This paper describes an innovative, new, laboratory experiment conceived as a Senior Capstone Project by the student authors to provide experience with heat pipes for students in our junior-year Process Laboratory course at the University of Utah. Heat pipes can transport energy over long distances with minimal temperature gradients and no moving…

Tofu, a traditional Chinese food, is now popular worldwide. However, few people notice the chemistry that is involved in its production. To shed light on this, we have designed a simple demonstration for lower-level undergraduates in organic chemistry or biochemistry courses to help them understand the chemistry principles that underlie the…

This paper describes the combination of problem-based learning (PBL) and simulation tools in the chemical engineering unit operation laboratory course, focusing on heat transfer concepts using a shell-and-tube heat exchanger experiment. This approach has significantly enhanced student learning outcomes by bridging theory with practice, fostering a…

After waiting in a long line for your favourite cup of coffee, you finally sit down with your mug and find that the coffee is still scalding hot! How long do you need to wait before you can enjoy it? Once it cools enough, how much time do you have to enjoy it? Are there ways to speed up the process? These questions motivate the presented modelling…

Spin crossover (SCO) materials that switch between two different spin states, that is, the high spin (HS) and the low spin (LS) state, with very different optical, magnetic, and structural properties offer a unique platform to understand the consequences induced by the different electronic configurations of transition metal complexes. Due to the…

The Arduino microcontroller is currently one of the favorite tools of makers, and many teachers have used it in teaching or experiments. In addition, light-emitting diode (LED) smart lighting is the worldwide trend in lighting. There are many teaching demonstrations or applications of color addition using LEDs. Furthermore, the Internet of Things…

Single slit diffraction and the thermal expansion of materials are common components of an undergraduate physics course, though these topics are often taught independently in both lectures and laboratory based courses. Higher levels of cognitive domains can be achieved by building on these established topics and combining them into a single…

Frozen peas and carrots are commonly available in grocery stores in the United States. The carrots are cut into cubes roughly 8 mm on a side, while the peas are roughly spherical with a diameter of about 6 mm. They are prepared together in water that is brought to a boil. The peas and carrots, which are initially mixed together, separate as the…

Calorimetry is a central concept in the first semester general chemistry curriculum, and constant pressure (coffee-cup) calorimetry is a common experiment in the laboratory. However, constant volume (bomb) calorimetry is traditionally reserved for the physical chemistry laboratory. This article describes the advantages of incorporating bomb…

Why do we need to pour less water in an egg steamer to prepare more eggs to the same degree of 'doneness'? We discuss the physical processes at work in the electric egg steamer and resolve this seeming paradox. We demonstrate that the main heat transfer mechanism from steam to egg is due to latent heat through condensation. This not only explains…

This paper reports the quantification of Ca, Mg, and Fe as micronutrients in different vegetables (spinach, sugar beets, and carrots) from raw and processed samples. Simple extraction procedures, titrations, and spectrophotometric analysis were used to determine the amounts of micronutrients before and after cooking. From the obtained results, an…

The necessity to teach experimental physics in the pandemic period motivated the development of practices in which students may take measurements with instruments constructed by themselves. In this article, we present an experimental practice to approach Newton's law of cooling with a thermoscope (the earliest device for detecting changes in…

The refractive index of a liquid is known to depend strongly on the temperature gradient of liquids. When a laser beam passes through a transparent material going through thermal diffusion, the light projected onto a screen will be displaced in relation to the thermal diffusivity. A simple apparatus is used to measure the time evolution t of the…

This work presents the design of an inexpensive electronic system to measure water temperature and generate an experimental data set used to verify the fitting between experimental and theoretical curves of a water-cooling process. The cooling constant is computed with three different theoretical methods to check their efficiency and this approach…

The article describes research work that can help students observe and experimentally research the effects caused by the emission component of the filament current in fluorescent lamps' cathodes. When analysing the work of electronic devices--multi-purpose lamps that use thermionic emission--research usually focuses on the current caused by the…