This "Science note" arose out of practical work involving the dilution of ethanoic acid, the measurement of the pH of the diluted solutions and calculation of the acid dissociation constant, K[subscript a], for each diluted solution. The students expected the calculated values of K[subscript a] to be constant but they found that the…

In this laboratory, students calculated the nutritional value of common foods to assess the energy content needed to answer an everyday life application; for example, how many kilometers can an average person run with the energy provided by 100 g (3.5 oz) of beef? The optimized geometries and the formation enthalpies of the nutritional components…

This computational experiment presents qualitative molecular orbital (QMO) and computational quantum chemistry exercises of NO, NO[superscript+], and NO[superscript-]. Initially students explore several properties of the target molecules by Lewis diagrams and the QMO theory. Then, they compare qualitative conclusions with EHT and DFT calculations…

We propose an in silico experiment to introduce the classical density functional theory (cDFT). Density functional theories, whether quantum or classical, rely on abstract concepts that are nonintuitive; however, they are at the heart of powerful tools and active fields of research in both physics and chemistry. They led to the 1998 Nobel Prize in…

This laboratory exercise introduces undergraduate chemistry majors to the spectroscopic and theoretical study of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), corannulene. Students explore the spectroscopic properties of corannulene using UV-vis and Raman vibrational spectroscopies. They compare their experimental results to simulated vibrational…

In this exercise, students apply a combination of techniques to investigate the impact of metal identity and ligand field strength on the spin states of three d[superscript 5] transition-metal complexes: Fe(acac)[subscript 3], K[subscript 3][Fe(CN)[subscript 6]], and Ru(acac)[subscript 3], where acac[superscript -] is acetylacetonate. Students…

This paper describes theory and experiments, taken from biophysics and physiological measurements, to illustrate the technique of signal averaging. In the process, students are introduced to the basic concepts of signal processing, such as digital filtering, Fourier transformation, baseline correction, pink and Gaussian noise, and the cross- and…

The flight trajectory of a water rocket can be reasonably calculated if the magnitude of the drag coefficient is known. The experimental determination of this coefficient with enough precision is usually quite difficult, but in this paper we propose a simple free-fall experiment for undergraduate students to reasonably estimate the drag…

Melting temperatures of oligonucleotides are useful for a number of molecular biology applications, such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Although melting temperatures are often calculated with simplistic empirical equations, application of thermodynamics provides more accurate melting temperatures and an opportunity for students to apply…

The European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE), in collaboration with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina of Egypt and the participation of schools from all around the world, performed the Eratosthenes experiment on 21 June 2010. This activity has been selected as one of the finalists in the 11th international prize organized by Ciencia en…

Chemists have used computational science methodologies for a number of decades and their utility continues to be unabated. For this reason we developed an advanced lab in computational chemistry in which students gain understanding of general strengths and weaknesses of computation-based chemistry by working through a specific research problem.…

Explains the use of a convex lens as a thick mirror. Shows the expression for the power of this type mirror. (YP)

Presents a science project involving the production, transportation, handling and preparation of food for human consumption. Calculations of caloric value of the food intake and the energy costs of cooking are included. (Author/SA)

The theoretical basis for the calculation of hydration numbers is developed. (BB)