Because she had been blind since birth, we knew that our new student, Cricket, would be unable to make the necessary measurements needed to get any meaningful lab data while all of the other students would be able to use highly accurate commercial Vernier calipers. All we had on loan for Cricket was a Brailled plastic tactile meter stick with low…

Electrospinning has been used to create nanofibers for filtration devices, tissue engineering, and protective clothing. Although electrospinning is now widely studied, because of the expensive equipment required and the advanced nature of this topic, it is not commonly found in high school science labs. Through grants from the Ohio State…

This section presents new ideas with regard to apparatus for teaching physics. The following four ideas are presented: (1) measuring speed of light (2) a poor man's barometer, (3) center of mass of a rotating object, and (4) minimizing glass breakage. (HM)

This bulletin of Scottish Schools Science Equipment Research Centre provides information about new scientific equipment for use in classrooms and laboratories. The sciences covered are biology, chemistry, and physics. The pieces of equipment can either be purchased from manufacturers or constructed in schools. All descriptions include advantages…

Detailed instructions for the construction of apparatus to detect qualitatively the production of carbon dioxide by respiring organisms are given, with notes on its use and comments on its advantages compared with traditional equipment. The chemistry section of the bulletin contains the results of tests of the efficiency of several laboratory…

Reports new equipment, techniques, or materials of interest to teachers of physics. (Editor/CP)

Described is a simple apparatus to determine acceleration due to gravity. It utilizes direct contact switches in lieu of conventional photocells to time the fall of a ball bearing. Accuracies to better than one part in a thousand were obtained. (SL)

Describes and apparatus designed to generate and detect pulsed ultrasonics in solids and liquids over the frequency range 1-20 MHz. Experiments are suggested for velocity of sound, elastic constant and ultrasonic attenuation measurements on various materials over a wide temperature range. The equipment should be useful for demonstration purposes.…

Standing transverse waves in homogeneous strings have been demonstrated in lectures and used in experiments (called Melde's experiment). A variation to this experiment is discussed. Also discusses the use of the speed-of-sound resonance-tube apparatus to clean mercury. (Author/JN)

Describes the mechanism of bicycle computers functioning as speedometers and timers. Discusses why the computers do not display the continuously changing readings and show the correct values at higher speeds. (YP)

Describes the theory and procedures of four electrostatic experiments, including sources of charge, charged bodies, dipoles, and levitation. (YP)