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7 Editorial

8 Letters

13 Science notes

13 Spouting on, Frank Harris
15 Measuring reasons for the seasons , Ian Lawrence
16 Physical quantities, slopes and intercepts, Jack Hoppé
18 Qualitative and quantitative demonstrations of Brownian motion, Mick Nott and Steve Hearn
25 Teaching Brownian motion: demonstrations and role play , Mick Nott
28 Einstein comes to a school assembly near you , Simon Petts

32 Editorial: Einstein year (2)

33 Albert Einstein: the early years
John Twidle
The remarkable story of how the young Einstein's unpromising formative years led to academic writing of international significance

39 Molecular reality: the contributions of Brown, Einstein and Perrin
Mick Nott
The story of Brownian motion and its importance in modern science

47 Einstein and the nature of thought experiments
Gren Ireson
Reflections on thought experiments and Einstein's use of them

53 The Presidential Address
Sir Michael Tomlinson CBE, FRSA, former Chief inspector of Schools

57 Giving physics a sporting chance
Gren Ireson
Can the perceived difficulties of physics, especially in the 14-19 curriculum, be addressed by the use of sport as a medium? This article attempts to present contexts for this age group to be introduced to a variety of mechanics concepts.

63 Using the life and work of Kepler in secondary physics teaching
Marcus Gibbs
Kepler's scientific approach gave mathematical and geometrical precision to our understanding of the heavens. He should have a more prominent role within our teaching about the solar system.

69 Visualising chemical structure with a simple inexpensive model
H. O. Gupta
This article describes how to construct a low-cost crystal-structure model for teaching and learning at A-level

77 The living museum - developing appreciation of a nature site and promoting environmental awareness
Michal Zion and Ori Stav
The establishment of an outdoor 'living museum' designed as a practical nature experience, became the basis for cognitive learning and a conservation campaign among 13-14-year-old students

85 How is energy like money? Using analogies in physics teaching
Wilson Gonzalez-Espada and Kenneth Trantham
Adiscussion from the USA of ways of using students' knowledge of currency as an aid to understanding various aspects of energy


91 A historical approach to teaching the concept of the chemical element
António Francisco Cachapuz and Maria de Fátima Paixão
An innovative teaching strategy helps 15-year-olds understand the idea of the chemical element

95 Demonstrating chemistry, part 2: A chemist's 'toolkit' - measuring, controlling and making new products
Vanessa Kind and Rachel Hadi-Talab
This is the second of two articles presenting a wide range of chemistry demonstration reactions, with the linking theme 'making useful products'. Most are suitable for the full ability range of 14-16 year-olds.

107 Writing up an experiment cooperatively
Torsten Witteck and Ingo Eilks
Using cooperative learning to improve the writing up of experiments

111 Creating applied science in schools
Jacqueline Bell and Jim Donnelly
The issues faced in implementing GCSE applied science and how schools have Responded

119 Using formative assessment to raise pupil motivation: a small-scale classroom-based study
Zoë Spavold
Is pupils' motivation increased if they have clear learning objectives at the start of a lesson and carry out self-assessment of their own understanding at the end?

124 Book reviews

132 ICT reviews

136 Science websearch

139 Notes and news

140 Index to Volume 86

144 Notes to contributors

144 Special issues list

144 Index to advertisers

Online submission of Science notes