The Repairing of Misconceptions through the Use of Inquiry-Based Activities

Misconceptions exist in all fields of learning and develop through a person’s preconception of how the world works. Students with misconceptions in chemical engineering are not capable of correctly transferring knowledge to a new situation and will likely arrive at an incorrect solution. The purpose of this thesis was to repair misconceptions in thermodynamics by using inquiry-based activities. Inquiry-based learning is a method of teaching that involves hands-on learning and self-discovery. Previous work has shown inquiry-based methods result in better conceptual understanding by students relative to traditional lectures. The thermodynamics activities were designed to guide students towards the correct conceptual understanding through observing a preconception fail to hold up through an experiment or simulation. The developed activities focus on the following topics in thermodynamics: “internal energy versus enthalpy”, “equilibrium versus steady state”, and “entropy”. For each topic, two activities were designed to clarify the concept and assure it was properly grasped. Each activity was coupled with an instructions packet containing experimental procedure as well as pre- and post-analysis questions, which were used to analyze the effect of the activities on the students’ responses. Concept inventories were used to monitor students’ conceptual understanding at the beginning and end of the semester. The results did not show a statistically significant increase in the overall concept inventory scores for students who performed the activities compared to traditional learning. There was a statistically significant increase in concept area scores for “internal energy versus enthalpy” and “equilibrium versus steady state”. Although there was not a significant increase in concept inventory scores for “entropy”, written analyses showed most students’ misconceptions were repaired. Students transferred knowledge effectively and retained most of the information in the concept areas of “internal energy versus enthalpy” and “equilibrium versus steady state”.

Steel profiles for repairing deteriorated timber beam ends

Se describe un procedimiento para la consolidación de viguetas de forjado de madera con deterioro en las cabezas mediante perfiles de acero conectados a la madera desde la cara superior del forjado. La pieza de refuerzo es un perfil en U de acero S275 conformado en frío con pletinas soldadas insertadas en la madera y conectada mediante tirafondos. Se ensayaron 30 piezas a flexión obteniendo la rigidez y la capacidad de carga. Las probetas se dividieron en tres grupos. El primero compuesto por 10 piezas de madera laminada encolada de abeto con una sección de 180 x 200 mm y una longitud de 4.000 mm; el segundo consistía en 10 piezas de madera aserrada de pino silvestre con la misma sección y longitud y, el tercero, estaba formado por otras 10 piezas de madera del género Pinus con una sección de 130 x 150 mm y 3.000 mm de longitud, procedentes de un edificio de Madrid con 120 años de antigüedad. Cada grupo de 10 piezas se dividió a su vez en dos grupos de 5 piezas. El primer subgrupo estaba formado por las piezas completas de madera y constituía el grupo de referencia. Las piezas del segundo subgrupo tenían una longitud inferior que se salvaba con una extensión del refuerzo metálico. Los resultados indican que el sistema de refuerzo metálico permite resolver los problemas de falta de apoyo de la vigueta por deterioro de la madera que afecte en una longitud limitada (aproximadamente entre el 10 y el 20% de la longitud).

Rehabilitating, repairing and restoring against demolishing, tearing down and destroying: the recovery of the military fort for the Santa Pola town museum

This communication develops the process of interventions of the Renaissance fortress of a new plant built in 1554–57 in Santa Pola. It is one of the earliest examples built with reference to military architecture theoretical treaties (XV–XVI) and best preserved. The study runs its own story from its initial military use, through the use of civil equipment until the final cultural and Museum Center. First, the project of Italian origin is examined and its use as barracks for troops for a duration of three centuries (1557–1850), pointing out the architectural constants of war machinery in a defense position and its origin as a rainwater collector and cistern: a perfect square with two bastions in which a plan of the uprising is preserved (1778). Secondly, we study the changes in the mentioned architecture throughout a century and a half (1850–1990) after its change of ownership (from the state to the municipality), and as a result of the new use as a city hall and public endowment: a market and health and leisure centre, which meant the demolition of defensive elements and the opening up to the outside of the inner parade ground. And thirdly, the new transfer of the municipal offices brings in the beginning of a project of transformations (1990–2015) that retrieves the demolished elements at the same time as it assigns the entire fort for a cultural centre: exhibition, research and history museum, promoting the identity between the citizens and the building which stands in the foundations of their city. The conclusions take us through an interesting route that goes from the approach of defensive tactics, its use as administrative headquarters to the current cultural policy of preservation. In addition, all the known plans of the fort are recovered (of military, civil and cultural use), some unpublished, as well as the project of the North wing that has guided the last operation and which has been set as a pattern of reference.

[Estimates from Walton & Moore for the raising and altering of seats in the anatomical room, and for repairing the lower room, northwest corner of the College House], 2 December 1806

The estimate includes projected costs for the materials and labor required for each renovation. The anatomical room needed its circular seats raised and altered. The renovation of the lower room included making new window frames and sashes (including replacing glass), installing new doors, and repairing the floors.

From J. Hunnewell with estimate of repairing Massachusetts Hall, [ca. 1790]

In this letter, J. Hunnewell writes President Willard with estimates for a new roof for Massachusetts Hall. Hunnewell enclosed estimated costs from both a carpenter and a mason for slate and composition roofs. Estimates include supply and labor costs.