart and to which he made important contributions. Part II gives examples of Eric Rogers' influence on physics education in his own words and through examples given by others. It begins with his well known Oersted Medal address, in facsimile, containing one of the most powerful statements of his thinking on tests and examinations. His address to the ICPE Conference in Edinburgh in 1975 provides a further eloquent sample of his authentic voice. Part III contains personal accounts of the man, plain spoken as he would have wished and expected. Finally Eric Rogers, as he always did in life, gets the last word: the editors have chosen The Demon Theory of Friction as an example of his ability to combine wicked wit with the making of a serious point. Eric Rogers' own voice speaks throughout the book. The various contributions are introduced with short quotations from his writings. They are certainly powerfully evocative for those who knew him, and will convey better than any part of the book the essential nature of the man to those who did not.

Mathematics is the only science with a methodology based upon deductive logic, whereas physics is a quantitative science based upon experiment and observation in which trial and error are inherent. Physics uses the most relevant mathematics, for example using group theory to explain the theoretical basis for the crystalline structure of solids, an illustration of how, time and time again, a mathematical theorem perhaps developed by a Greek philosopher is relevant to today's newly developed physics proof. On the Shoulders of Giants investigates the relationship between the disciplines of physics and mathematics and shows how many of the most significant advances of 20th-century physics rely on mathematics developed, sometimes much earlier, with no particular physics application in mind. Quoting from mathematicians such as Poincare and Euclid and physicists such as Newton and Feynman, the links between the two disciplines are explored in the author's entertaining style, providing a fascinating account of the twists and turns in scientific progress through the ages. Challenging, stimulating, and questioning, the book explains how the uncanny ability of formal and abstract mathematics can interpret the properties of the physical world. Using a wide ranging set of examples, it illustrates the manner in which mathematics has been applied to physics and even points to directions for future research. The book discusses how to fill space without leaving gaps; Euclidean geometry, its limitations, and the bending of space; the laws of musical harmony, sound vibrations, and the confinement of electrons in solids; how to tile a floor efficiently; Newton's Laws of Motion, chaos, and the weather; group theory and garlic; the laws of chance; route-planning in Konigsberg with Euler; the rules that turn bath bubbles into suds; the shape of soot; and the Schroedinger equation and why a pendulum can never stop. Requiring some prior knowledge of physics and mathematics, this well-illustrated book will be of interest to all readers with an interest in physics and mathematics, in learning more about the role of mathematics as the formal language of physics, and in how physics and mathematics have influenced scientific research.

First published in 1994. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The ideas that children have about science concepts have for the past decade been the subject of a wealth of international research. But while the area has been strong in terms of data, it has suffered from a lack of theory.
Children's Informal Ideas in Science addresses the question of whether children's ideas about science can be explained in a single theoretical framework. Twelve different approaches combine to tackle this central issue, each taking a deliberately critical standpoint. The contributors address such themes as values in research, the social construction of knowledge and the work of Piaget in a rich contribution to the debate without claiming finally to resolve it. The authors conclude with a discussion of how a theory can be built up, along with suggestions for ways ahead in the research.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203039629

This is a provocative, behind-the-scenes introduction to the vital and complex role science plays in United States politics. It includes the first formal statement from former President Clinton's former Science Advisor, John H. Gibbons; a fresh retrospective from D. Allan Bromley on science advice in the George H. W. Bush Administration; and a unique viewpoint from John McTague about his brief tenure under President Reagan. Among the twenty-four contributors are former members of the President's Science Advisory Committee, distinguished scholars, and industrialists.

This is a new title from Routledge's Critical Concepts in Sociology series. Compiled by the editorial team behind the acclaimed International Handbook of Public Communication of Science and Technology (Routledge, 2008), this four-volume 'mini library' provides an easy-to-use, one-stop collection of the best foundational and cutting-edge scholarship from the fast-growing-and increasingly important-scholarly domain that is the public communication of science. As well as bringing together the major works that have shaped this field of research, the collection will be welcomed as the first mapping of an area that to date has rather lacked an authoritative interdisciplinary synthesis. The collection assembles contributions from a variety of subjects (including media and journalism studies, sociology, and the history of science), and it contrasts the perspectives of different geographical and cultural contexts. Together with the editors' introductions, the gathered materials allow users to make sense of the wide range of approaches, theories, and concepts that have informed the public communication of science.

