In this exercise, an actual chemical reaction, oxidation of iron in air, is studied along with a related analogue simulation of that reaction. The rusting of steel wool is carried out as a class effort. The parallel simulation is performed by students working in small groups. The analogue for the reacting gas is a countable set of discrete marble…

Presents a unit on chemical reaction kinetics that consists of a predemonstration activity, the demonstration, and a set of postdemonstration activities that help students transfer the concepts to actual chemical reactions. Simulates various aspects of chemical reaction kinetics. (JRH)

Newton's laws can be illustrated by having physics students participate in various activities while on roller skates. Several examples of such activities (including photographs) are provided. (JN)

Describes a computer simulation experiment in which physical chemistry students can determine all of the kinetic parameters of a reaction, such as order of the reaction with respect to each reagent, forward and reverse rate constants for the overall reaction, and forward and reverse activation energies. (MLH)

Describes programs that have been developed to allow kinetic experiments to be simulated on a small computer. Reports the principles that have guided the conception of the programs and describes an instance of their application to a complex reaction. (Author/GS)

Presented is a computer simulation called "The Great Chemical Bead Game" which can be used to teach the concepts of equilibrium and kinetics to introductory chemistry students more clearly than through an experiment. Discussed are the rules of the game, the application of rate laws and graphical analysis. (CW)

A new, simple classroom technique helps cell biology students understand principles of Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics. A student mimics the enzyme and the student's hand represents the enzyme's active site. The catalytic event is the transfer of marbles (substrate molecules) by hand from one plastic container to another. As predicted, increases…

Describes a simulation of chemical reactions to help students understand factors that affect the rates of chemical reactions. (PR)

Investigates the construction of understanding of the motion of an object down an inclined plane which takes place through the process of model building in an integrated algebra, trigonometry, and physics class. Discusses four major themes related to student learning through modeling that emerged from the results. Discusses implications for…