This thesis concerns the use of an analogue as an aid to a problem solving program. A -working system, the advantages of the analogue it uses, the mechanisms required, and the interaction of ether forms of knowledge are described. The program, WHISPER, uses a diagram together with procedures for modifying it, as an analogue of a situation involving a stack of arbitrarily shaped rigid bodies. It determines a stack's stability and predicts the motions cf any unstable object by examining the situation's diagram. The analogue is particularly valuable in detecting discontinuities in an object's motion. For example, collisions with other objects or cliffs an object might slide over can be 'seen' in the diagram rather than having to be inferred from a description of the situation. WHISPER uses a simulated parallel processing 'retina' to look at the diagram which is encoded in a two-dimensional array. It consists of a fixed number of processors operating in parallel and communicating only with their immediate neighbours. WHISPER's retina resembles the human retina in some respects. Its resolution decreases away from its center. It can be moved to fixate on different sections of a diagram. A set of domain independent features are extracted from WHISPER's diagrams by procedures, called perceptual primitives, which execute on the parallel processing retina. Example features are: symmetry of an object, similarity of two objects, and contacts of an object with ether objects. In addition to these primitives, the retina can be used to 'visualize1 the rotation of an object without having to move it directly in the diagram The advantages of analogues are classified in terms of two categories according to whether a correspondence exists between the behaviour of the analogue and the behaviour of the external situation, or whether a correspondence exists between the static configurations of the analogue and those of the external situation. Some reasons for the effectiveness of analogues are presented. / Science, Faculty of / Computer Science, Department of / Graduate

No description available.

Analogies have long been tools of discovery in mathematics and science, and are often used in the classroom as explanatory devices to help students understand difficult science concepts. However, research has shown that for many students, analogies engender misconceptions rather than scientists' science. It is believed that misconceptions arise when students reconstruct their knowledge within the context of their prior conceptions, and that misconceptions arise whenever the student has a different conception of the analog to the teacher or the student applies the analogy beyond its limits.The literature is richly endowed with descriptions of how it is thought that analogies generate meaning and contain a range of suggestions for improving classroom pedagogy when analogies are used. Five teaching models have been identified which claim to improve analogical instruction, and one of these, the teaching-with-analogies (TWA) model (Glynn, 1989) has been modified at the Science and Mathematics Education Centre of Curtin University for use in secondary science classrooms. To date, no empirical studies have been performed to determine the efficacy of this modified TWA model.This study set out to evaluate the modified TWA model in a qualitative interpretive manner by observing teachers, who had been in-serviced about the model, using analogies in their lessons. Data were generated from the verbatim transcripts of each teacher's in-class performance, each teacher's post-lesson interview and interviews with a number of the students who received the analogical instruction. The emergent data were interpreted from a constructivist perspective with attention being given to credibility, dependability and confirmability.The data derived from one teacher teaching four analogies to Year 8 and 10 science students were reported in this thesis. Three of these analogies were taught using ++ / the modified TWA model and these analogies were, light waves are like water waves, conduction of heat in a solid is like the domino effect and the refraction of light as it passes from air into perspex is like a pair of wheels rolling from a smooth surface onto a rough surface. The fourth analogy in which the size of a mole was illustrated using three brief analogies was reported only briefly because the teacher failed to use the modified TWA model during this lesson.The study's findings demonstrated that student understanding of difficult science concepts did appear to be enhanced by the use of the modified TWA model when analogies were included in the lesson. For analogies to be effective, it is believed that two teacher activities are essential: firstly, ensuring that the students understand the analog in the same way as the teacher and secondly, that the unshared attributes of the analogy are highlighted during the lesson. It is also asserted that an exemplary teacher, teaching-in-field, can integrate the modified TWA model into her teaching if she is provided with peer support over at least three to four uses of the model during normal lessons. It appears that maintenance of the TWA model within a teacher's pedagogy requires a supportive colleague to provide critical feedback and encouragement.This study raised some important questions that should be addressed in future research on the use of the modified TWA model. Can the modified TWA model produce conceptual change where alternative student conceptions are firmly entrenched? Can the modified TWA model be incorporated into the pedagogy of most teachers? Is there a more appropriate model for teaching-with-analogies?