Connected by a computer telecommunications network, ninth-graders from eight high schools scattered thousands of miles across Alaska work together, building a robot submarine to gather samples from the floor of Prince William Sound.
This is high school science as some teachers and educational reformers today envision it -- centered on student projects that encourage learning by doing...supported by modern technology...enriched by collaboration among students and teachers, both face to face and far apart.
This example is drawn from LabNet, a three-year effort funded by the National Science Foundation. The project was conducted by Technical Education Research Centers (TERC), a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to improving mathematics and science education. Eventually reaching 562 teachers in 37 states, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa, LabNet had a direct impact on their classroom practice. In a follow-up evaluation, the majority said they had assigned their students more projects and had used LabNet's telecommunications network to exchange project ideas with other teachers. This book is the story of LabNet as told by its editors, with 14 additional essays on science projects -- both theoretical and practical -- by LabNet teachers and TERC staff.

Connected by a computer telecommunications network, ninth-graders from eight high schools scattered thousands of miles across Alaska work together, building a robot submarine to gather samples from the floor of Prince William Sound. This is high school science as some teachers and educational reformers today envision it -- centered on student projects that encourage learning by doing...supported by modern technology...enriched by collaboration among students and teachers, both face to face and far apart. This example is drawn from LabNet, a three-year effort funded by the National Science Foundation. The project was conducted by Technical Education Research Centers (TERC), a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to improving mathematics and science education. Eventually reaching 562 teachers in 37 states, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa, LabNet had a direct impact on their classroom practice. In a follow-up evaluation, the majority said they had assigned their students more projects and had used LabNet's telecommunications network to exchange project ideas with other teachers. This book is the story of LabNet as told by its editors, with 14 additional essays on science projects -- both theoretical and practical -- by LabNet teachers and TERC staff.

This book is a readable and affordable collection of Tesla's patents, inventions and thoughts on free energy, anti-gravity, and other futuristic inventions. Covered in depth, often in Tesla's own words, are such topics as wireless transmission of power, death rays, and radio-controlled airships.

Carbon dioxide, bicarbonate ion, and carbonate ion comprise the most important acid-base system in natural waters, and the equilibria between them regulate the pH of seawater, as well as most rainwater, stream water, river water, and groundwater. Carbon Dioxide Equilibria and Their Applications provides a clear, compact presentation of this topic, which is central to geochemistry and environmental engineering. It emphasizes a rigorous mathematical and thermodynamic basis for calculations and their application to realistic problems. The book's first four chapters present the basic equations, mathematical techniques for visualizing and manipulating them, and data on equilibrium constants and activity coefficients. These are presented in the general context of acid-base titration and solubility of CaCO3. The remaining chapters show how these concepts and techniques are applied to geochemistry and oceanography, in addition to their applications to water conditioning. Specific topics discussed include acid rain, freshwater, seawater, carbonate sediments in the deep oceans, the effects of increased atmospheric CO2 on the oceans, estuarine waters, brines, hydrothermal solutions, pH adjustment, prediction of calcium carbonate saturation, corrosion inhibition, and water softening.

Edited by acclaimed science writer and physicist James Trefil, the Encyclopedia's 1000 entries combine in-depth coverage with a vivid graphic format to bring every facet of science, technology, and medicine into stunning focus. From absolute zero to the Mesozoic era to semiconductors to the twin paradox, Trefil and his co-authors have an uncanny ability to convey how the universe works and to show readers how to apply that knowledge to everyday problems.

In 1992, Resources for the Future conducted a workshop concerning the issues of global climate change. This title, originally published in 1993, is a collection of the revised versions of the papers commissioned for the workshop with an added introduction and overview. Each paper emphasises the potential nonlinearities or surprises in physical effects caused by humans loading the atmosphere with greenhouse gases and examines how shifts in the natural environment from climate change may affect human well-being. This collection is a valuable resource for any student interested in environmental studies and climate change issues.

Science fiction is a literary genre based on scientific speculation. Works of science fiction use the ideas and the vocabulary of all sciences to create valid narratives that explore the future effects of science on events and human beings. Science Fact and Science Fiction examines in one volume how science has propelled science-fiction and, to a lesser extent, how science fiction has influenced the sciences. Although coverage will discuss the science behind the fiction from the Classical Age to the present, focus is naturally on the 19th century to the present, when the Industrial Revolution and spectacular progress in science and technology triggered an influx of science-fiction works speculating on the future. As scientific developments alter expectations for the future, the literature absorbs, uses, and adapts such contextual visions. The goal of the Encyclopedia is not to present a catalog of sciences and their application in literary fiction, but rather to study the ongoing flow and counterflow of influences, including how fictional representations of science affect how we view its practice and disciplines. Although the main focus is on literature, other forms of science fiction, including film and video games, are explored and, because science is an international matter, works from non-English speaking countries are discussed as needed.

