Single slit diffraction and the thermal expansion of materials are common components of an undergraduate physics course, though these topics are often taught independently in both lectures and laboratory based courses. Higher levels of cognitive domains can be achieved by building on these established topics and combining them into a single…

For nearly two decades, augmented reality (AR) has found diverse applications in education, particularly in science education, where its efficacy has been supported by relevant theories and many empirical studies. However, previous studies have revealed the following research deficit: While AR technology appears to influence learning-related…

Undergraduate physics laboratory exercises are very important in shaping students' attitude to science, especially for future teachers. Recently, it is necessary to look for ways to easily create large quantities of experimental sets, not only for institutional use, but also for sets that can be produced in large quantities and distributed for use…

As quantum information science and technology (QIST) is becoming more prevalent and occurring not only in research labs but also in industry, many educators are considering how best to incorporate learning about quantum mechanics into various levels of education. Although much of the focus has been on quantum concepts in nonlab courses, current…

Nanoparticles are an increasingly important tool in chemistry research, but currently there are few opportunities for chemistry students to work with nanoparticles in undergraduate analytical courses. In this exercise, designed for an analytical or instrumental analysis lab course, students have the opportunity to work with solutions of silver…

We propose to reconsider the well-known experiment about the interference of white light from a thin soap film by adopting as an illuminating source the RGB triad produced by a LED projector. The interference pattern shows up in a particularly fascinating way and it contains direct, essential information about both the wave nature of light and of…

Synthesis of quantum dots is a valuable experiment for demonstration and discussion of quantum phenomena in undergraduate chemistry curricula. Recently, a new class of all-inorganic perovskite quantum dots (QDs) with a formula of CsPbX[subscript 3] (X = Cl, Br, I) was presented and attracted tremendous attention. Here we adapt the synthesis of…

The ability to develop, use, and refine models of experimental systems is a nationally recognized learning outcome for undergraduate physics lab courses. However, no assessments of students' model-based reasoning exist for upper-division labs. This study is the first step toward development of modeling assessments for optics and electronics labs.…

The solvent influence on the absorption spectra and the kinetics of the back reaction of the 1',3'-dihydro-1',3',3'-trimethyl-6-nitrospiro(2H-1-benzopyran-2,2'-2H-indole) (6-NO2-BIPS) has been investigated by means of temperature-controlled, UV-visible spectroscopic measurements. The back reaction process was proved to follow first-order kinetics…

The rapid academic and industrial development of nanotechnology has led to its implementation in laboratory teaching for undergraduate-level chemistry and engineering students. This laboratory experiment introduces the galvanic replacement reaction for synthesis of hollow metal nanoparticles and investigates the optical properties of these…

We present a laboratory experiment for advanced undergraduate or graduate laser-related classes to study the performance of a neodymium laser. In the experiment, the student has to build the neodymium laser using an open cavity. After that, the cavity losses are modulated with an optical chopper located inside, so the Q-switching regime is…

A computational experiment that investigates the optical activity of the amino acid valine has been developed for an upper-level undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory course. Hybrid density functional theory calculations were carried out for valine to confirm the rule that adding a strong acid to a solution of an amino acid in the l…

The surface plasmon wave is a surface wave confined at the interface between a dielectric and a metal. The excitation of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) on a gold thin film is discussed within the Kretschmann configuration, where the coupling with the excitation light is achieved by means of a prism in total reflection. The electromagnetic…

A novel laboratory experiment was successfully implemented for undergraduate and graduate students in physical chemistry and nanotechnology. The main goal of the experiment was to rigorously determine the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based sensing capabilities of colloidal silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). These were quantified by…

An advanced undergraduate laboratory experiment is outlined which uses a dye laser to map out the chromatic dispersion curve of a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) optical fibre. Seven different wavelengths across the visible spectrum are employed using five different dyes. The light pulse is split into two pulses, one to a nearby photodetector and…