The understanding of the basic principles of chromatography is of high importance for chemistry, pharmacy, and biology students. In this paper, we present a free web application which can be used as a teaching tool to introduce chromatography to undergraduate students, using one of the simplest chromatography models: the plate theory.

In almost any given day, one will stumble upon sounds that are out of the ordinary, distinct enough to capture one's attention. Ordinary sounds in a home are represented by the white-noise-like background created by speaking, moving around, household appliances running, and so forth. The out of the ordinary is the sparkling sound of a knife blade…

Over the past 25 years, the Davidson College Physics Department has developed small computer programs called Physlets. These programs were written in Java and distributed as Java applets embedded in HTML pages. Physics teachers from around the world used Physlets to author interactive computer-based curricular materials for the teaching of…

The Idea Bank provides tips and techniques for creative teaching, in about 1,000 words. For this article, the authors analyzed 93 educational applications (apps) that have the potential to help students meaningfully engage in the science practices outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards. Some of the ways teachers can use these apps in…

This article presents a lesson that was designed to explore the scientific descriptions of matter through both the intensive and extensive properties that students successfully added to their vocabulary. Students' examples demonstrated that there were places where their reasoning about matter faltered as related to how the material is the same…

Mobile devices have become a popular form of education technology, but little attention has been paid to the use of their sensors for data collection and analysis. This article describes some of the benefits of using mobile devices this way and presents five challenges to help students overcome common misconceptions about force and motion. The…

The traditional Run the Football Field physics activity--in which students are timed as they move at different speeds on a football field to investigate displacement and velocity--has been updated for the 21st century. Nowadays, GPS-enabled tablets and smartphones replace the stopwatches and yard markers of the past, allowing students to collect…

Discusses an easy way of interfacing physics experiments to a microcomputer, providing information on the "analog input port" of a BBC microcomputer. Also describes a capacitor discharge experiment with suggestions for several student activities such as investigating decay curve shapes. Program listing is available from author. (DH)

Because a teacher and a student were seated on either end of a log (facing each other), there was direct, eye-to-eye, one-on-one communication. If properly used, computers can take the place of the log, establishing the eye-to-eye, one-on-one, two-way communication. Advantages occur because computers are interactive, individualized, modular, and…

Relates the experiences of a naive computer-using teacher attempting to integrate the microcomputer into a course unit on human anatomy. Based on these experiences, advice is offered to others who are incorporating computers into their courses for the first time. (JN)

Describes use of microcomputer-driven electronic digitizers (such as graphics tablets) in the hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of topographical maps. Focuses on their use in developing input data for a microcomputer program that calculates the statistical moments of the hypsometric integral and its density function. (BC)

Reviews a chem-study experiment in which students weigh and compare equal volumes of gases and enter their data into a microcomputer. Benefits of using the microcomputer include: (1) data table generation; (2) elimination of calculation errors; (3) student conclusions which are meaningful; and (4) efficient grading time for the teacher. (DH)

Describes a microcomputer program (written for the Apple II+) which can serve as a lecture demonstration aid in explaining genetic transcription and translation. The program provides unemotional information on student errors, thus serving as a review drill to supplement the classroom. Student participation and instructor options are discussed. (DH)

Questionnaire responses from 193 high schools indicate that very few science teachers use microcomputers regularly in classrooms. Descriptions of schools/science departments, background information on faculty using microcomputers, and nature/extent of utilization are discussed along with possible causes of limited use and recommendations for…

Describes: (1) laboratory information science in the clinical chemistry curriculum; (2) testing Boyle's Law, a context for statistical methods in undergraduate laboratories; (3) acquiring chemical concepts using microcomputers as tutees; and (4) using Data Interchange Format files for Apple microcomputers. Includes feedback from a previous article…