Micro-worlds

In chemical education, the micro-world is a key perspective in viewing the macroscopic world around us. Among other perspectives, such as a personal, a socio-economical perspective, a political perspective, this key chemical perspective can offer students a view on the materials and substances they use, that they are made of and that constitute their material world. A micro-world perspective enables the understanding of mat r phenomena and offers the possibihty to improve the material world within social circumstances. 

Han, J., Roth, W.-M. (2006). Chemical inscriptions in Korean textbooks Semiotics of macro-and micro-world. Science Education, 90, 173-201. 

Masson, S., Vazquez-Abad, J. (2006). History of science in science education through historical micro worlds to promote conceptual change. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 75(3 ), 257-268. 

Dalton presented his atomic theory in his bookyl New System of Chemical Philosophy, the first and crucial part of which was published in 1808. His pictures of atoms and molecules provide a unification of the micro-world and the macro-world of chemistry they show at once what we can observe (for example, hydrogen and oxygen combining to make water) and what we cannot the union of real, tangible atoms. Historian of chemistry William Brock says that Dalton s symbols encouraged people to acquire a faith in the reality of chemical atoms and enabled chemists to visualize relatively complex chemical reactions. .. Between them, Lavoisier and Dalton completed a revolution in the language of chemistry. ... 

P. Stoffyn-Egli and D. E. Buckley, The Titanic From metals to minerals. Can. Chem. News October, 26-28 (1993) P. Stoffyn-Egli and D. E. Buckley, The micro-world of the Titanic. Chem. Br. 31,551-553 (1995). 

This 3-D layout model is a valuable draft but it has to be revised during detailed engineering. The tool is important for the micro world if in the future micro structured reactor plants become more and more standardized. In this case, standardized autorouter tools could help to automate the time-consuming part of detailed engineering in complex micro structured reactor plants. 

Towards the unified theory of micro world and Universe... 

Products/technologies The high-throughput sample-handling devices for drug discovery applications provide a means of transferring vast numbers of samples in parallel from the macro world of microtiter plates to the micro world of chips. 

Development of new tools to interact with the micro-world. 

Keywords AI, algebraic manipulations, expert system, Fischer technics, intelligent tutoring systems, ITS, LOGO, meta-knowledge, micro-robots, micro-worlds, microworld, motivation, student model, turtle, tutorial strategies... 

Some attempts are made to build micro-worlds in Papert s [37] meaning to train the learners to use inductive modes of reasoning. Some of them deal with learning experimental sciences [35] or can have an approach like that described in [39] or under the title "using technology in the construction of scientific knowledge" by Thornton in this book. 

We have worked on two completely different approaches of the use of computers in education. Our conviction now is that we need deeper work in the two ways. But it is possible now to consider the role of each approach in education. As claimed by S. Ohlsson in his chapter in this book, education of pupils imposes acquisition of "concepts and "procedures". Our feeling is that ITS fit better for teach procedures and micro-worlds are more suitable for learning concepts. So the two approaches must be used in a complementary way and it is a good cooperation between them which can allow the best success. 

What will happen in the future Will we study at a macro, a micro or a micromicro level The left ventricle is a pump the functional unit the sarcomere, the energy factory the mitochondrion, and repair occurs through DNA and RNA synthesis. These all operate through different channels. Each function is important but I predict that the micro-micro world will become more and more important. 

All didactic approaches have to face these problems, especially the dilemma of visualization. Some researchers try to avoid any visualization of the micro-world (Buck, 1990) some do not use macroscopic analogies of the micro-world. Other researchers discuss hybrid models between a macro- and micro-world (Justi Gilbert, 1998). However, students are confronted every day with a lot of colourful pictures of micro-objects in the media and also in common schoolbooks. In any case, we have to deal with the meaning of all fliese visualizations and discuss them with students. 

In order to develop an appropriate understanding of the particle structure of matter, it is necessary to focus on the specific nature of the submicroscopic world and the modelling of the micro-world (Mikelskis-Seifert, 2002.) The following teaching activities that concern learning about models are therefore integrated into the curriculum ... 

We expect that students will develop a model competence by participating in such a learning environment. In our case model competence means that students have an adequate understanding about the nature of particle models and that they can use particle models to explain macroscopic phenomena in various situations. This is to say that if we could observe in students argumentations an appropriate microscopic thinking and adequate thinking in models, as well as a renunciation of macroscopic thinking in the micro-world, then we could say that students have a model competence. 

Our project week on particle models was structured in the following four phases introduction , transition into the micro-world , investigations of submicroscopic phenomena in learning units , and reflection about modelling the micro-world . 

Fig. 5 Examples of self-made models of the students Second phase — transition into the micro-world ...

Fig. 4 Poster as a tool for analysis of a micro-world in the two worlds...

Fourth phase — reflection about modelling of the micro world A ex the learning units, students were asked to think and report about the modelling they had carried out. The students were also asked to reflect on the ideas of models they had developed and then to apply them to new phenomena. 

Effects of the project week (approximately 120 students participating) were investigated by means of the following design (Figure 5). At the beginning of the year, a pre-test was administrated which included a questionnaire on the idea of particles. Concept maps were also used to measure students conceptions about the micro-world. 

The learning effects suggest that it is necessary to discuss and reflect on the nature of utilized models as well as on the process of aheady modelling during introduction of a particle model in secondary science education. Furthermore, we can assume that during an interdisciplinary project week the majority of students will develop a stable model competency in the area of the micro-world. 

Modular systems provide bridge between the macro world of process streams and the micro world of new generation of microfluidic/analytical systems (e.g analyzers on a chip, sensors on a chip, lab on a chip, etc.). 

Mechanical M Ability to precisely move and orient other molecules or modules at nano scale. This includes ability to mechanically bind to various target objects, and carry them at desired location Carry drugs and deliver it to the precise locations Move micro world objects with nanoprecision. For example. Parallel platforms for nanoorienlation and displacements... 

Fig. 67. - Planar pattern of variously positioned circles (upper), which repeated motif (left) gives the image of agglomerates of globular niacromolecules spaced in the micro-world (middle) or the macroscopically visual view of the Universe (right). Below the repetitive (ornamental) motif showing its certain resemblance with a microstructure of crystallites.

The development of various microsystems also requires new definition of unit system to describe these devices. Volume is associated with exponent equal to 3 of the length scale of a system that is, V If length scale reduces from centimeters to micrometers, the volume decreases by 12 orders of magnitude. Therefore, micro world requires appropriate units for describing small quantities. Table 1.1 shows different units for description of microsystems. 

Note One may think that in micro world, automobile accidents would not take place by collisions but by drops of water abandoned in the road. One may also be surprised not to have many machines driven by surface tension till now. 

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