The physical problem of a body of water in a tank that drains through a hole in the base is a classical problem that has been studied since at least the time of Torricelli. To fixate this in a student's mind, one could ask them to visualize a bathtub that is being drained through the plughole or a bottle being drained through a tap. This problem…

We used a novel approach that combined direct PCR of plant tissue and SRAP DNA fingerprinting to seek to identify the crosses made in "Brassica rapa" used in the Wisconsin Fast Plants. Our goal was to develop a rapid method for students to use in a biology, botany, or genetics class to identify the parental types (purple stem, non-purple…

Students encounter antioxidants in many areas of their daily life. Antioxidants play a crucial role in cosmetics, in nutritional or dietary supplements, as additives for the preservation of food, and as a natural component in fruit and vegetables. Accordingly, antioxidants are believed to promote health through the prevention of oxidative stress…

Collaborative experiences have been widely integrated into the classroom and laboratory, with goals to build time management, communication, and team-working skills. Most reported laboratory collaborations occur between students within the same lab section, which could limit the potential benefits of these experiences. Presented herein is an…

Implementing smartphones with their internal sensors into physics experiments represents a modern, attractive, and authentic approach to improve students' conceptual understanding of physics. In such experiments, smartphones often serve as objects with physical properties and as digital measurement devices to record, display, and analyze…

An emergent theme from the past spring during COVID-19 remote learning was the difficulty of providing meaningful, relevant, hands-on, wet chemistry experiences at home and the potential impact of their absence upon student learning and engagement. This article shares the process and results of developing an appropriate, easy, inexpensive, safe,…

Cyclic voltammetry (CV) is the most popular electrochemical technique for the study of electrode processes. One of the reasons for its popularity is its adjustable timescale which can vary several orders of magnitude simply by varying the rate at which the potential is scanned. Changing the scan rate affects CV features including the current,…

Science and engineering students in the second semester of a calculus-based physics sequence typically study and measure the on-axis magnetic field for a multiple, circular turn coil. There are four benefits to this approach: 1) an analytical solution is easily obtained, 2) the coil is easily constructed using tightly wound, high-gauge wire where…

We present a simple experiment that allows us to demonstrate graphically that the intensity of sound waves is proportional to the square of their amplitude, a result that is theoretically analyzed in any introductory wave course but rarely demonstrated empirically. To achieve our goal, we use an audio signal generator that, when connected to a…

The question from the title is raised because in almost all introductory physics courses/textbooks the atmospheric pressure has been attributed to the weight of the column of air from a given level in the atmosphere up to its top. "Air is pressing on air." However the same textbooks, in the chapter on the kinetic theory of gases, tell…

General chemistry laboratory curriculum reform is underway at a midsized state university through a collaborative, inclusive, and iterative approach. Using a backward design approach, faculty collaborated to actualize a shared vision, define laboratory learning objectives, and outline considerations for inclusivity during summer workshops that…

Ever increasing technological progress opens novel opportunities concerning educational activities, and the ability to use the technology effectively is one of the 21st century's most demanding skills. The Partnership Forum for 21st-Century Skills (P21) states that no organization can achieve satisfying results without using technology and…

The article describes a new version of a demonstration experiment for the Maxwell distribution. In the first part students analyse the applicability of the Gaussian distribution to the projection of the particle velocities in the suggested experiment. Further, students observe two-dimensional distribution of particles by the modulus of velocity in…

Physics II is an undergraduate course on basic electromagnetism that I teach for engineers, and it includes topics from optics as a natural application. Among the many challenges of conducting video lectures during the local restrictions of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic was finding demonstration material. In this article, I describe how these…

We consider the operation of the hypothetical mechanical vehicle driven by an engine powered by small rockets introduced by P D Hanstead in the inaugural volume of this journal. Hanstead arrived at three contradictory conclusions regarding the change in velocity should some of the rockets malfunction at a particular time. This thought experiment…