Re: gperiodic website suggestions

[Robert Hopcroft <hopcroft@uswest.net>]

Roger Dingledine wrote:

> I don't know, after I suggested it, it occurred to me that most
> traditional classroom icons are kind of silly-looking especially
> for software, apples, pencils, books, blackboards stuff like
> that...still, I noticed that a lot of educational oriented
> websites use it to signal "education" to people...
> in terms of content, I thought it might be useful to spend some
> space talking about how it might be used in a classroom
> environment (I don't remember if this is done at all...maybe
> one of the educators on the list could help with this...)

I originally saw the periodic table as wallpaper on a windows system. It
covered the whole screen but didn't do anything. Nontheless it has a
significance all its own. It represents an order in nature that the
entire physical world is made up of atoms that can be laid out in a
pattern representing their properties. The concept is simple enough that
most people grasp it as opposed to deeper mathematical symmetries. A way
to use it in a classroom, at the appropriate age level, would be to
bring it up on the student's computer screens, and explain to them, that
they, and the world around them, is made up of the atoms, that they see
on the computer screen. For example the human body is mostly water which
in turn is made up of hydrogen and oxygen. atoms. Now have the students
click on an element to see its properties. This probably means having a
more suitable display for this purpose. As it is, it would make a very
good introduction in a chemistry class. I just looked in the Webster's
New Collegiate Dictionary and sure enough it contains a picture of the
periodic table. Anyway it has the fascination to inspire students to
pursue science.

Bob