On its original publication in 1919, The Place of Science in Modern Civilization was recognized as a major contribution, and today Veblen continues to command attention and respect. This volume includes some of his most seminal work, essays that have critical, almost devastating implications for capitalist society and mainstream economic theory as well as Marxism and socialism in general.

The continuing power of Veblen's work derives both from the penetration and range of his analysis and the arguable failure of modern society and social science theory to change in any material respect since he worked. The continuing relevance of his topics and ideas is manifest. In this volume in particular, Veblen addresses controversies over the relations of deduction and induction and efforts to produce truth, belief systems, and language, disputes about the significance of business mergers and acquisitions, and questions about the historical meaning and status of socialism. All of these are subjects of continuing interest and concern.

The first six essays are fundamental contributions to the study of the preconceptions that drive thought and modern science and their origins. The next nine essays apply Veblen's thinking to critiques of other economists and capitalism. Three of these nine essays represent fundamental components of Veblen's view of capitalism and its problems are of lasting interpretive and analytic value. The final three essays in the book, and in particular the last two, are examples of a genre of thinking which, while not uncommon among social scientists of the period in which Veblen worked haven been discredited and certainly have no lasting value, being conjectural history using such concepts as natural selection.

As Warren Samuels notes in his stimulating introduction to this new edition, "Veblen was heterodox, iconoclastic, sardonic, caustic, and satiric. He also was brilliant, penetrating, original, courageous, literarily dramatic, and unique, as well as intellectually distant." This collection will be of interest to economists and other social scientists interested in the specific topics addressed here, as well as researchers in the history of ideas.

Laser-Plasma Interactions 4 is the fourth book in a series devoted to the study of laser-plasma interactions. Subjects covered include laser light propagation, instabilities, compression and hydrodynamics, spectroscopy, diagnostics, computer code, dense plasmas, high-power lasers, X-UV sources and lasers, beat waves, and transport processes.

An instruction manual for life, love, and relationships by a brilliant young scientist whose Asperger's syndrome allows her--and us--to see ourselves in a different way...and to be better at being human Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight, Camilla Pang struggled to understand the world around her. Desperate for a solution, she asked her mother if there was an instruction manual for humans that she could consult. With no blueprint to life, Pang began to create her own, using the language she understands best: science. That lifelong project eventually resulted in An Outsider's Guide to Humans, an original and incisive exploration of human nature and the strangeness of social norms, written from the outside looking in--which is helpful to even the most neurotypical thinker. Camilla Pang uses a set of scientific principles to examine life's everyday interactions: - How machine learning can help us sift through data and make more rational decisions - How proteins form strong bonds, and what they teach us about embracing individual differences to form diverse groups - Why understanding thermodynamics is the key to seeking balance over seeking perfection - How prisms refracting light can keep us from getting overwhelmed by our fears and anxieties, breaking them into manageable and separate "wavelengths" Pang's unique perspective of the world tells us so much about ourselves--who we are and why we do the things we do--and is a fascinating guide to living a happier and more connected life.

This book contains the papers presented at the International Conference on Current Issues of Science and Research in the Global World, held at the premises of the Vienna University of Technology from May 27 to May 28, 2014. The book represents a significant contribution to Law, Economics, Information & Communication Technologies, Journalism and Psychology, including topical research work in the presented fields. This interdisciplinary volume is also essential reading for all those interested in international pluralism in terms of scientific contributions. The Pan-European University, respecting its own vision and ambition to become a well-known institution within the Global Research Area, traditionally elaborates research and scientifi c collaboration across national borders. The educational principles and research attitudes of the Pan-European University grasp the traditions of many cultures and geographic areas. The International Conference on Current Issues of Science and Research in the Global World was part of a series of similar top-rated international events organized by the Pan-European University, bringing together scientists, professionals, policymakers and representatives of culture from many countries.

Communication is a critical yet often overlooked part of data science. Communicating with Data aims to help students and researchers write about their insights in a way that is both compelling and faithful to the data. General advice on science writing is also provided, including how to distill findings into a story and organize and revise the story, and how to write clearly, concisely, and precisely. This is an excellent resource for students who want to learn how to write about scientific findings, and for instructors who are teaching a science course in communication or a course with a writing component. Communicating with Data consists of five parts. Part I helps the novice learn to write by reading the work of others. Part II delves into the specifics of how to describe data at a level appropriate for publication, create informative and effective visualizations, and communicate an analysis pipeline through well-written, reproducible code. Part III demonstrates how to reduce a data analysis to a compelling story and organize and write the first draft of a technical paper. Part IV addresses revision; this includes advice on writing about statistical findings in a clear and accurate way, general writing advice, and strategies for proof reading and revising. Part V offers advice about communication strategies beyond the page, which include giving talks, building a professional network, and participating in online communities. This book also provides 22 portfolio prompts that extend the guidance and examples in the earlier parts of the book and help writers build their portfolio of data communication.

