In this work, the first experiment ever done to determine the age of the Earth is revisited. The benefits of its application at primary and secondary school levels are presented and discussed. In particular, emphasis is placed on the advantage of facing students with the challenges that scientists have had to overcome during the past three…

In this exercise the US Standard Atmosphere is used as "data" that a student is asked to model by deriving equations to reproduce it with the help of spreadsheet and graphing software. The exercise can be used as a laboratory or an independent study for a student of introductory physics to provide an introduction to scientific research…

Describes experimental procedures to produce magnetic fields with a thermocouple. Provides diagrams showing the apparatus, tables of experiment data, and background information on the theory. (YP)

Describes an experiment which uses a radioactive source, a Sodium Iodide detector, and a simple counting apparatus possessed by most universities and colleges. The decay scheme and the theory of nuclear beta decay are presented. (Author/SA)