Physics

Crash

Rosetta McLeod

CRASH COURSE Rosetta McLeod LET'S DO SOME REVISION In plenty of time for this year's examinations, Crash Course this month looks at Letts Keyfacts Revision software for O Level GCE, CSE and GCSE. Over the years, Letts have built up a solid reputation as publishers of the highly successful Study Aid series, and have now turned their attention to the computer education market. Their Keyfacts Revision software is the result of of a great deal of research among teachers throughout the country to determine the most appropriate technique and content for computer-based learning. Letts are keen to stress that the programs are not designed merely as cramming aids for exams, but rather are planned for use throughout courses. Quite a number of large educational publishers are now producing similar types of software for a wide variety of subjects, but not all of these programs are educationally valid, and in some cases, the student would achieve better results using a good set of notes. The Lefts programs use a variety of approaches to capture the learner's interest and to introduce an element of enjoyment into home study. The major advantage of computer programs over the normal textual study aids is that they can encourage greater participation in the learning processes and improve motivation. The computer can also mark the answers and, in the case of subjects such as mathematics, can actually demonstrate various constructions and solutions. Used in conjunction with other methods, the Letts programs are extremely useful indeed. Each package contains two cassette tapes and a booklet describing the software, and retails for £11.50. PHYSICS The 10 programs in this suite cover topics such as motion, electricity, magnetism, waves, light, heat and radioactivity. A diagnostic section in the first program provides 40 questions, and the computer then reviews the responses and suggests a method of study. The questions can also be attempted under test conditions, and at the end the score and time taken are shown, together with the number of incorrectly answered questions. Relationships, the program which covers a variety of equations, is rather boring, but then some aspects of studying are boring! The two Motion programs use attractive graphics to convey information on speed, velocity, acceleration, force, power, momentum and so on, while Light deals with reflection, refraction and defects of the eye. Radio simulates a range of experiments on radioactivity, but the selection and manoeuvrability of the elements in the detection experiment are rather slow. The Rutherford experiment shows very little, and omits one of its fundamental results the back scattering of alpha particles. Waves and Elect 2 are multiple choice programs in which the computer provides a hint if the first answer is incorrect. Elect 1 uses a water model to help the student to understand current electricity, while Heat simulates heating and cooling experiments. Once again, a great deal of ground is covered in this package, and good use is made of screen graphics. The student would find the test sections of particular use. CONTROL KEYS: Apart from the problems in the Chemistry suite, the control keys are clearly explained and are easy to use. KEYBOARD PLAY: Very responsive USE of COLOUR: Simple but clear. GRAPHICS: Used to good effect