Presents experiments that use Helmholtz resonators and have been designed for a sophomore-level course in oscillations and waves. Discusses the theory of the Helmholtz resonator and resonance curves. (JRH)

Describes how burying beetles can be used to explore conflicts between breeding individuals. Discusses conflict over the ownership of the resource and of the breeding group. (JRH)

Describes a combination of solutions that can be used in the study of kinetics using the iodine clock reaction. The combination slows down degradation of the prepared solutions and can be used successfully for several weeks. (JRH)

Discusses some of the important characteristics of fungi. Presents exercises designed to introduce students to factors influencing the development of mushroom fruiting bodies. (JRH)

Discusses the behavior of the current near the end of the paper in the electric-field mapping experiment and approaches to solving problems associated with this behavior. Presents programs that can be used to model the boundary condition computationally. (JRH)

Describes a diffraction experiment that uses circular holes salvaged from nonaerosol hair spray bottles to produce spectacular circular interference fringes. (JRH)

Presents a model experiment for quantifying phagocytosis using earthworm coelomocytes and determining the optimum length of time necessary to obtain maximum phagocytosis. Involves incubating coelomocytes from invertebrates with an antigen, staining the cells, counting the number of antigen particles ingested, and measuring the effect of different…

Describes the preparation of a simple microbiological medium using inexpensive materials routinely available in any supermarket. Discusses inoculation of the medium and colony examination. (JRH)

Beginning teachers of scientific technical writing often have little background knowledge in the sciences; thus, they may encounter difficulty in dealing with technical reports. To achieve clear explanations of the effects of scientific experiments, scientific writers need to know the following general principles: (1) the function of all the…

Details a simple quantitative experiment to measure the percent of oxygen in air. (DKM)

Discusses the impact of various factors on the "charring reaction" of a carbohydrate with concentrated sulfuric acid including the type of sugar, the degree of fineness of the sugar crystals, and the amount of water added. (JRH)

Highlights glucosinolates-a family of secondary metabolites from plants of high culinary and nutritional value. Describes experiments that demonstrate the enzymatic degradation of glucosinolates. Teaches students about the distribution, variation, chemistry, and function of a family of natural products important in plant protection, food spicing,…

Describes an apparatus for crystal growth that was designed to study growth kinetics of small crystals from solutions and to obtain crystals of various substances. Describes the use of the apparatus in laboratory practical experiments in the field of crystal growth physics within the course "Solid State Physics". (JRH)

Presents activities that involve the separation and identification of dyes from mouthwashes and the determination of their alcohol content. Provides a review of various analytical techniques and shows students that more than one instrument or technique may be required to analyze a product. (JRH)

Describes the design and construction of a safe student quantitative conductivity apparatus. Discusses experimental results. (JRH)