During the coronavirus pandemic, there have been significant challenges in the remote teaching and demonstration of experiments, especially those that require laboratory testing equipment. With a desire to give students a feel for our materials laboratory on open days and allow them to gain a deeper understanding of what materials science and…

Here, we propose the use of magnetic levitation (MagLev) device, as a simple, cheap, and portable experimental technique to measure the density of diamagnetic materials in laboratory settings. We highlight the basics of a standard MagLev system for measuring the density of unknown diamagnetic materials/objects using permanent magnets, paramagnetic…

Many research results show that students often highlight "mixed-type" reasoning when tackling problematic situations and problems. This reasoning is based on the simultaneous use of common-sense and mere descriptions of facts, perceived as sufficient to build an "explanation" of observed or proposed situations and problems.…

Virtual experiments are beneficial and effective learning activities providing the opportunity to investigate the relationship between the experimental findings and the theories. There exist several advantages of using virtual experiments, including, among other things: 7/24 availability, opportunity of unlimited iterations, and working with an…

The Fowler Diet Cola Test (DCT) was originally developed to assess the scientific process skills of students in science classrooms. The use of the test is generally suggested for gifted students in science. There are considerable number of Scientific Process Skills (SPS) tests that the researchers developed for different student population. The…

In this study, the kinetic friction coefficient for a block moving on an inclined plane was determined with the help of three different methods (a smartphone application, "Phyphox," a video analysis program, "Tracker" and a simulation program, "Algodoo") which can be performed easily using simple materials by the…

This paper demonstrates the use of a smartphone as a low-cost multi-channel optical fibre spectrophotometer suitable for physics laboratory classes. A custom-designed cradle and structure support were fabricated using 3D printing. The plastic optical fibres were arranged and inserted into the hole of the cradle to guide the light to the rear…

We present a sequence of two physics experiments, designed for use with secondary students, which investigate the specific heat of sand, both qualitatively and quantitatively, without a calorimeter. We use two LM35 temperature sensors and an Arduino prototype board for data acquisition. The results are good and allow teachers to discuss the…

An experiment was developed for a first year food chemistry laboratory course that demonstrates the influence of several aspects of polysacharide structure on the rate of amylase catalyzed hydrolysis. The experiment would be particularly well-suited to a first year chemistry course that was targeted at nonchemistry majors, such as health related…

Inorganic Chemistry teaches students the concept that modifications to ligand structures, especially the donor properties, can have a drastic impact on the reactivity and stability of the metal complexes. Experiments described here reinforce this concept through the investigation of two tetradentate ligands derived from…

Integrating new synthetic methods and experimental techniques from the latest research reports into undergraduate laboratory experiments is of great significance, as it enables students to learn the cutting-edge technology of organic chemistry and cultivates their experimental skills and innovative thinking. In this study, an experiment on their…

It is a well known fact that the Earth carries a net negative charge that produces a downward electrostatic field. The present experiment shows how this field can be measured with a Field Mill which has been constructed from components readily available in the Laboratory. In fine weather conditions a value of 120 (±10) V m[superscript -1] was…

A surprising phenomenology from a traditional demonstration experiment in Geometrical Optics reveals here an interesting matter of discussion and analysis. Hence, the main focus of this paper is to observe and discuss such an innovative phenomenology.

Much of analytical chemistry involves the analysis of complex mixtures, where careful attention to sample preparation and method selectivity is required to avoid interferents and obtain accurate data. As this type of analysis is very different from simple colorimetric analysis that most students are exposed to in general chemistry, this laboratory…

Popular demonstrations commonly use stretched spandex fabric to illustrate the way in which curved spacetime mimics the force of gravity in general relativity. There are significant potential conceptual pitfalls to such an approach. In particular, it obscures the fact that most of what we ordinarily feel as gravity is due to the warping of time…