A History of the Physics Laboratory in the American Public High School (to 1910)

This paper attempts to trace the development of the American high-school physics laboratory from its beginnings in the early 1800's to its culminating domination of the science-teaching scene in 1910. An effort has been made to follow lines of educational and scientific thinking during the successive stages of development, so that a total picture of the cultural and social forces that shaped this form of science education emerges.