For Teachers
Abacus is about science and history. It is also about the environment and how much this has changed over the last few centuries. My reason for writing the book was to enthuse youngsters about science. The declining interest in science--featured in a Time magazine cover article--should concern us all, especially in these days of global warming.
All the experiments conducted by AP, the hero of Abacus, are detailed at the end of the book so readers can repeat them. To make experiments accessible, I restricted myself to readily available items. Some experiments, like building a battery and using it to make a magnetic compass, would make an engaging classroom activity. Conducting the experiments in school offers the benefits of an informed facilitator, access to supplies and equipment unavailable at home, and the potential to expand upon the subject. For example, an ammeter could be used to measure the current generated by a home-made battery. Experiments could then be conducted to compare the results of using different electrodes, and different electrolytes of varying strengths. And how about using universal indicator paper to assess the strength of the potassium hydroxide formed during the preparation of soap from wood ash? This could then be compared with that found in the chemistry lab.
Aside from the experiments, many topics lend themselves to class discussions and further enquiry. For example, AP's 19th century sojourn in the American West gives readers a sense of the enormous environmental changes that accompanied the human settlement. These include the loss of a vast grassland and the near-extinction of the bison, once numbering some 50 million. Discussions on habitat loss and the impact of over-exploitation could be followed by surveys of endangered species throughout the world. next...
All the experiments conducted by AP, the hero of Abacus, are detailed at the end of the book so readers can repeat them. To make experiments accessible, I restricted myself to readily available items. Some experiments, like building a battery and using it to make a magnetic compass, would make an engaging classroom activity. Conducting the experiments in school offers the benefits of an informed facilitator, access to supplies and equipment unavailable at home, and the potential to expand upon the subject. For example, an ammeter could be used to measure the current generated by a home-made battery. Experiments could then be conducted to compare the results of using different electrodes, and different electrolytes of varying strengths. And how about using universal indicator paper to assess the strength of the potassium hydroxide formed during the preparation of soap from wood ash? This could then be compared with that found in the chemistry lab.
Aside from the experiments, many topics lend themselves to class discussions and further enquiry. For example, AP's 19th century sojourn in the American West gives readers a sense of the enormous environmental changes that accompanied the human settlement. These include the loss of a vast grassland and the near-extinction of the bison, once numbering some 50 million. Discussions on habitat loss and the impact of over-exploitation could be followed by surveys of endangered species throughout the world. next...