Wong Chun Kit. / Thesis submitted in: October 2006. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-76). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Background and Motivation --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Objectives --- p.4 / Chapter 1.3 --- Contributions --- p.4 / Chapter 1.4 --- Thesis Outline --- p.5 / Chapter 2 --- Digital Signal Processing --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.6 / Chapter 2.2 --- Discrete-time Signals and Systems --- p.7 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Discrete-time Signals --- p.7 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Discrete-time Signal Processing Systems --- p.9 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Linear Time-Invariant (LTI) Systems --- p.10 / Chapter 2.3 --- Finite Impulse Response (FIR) Filters --- p.13 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Introduction --- p.13 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Windowing FIR Filter Design Method --- p.15 / Chapter 2.4 --- Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) Filters --- p.17 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Introduction --- p.17 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Bilinear Transform IIR Filter Design Method --- p.18 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- Spectral Transformations of IIR Filters --- p.22 / Chapter 2.5 --- Comparison on FIR and IIR Filters --- p.25 / Chapter 2.6 --- Digital Signal Resampling --- p.26 / Chapter 2.6.1 --- Introduction --- p.26 / Chapter 2.6.2 --- Resampling by Decimation --- p.26 / Chapter 2.6.3 --- Resampling by Interpolation --- p.28 / Chapter 2.6.4 --- Resampling by a Rational Factor --- p.29 / Chapter 2.7 --- Introduction to Dual Fixed-point (DFX) Representation --- p.30 / Chapter 2.8 --- Summary --- p.33 / Chapter 3 --- Lyon and Mead's Cochlea Model --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.34 / Chapter 3.2 --- Digital Cochlea Model: Cascaded IIR Filters --- p.37 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Introduction --- p.37 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Bandwidth and Centre frequencies --- p.38 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Zeros and Poles --- p.39 / Chapter 3.3 --- Modifications for Decimated Cochlea Model --- p.41 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Introduction --- p.41 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Aliasing Avoidance --- p.42 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Coefficient Modification after Decimation --- p.43 / Chapter 3.4 --- Summary --- p.47 / Chapter 4 --- System Architecture --- p.48 / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.48 / Chapter 4.2 --- Hardware Platform and CAD Tools --- p.48 / Chapter 4.3 --- Sequential Processing Electronic Cochlea --- p.51 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Pipelining - An Interleaving Scheme --- p.53 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Decimation in Sequential Processing Electronic Cochlea . --- p.54 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Multiple Sequential Cores --- p.55 / Chapter 4.3.4 --- Architecture of the DFX Filter Computation Core --- p.55 / Chapter 4.4 --- Summary --- p.60 / Chapter 5 --- Experimental Results --- p.61 / Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.61 / Chapter 5.2 --- Testing Environment --- p.61 / Chapter 5.3 --- Performance of the Sequential Electronic Cochlea --- p.63 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Comparisons --- p.63 / Chapter 5.4 --- Summary --- p.69 / Chapter 6 --- Conclusions --- p.70 / Chapter 6.1 --- Future Work --- p.72 / Bibliography --- p.73

In this thesis, you will find a review the development process of a multimedia presentation designed to assist the teaching of chemical equilibrium using analogies. The objective of this thesis is to report on the process of designing animated analogies and the subsequent employment of these analogies in a teaching program for grades 11 and 12 students. This thesis describes a case study in the effective use of technology in the classroom based on established research in the field of analogical thinking. The work begins with a review of relevant literature from the fields of constructivism, collaborative learning and multimedia in education. The design phase of the research sought to discover if analogies for chemical equilibrium could be successfully transferred to a multimedia presentation on a computer. The subsequent testing of the software endeavoured to discover the most appropriate teaching strategies and if the use of such a program could enhance the learning process for students. The work resulted in a completed CDROM with full teaching program included which you will find attached to this thesis. The results indicate that the experience was a positive one and that there is some evidence to show increased ability in the students in their attempts to understand a conceptually difficult area of chemistry theory.

No description available.

Thesis (PhD) -- University of South Australia, 1998

Reprint of an article by the author bound in at back of volume / vi, 192 leaves : ill., plates ; 27 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Botany, 1974

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Botany, 1974. / Reprint of an article by the author bound in at back of volume.

Thesis. 1978. Ocean E.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Ocean Engineering. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Includes bibliographical references. / Ocean E.