Undergraduates use a spike sorting routine developed in Octave to analyze the spiking activity generated from mechanical stimulation of spines of cockroach legs with the inexpensive SpikerBox amplifier and the free software Audacity. Students learn the procedures involved in handling the cockroaches and recording extracellular action potentials…

A modern cybernetic potentiostat plays a significant role in realizing various electrochemical measurements. This technology report describes a general-purpose, scalable, handheld (10 cm[superscript 2]), yet affordable hardware-software framework for a potentiostat, galvanostat, and electrochemical impedance spectrometer with high capabilities:(1)…

The use of radioactive isotopes in radioactive decay studies can be a problem due to the manipulation of radioisotopes, expensive equipment, and the difficulty of finding samples with a reasonable half-life (between 1 and 10 min). In this paper, we present a mock-up of a Geiger-Mu¨ller counter plus three fictitious radioisotopes. They form an…

We present a thermodynamics experiment suitable for first year undergraduate students employing Stirling Engines to create a demonstration of energy transformation and to measure the mechanical efficiency of such engines. Using an inexpensive transparent chambered Stirling Engine, students can connect concepts such as the theoretical…

Technically simple and extremely cheap setups for colorimetric and fluorimetric analyses using a smartphone camera are presented. Laboratory activities on digital colorimetric and fluorimetric analyses for students of secondary and higher educational institutions are proposed, namely, photocolorimetric determination of acetylsalicylic acid in…

We present a simple experiment that allows us to demonstrate graphically that the intensity of sound waves is proportional to the square of their amplitude, a result that is theoretically analyzed in any introductory wave course but rarely demonstrated empirically. To achieve our goal, we use an audio signal generator that, when connected to a…

This paper presents the case for how students can be helped to increase their scientific vocation by experimental work and the introduction of particle physics into pre-university studies. These two ideas are the two main lines of work of the ADMIRA initiative, which has been created by individuals belonging to different and complementary…

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected teaching processes worldwide, particularly in laboratory-intensive courses. To adapt, online experiments have been implemented globally. In response, educators at the Department of Chemistry, Chulalongkorn University, developed a Lab@Home chemistry experiment for their general chemistry lab course…

Recently, small computer fans have been demonstrated to be an effective method for teaching simple resistive circuits both qualitatively and quantitatively. The current through the fans is related to the rotational speed of the fans and allows multiple senses to be engaged (touch, sight, and hearing). Methods for learning simple circuits in an…

We have added two improvements to a self-luminous LED stroboscope (a flashing point-like projectile developed for introductory mechanics): downsizing by replacing heavy and risky batteries with a compact and safe capacitor of several Farads (a so-called Super-C) and wireless control via ordinary IR (infrared) communications. Consequently, the…

Siphons have been used since ancient times to transport water between two points over an intervening barrier higher than the water source. This paper describes a practical application of a siphon to provide fresh water to a remote island community in the Solomon Islands. The siphon was constructed from 25 mm diameter blue line polyethylene pipe.…

Student understanding of the laws that describe the flow of a fluid is often hampered by a defective knowledge of basic classical mechanics (kinematics, statics, dynamics, and conservation laws) and by wrong common-sense ideas about quantities related to fluids, such as velocity and pressure. A pedagogical discussion about the Venturi effect,…

An apparatus of the 70s for measuring thermal conductivity in different materials is used to visualize, through an infrared thermal imaging approach, temperature fields and the heat diffusion process. The observed temperature profiles also suggest solid grounds for a fair mathematical modelling of this phenomenon.

Cola beverages are widely consumed and popular among students; they can be used as safe reagents to replace toxic chemical dyes. In this study, a safe and improved experiment is described, which successfully demonstrates Beer's law and adsorption process using activated carbon as the adsorbent and cola as the adsorbate. The results of this study…

Instrumentation plays a vital role in almost every area of chemistry. As such, it is imperative that the undergraduate curriculum is designed to allow students to have opportunities to use a variety of instruments to best prepare them for careers in chemistry. Previous work has provided evidence of the types of instruments students use in…