The Second International Congress on Science and Technology for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage was held in Seville, Spain, June 24-27, 2014, under the umbrella of the TechnoHeritage network. TechnoHeritage is an initiative funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity dedicated to the creation of a network which integrates CSIC and University groups, private companies and end users such as foundations, museums or institutions. The network's purpose is to foster the creation of transdisciplinary (and not only multidisciplinary) initiatives focused on the study of all assets, movable or immovable, that make up Cultural Heritage. The congress was dedicated to six topics, namely (1) Environmental assessment and monitoring (pollution, climate change, natural events, etc.) of Cultural Heritage; (2) New products and materials for conservation and maintenance of Cultural Heritage; (3) Agents and mechanisms of deterioration of Cultural Heritage (physical, chemical, biological), including deterioration of modern materials used in Contemporary Art and information storage; (4) Development of new instruments, non invasive technologies and innovative solutions for analysis, protection and conservation of Cultural Heritage; (5) Security technologies, remote sensing and G.I.S. for the protection and management of Cultural Heritage; and (6) Significance, social value and policies for the conservation of Cultural Heritage. This volume publishes a total of seventy-two contributions which reflect some of the most recent responses to the challenge of cultural assets conservation and the application of different scientific approaches to the common goal of the conservation of Cultural Heritage.

Drawing together research and theory in ethology and psychology, this book offers a clear and provocative account of the ways in which living organisms learn. Throughout, the authors' focus is on the importance of operational definition. In lively prose, describing experiments in enough depth to involve readers in the drama of experimental method, they recount the history of scientists' attempts to answer basic questions, and show how one study builds on another. Although they present the major traditional positions, they demand that readers examine actual evidence, recognize weaknesses, and consider alternatives. This critical process leads to the delineation of a bottom up, feed forward model in contrast to the traditional top down, feed backward one. Recent research in robotics and fuzzy logic suggests ways in which artificial as well as living systems pursue bottom up, feed forward ethological solutions to practical problems. The authors' extended discussion of their exciting work teaching sign language to chimpanzees vividly illustrates the application of the basic principles of learning elucidated in the book.

This book is a compilation of proceedings that contain abstracts of all papers/posters presented at the International Echinoderm Conference held in 1984 and complete papers from those submitted for publication and accepted on the recommendations of referees.

A wonderfully readable account of scientifi c development over the past fi ve hundred years, focusing on the lives and achievements of individual scientists, by the bestselling author of In Search of Schrodinger's Cat
In this ambitious new book, John Gribbin tells the stories of the people who have made science, and of the times in which they lived and worked. He begins with Copernicus, during the Renaissance, when science replaced mysticism as a means of explaining the workings of the world, and he continues through the centuries, creating an unbroken genealogy of not only the greatest but also the more obscure names of Western science, a dot-to-dot line linking amateur to genius, and accidental discovery to brilliant deduction.
By focusing on the scientists themselves, Gribbin has written an anecdotal narrative enlivened with stories of personal drama, success and failure. A bestselling science writer with an international reputation, Gribbin is among the few authors who could even attempt a work of this magnitude. Praised as "a sequence of witty, information-packed tales" and "a terrifi c read" by The Times upon its recent British publication, The Scientists breathes new life into such venerable icons as Galileo, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Linus Pauling, as well as lesser lights whose stories have been undeservedly neglected. Filled with pioneers, visionaries, eccentrics and madmen, this is the history of science as it has never been told before.

"From the Hardcover edition.

An introduction to the world of bioinformatics. Massive increases in computing power and the ability to routinely sequence whole genomes of living organisms have begun to fundamentally alter our understanding of biology, medicine, and agriculture. At the intersection of the growing information and genomics revolutions sits bioinformatics, which uses modern computational power to reveal patterns in biological data sets, especially DNA, RNA, and protein sequences. Computational Biology: A Hypertextbook, by Scott Kelley and Dennis Didulo, provides a wonderful introduction for anyone who wants to learn the basics of bioinformatics. This book is more than a textbook because of the wealth of online ancillary materials and how the print and electronic components are integrated to form a complete educational resource.