Abstract
We are currently on the verge of several breakthroughs in nanoscience and technology, and we need to prepare our citizenry to be scientifically literate about the microscopic world. Previous research1 shows that students' mental models of friction at the atomic level are significantly influenced by their macroscopic ideas. Most students see friction at the microscopic scale as due to the meshing of bumps and valleys and rubbing of atoms. Furthermore, for most students, what is true macroscopically should also be true microscopically. Friction provides a very good context for making students aware of the disparity between the macroscopic and microscopic worlds. In the proceeding sections we will present a series of activities that teachers can use to refine students' ideas of friction at the microscopic level. Several teaching interviews2 were conducted to develop and validate these activities and to establish the concepts/ideas that students adopt as they go through each of the activities.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
