One way to develop a cross-curricular lesson is to select the most common mathematical formulas used in science and carefully develop and implement tasks that allow students to make connections between the mathematical representations and theoretical/physical science concepts. The slope-intercept formula, which is used to study relationships…

This technology report alerts upper-division undergraduate chemistry faculty and lecturers to the use of Texas Instruments emulators as virtual graphing calculators. These may be used in multimedia lectures to instruct students on the use of their graphing calculators to obtain solutions to complex chemical problems. (Contains 1 figure.)

Before the advent of microcomputer-based labware (MBL), "time-of-flight" measurements for the speed of a transverse pulse on a string required elegant apparatus. This paper describes how to use an off-the-shelf MBL force sensor and a computer to perform the measurement. The data shown in this paper were collected using Vernier Software's wireless…

Our students like using the covers of their TI graphing calculators in an inquiry-based extension of a traditional exercise that challenges their preconceived ideas about friction. Biology major Fiona McGraw (Fig. 1) is obviously excited about the large coefficient of static friction ([mu][subscript s] = 1.3) for the four little rubber feet on her…

Much like a physical prism, which displays the frequency components of a light wave, Fourier analysis can be thought of as a mathematical prism that can tell us what harmonics or frequency components are contained in a recording of a sound wave. We wrote the MacScope II program so that the user could not only see a plot of the harmonic amplitudes…

The use of Calculator-Based Laboratory (CBL) technology, the graphing calculator, and the cooling and heating of water to model the behavior of consecutive first-order reactions is presented, where B is the reactant, I is the intermediate, and P is the product for an in-class demonstration. The activity demonstrates the spontaneous and consecutive…

A combination of graphical thinking with chemical and physical theories in the classroom is encouraged by using the Calculator-Based Laboratory System (CBL) with a temperature sensor and graphing calculator. The theory of first-order kinetics is logically explained with the aid of the cooling or heating of the metal bead of the CBL's temperature…

A demonstration, which shows that the graphing calculation can greatly supplement the computer and often eliminates the need for computers and science, is given. The graphic calculator is a handheld computer, more powerful than most sophisticated computer of 25 years ago.

In this article, the authors describe how to use a TI-73/83/84 graphing calculator and Vernier's LabPro/CBL2 probe system to take pH readings. This is not an endorsement of these products, but simply the authors' attempt to give readers an idea of what is involved in using this technology in the classroom. This activity can be accomplished using a…

Describes a mathematics and science project designed to help students gain some familiarity with constellations and trigonometry by using the TI-83 calculator as a tool. Specific constellations such as the Big Dipper (Plough) and other sets of stars are located using stereographic projection and graphed using scatterplots. (MM)

Describes projects for high school physics classes that use computer tools including integrated software packages, graphing calculators, and calculator-based lab and microcomputer-based lab. Sites available on the World Wide Web are discussed and specific examples of experiments based on Galileo and Newton are included. (LRW)

Describes the benefits of using calculator-based laboratory equipment in science classes. (WRM)

Describes the ChemKits initiative devised by private colleges in Kansas to help high school science teachers meet their needs for laboratory equipment. Discusses conclusions from three years of running the ChemKits teacher-education program. (WRM)

Discusses integrating mathematics/science with measurement for grades 6-12. Provides Web addresses for companies manufacturing data grabbers (instruments for gathering data in electronic form for graphing and analysis by graphing calculators and computers) and for sites offering instructional materials. Describes projects in architecture,…