Laboratory astrophysics and astrochemistry are emerging fields highlighting the importance of laboratory simulations and experiments to benefit remote observations. In particular, ice mixtures found in the outer solar system may offer insight into the early evolution of organic molecules. H[subscript 2]O-ice mixtures containing other species such…

An essential laboratory exercise for our lower-division electromagnetism course involves the measurement of Earth's local magnetic field from the emf induced in a rotating coil of wire. Although many methods exist for the measurement of Earth's field, this one gives our students some practical experience with Faraday's law. The apparatus we had…

One of us is a physicist. The other is a chemist. For the past four years, we have been teaching a large introductory environmental science course that uses our campus as a lens through which to explore issues relating to sustainability. Our students "ask questions about the energy we use to heat and cool our buildings, the food we eat, the…

Traditional physics labs at the high school level are often closed-ended. The outcomes are known in advance and students replicate procedures recommended by the teacher. Over the years, I have come to appreciate the great opportunities created by allowing students investigative freedom in physics laboratories. I have realized that a laboratory…

A recent article in "The Physics Teacher" describes a method for analyzing a systematic error in a Boyle's law laboratory activity. Systematic errors are important to consider in physics labs because they tend to bias the results of measurements. There are numerous laboratory examples and resources that discuss this common source of error.

Every student who studies atmospheric pressure in physics or chemistry learns the principles behind the construction of barometers. Cistern barometers, such as those found in most laboratories, consist of a long glass tube containing an inverted column of liquid having an open end in a cistern of the liquid. Students learn that the column of…

In the early 1990s Ruth Howes, a nuclear physicist on the faculty at Ball State University, and Caroline Herzenberg, a nuclear physicist at Argonne National Laboratory, were asked to write a chapter on the Manhattan Project for a volume on women working on weapons development for the military. Realizing that they knew very little about the women…

Nuclei are "small": if an atom was the size of a football field, the nucleus would be an apple sitting on the 50-yd line. At the same time, nuclei are "dense": the Earth, compressed to nuclear density, could fit inside four Sears Towers. The subatomic level is strange and exotic. For that reason, it's not hard to get young minds excited about…

Presents guidelines for stocking, organizing, and maintaining a storage space for physics education laboratory and demonstration equipment. (WRM)

Discusses a high school advanced placement physics course cooperating with neighboring college. Describes the background, titles of experiments, report format, and discussion. (YP)

Presents ideas for equipment protection, equipment storage, apparatus construction, demonstration techniques, and laboratory procedures. (GS)

Discusses a high school laboratory in which the students take an active role in designing, implementing, and performing experiments concerning basic concepts in physics. (MLH)

A physics program within which students design their own experiments and construct the needed equipment is described. Different projects and equipment designed and built by the students are detailed as examples of the success of this program. (JP)