[7 Sep 2001] Students in the classroom may learn in the same way that atoms
                         in a magnet respond to a magnetic field. Argentine physicists Clelia
                         Bordogna and Ezequiel Albano believe that the Ising model, which usually
                         describes how atomic spins behave in magnets, can also predict how groups
                         of students absorb and exchange knowledge. They think it could even
                         describe the larger-scale 'social learning' that takes place on the Internet (C
                         Bordogna and E Albano 2001 Phys. Rev. Lett. 87 118701).

                         Bordogna and Albano of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Physical Chemistry
                         in La Plata compare the teacher with an applied magnetic field and suggest that the
                         achievement of each student in a class is analogous to the alignment of the
                         individual spins. Achievement depends largely on the ability of the teacher, but social
                         effects are also significant. Classroom discussion is usually a 'positive' effect - it
                         tends to increase knowledge, or 'align' spins - but idle chatter hinders learning, and
                         'misaligns' the spins.

                         In order to predict learning trends, Bordogna and Albano assigned scores to different
                         kinds of social interactions. They found that their predictions closely matched data
                         gathered in the classroom by educational psychologists. According to the Ising
                         model, a single misaligned spin in a magnet will quickly reposition itself to match its
                         neighbours. Similarly, it accurately predicts that struggling students will catch up
                         quickly if they join a class of high-achievers.

                         The 'persuasiveness' of a student - which is similar to the 'aligning' force exerted
                         between neighbouring atoms - is also a strong factor, and the theory correctly
                         predicts that team-work strongly aids learning, no matter how persuasive the
                         teacher.

                         Bordogna and Albano are optimistic that their study could be extended to describe
                         how people use the Internet to learn. Although there are important differences - many
                         more people are involved, the nature of the interactions is different and there is no
                         teacher - they believe that the principles are the same.

                         Some sociologists are uncomfortable with the use of mathematics to describe
                         education, and argue that social situations are too complex to be reduced to
                         equations. But David Byrne, a sociologist at the University of Durham in the UK,
                         points out that people would have been sceptical about modelling economics and
                         biology 25 years ago.