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Resonance

July 2004
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Classroom

In this section of Resonance, we invite readers to pose questions likely to be raised in a classroom situation. We may suggest strategies for dealing with them, or invite responses, or both. “Classroom” is equally a forum for raising broader issues and sharing personal experiences and viewpoints on matters related to teaching and learning science.

Teaching science in general and chemistry in particular in classrooms is a dull and uninteresting experience for students who lack passion for the subject. Too many facts in the form of reactions, properties, preparation, uses, etc. are presented which make it difficult for the student to grasp and assimilate the right perspective. Over a period of time the teacher also loses interest and enthusiasm, leading to monotony in teaching. Under these circumstances, attracting the attention of the students and engaging their minds needs innovative teaching methods. Any novel approach in classroom teaching, even if its impact is marginal, is to be welcomed.

Mala Das Sharma1 has been experimenting on teaching chemistry through riddles based on chemical principles and facts. She reports that she has conducted a number of programmes at colleges (as intercollegiate contests) in Hyderabad and Secunderabad, with a high degree of success in enthusing the students to learn chemistry. A short film has now been made with Mala Das Sharma conducting such a programme by Audio Visual Research Centre at Osmania University, Hyderabad, and will be telecast on the national network.

This method may interest chemistry teachers in schools and colleges and they may adopt it in their teaching programmes. Five of the riddles sent by her are given below as examples based on which teachers may formulate more such riddles on their own.

The answers to these riddles are not discussed here. Interested students may work them out. For any further information, Mala Das Sharma may be contacted.

Editors

Motion of Charged Particles in Electromagnetic Fields and Special Theory of Relativity  

P Chaitanya Das, G Srinivasa Murthy, P C Deshmukh, 
K Satish Kumar , T A Venkatesh

The electromagnetic interaction governs many aspects of our daily lives.  Although the unity of the electric and the magnetic phenomena is established through Maxwell's theory, it is  not  adequately emphasized in most of the courses on electrodynamics that the electric interaction together with the special theory of relativity provides a firm basis for magnetism, which follows as a natural consequence.  In this article is reported a computer simulation of trajectories of charged particles in electromagnetic fields as observed  from different inertial frames of references. An examination of these trajectories offers a vivid illustration of charged particle dynamics in  electromagnetic fields and reveals the relationship between the electromagnetic interaction and the special theory of relativity

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