A loop-the-loop experiment usually involves a ball rolling around a vertical loop. A different version of the experiment is described where a nut was allowed to slide around a vertical loop. In both experiments there is a large decrease in kinetic energy when the ball or the nut first enters the loop.

A collision of one object with two or more objects is relatively complicated in general, but a simple example is provided by Newton's cradle since all the objects are identical and in line. In the present paper, an experiment is described where a heavy mallet collides head-on with two billiard balls. The two conservation equations indicate that…

Chemical kinetics is a branch of physical chemistry that constitutes an essential part of undergraduate education. In general, a complex and expensive experimental apparatus is indispensable for observing the kinetics of a chemical process owing to the continuity of chemical reactions. Thus, intuitive visualization of the chemical kinetics using a…

In this work, a simple rocking pendulum, in a circular arc shape, is presented. The idea is to put a rigid arc on a clean flat surface of glass and leave it to oscillate under the effect of a little impulse. Then, the periodic time of this arc pendulum's motion is experimentally determined. The mathematical analysis of the arc's motion is derived…

The momentum is often used to analyse the dynamics of the motion of an experimental interaction between objects. Meanwhile, the interaction force tends to be challenging to observe and obtain. In this study, a simple video-assisted experiment was used to observe the interaction forces during the interaction of two magnetic objects. The interaction…

This report describes a laboratory experiment for an undergraduate-level inorganic chemistry or biochemistry course involving the study of the kinetics of the catecholase activity of a synthetic nickel­(II)-oximate complex. A model substrate, 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol(DBC), undergoes aerobic oxidation to 3,5-di-tert-butylbenzoquinone (DBQ) in the…

This experimental lab set is for students taking college chemistry courses. It includes four laboratory works and completely illustrates the important parts of chemical kinetics, namely the determination of the rate constant and the determination of the factors influencing its value. They can be used in a laboratory set for a physical chemistry…

The question from the title is raised because in almost all introductory physics courses/textbooks the atmospheric pressure has been attributed to the weight of the column of air from a given level in the atmosphere up to its top. "Air is pressing on air." However the same textbooks, in the chapter on the kinetic theory of gases, tell…

Millions of people do not have access to clean drinking water; thus, cost-efficient water treatment systems are vital. Chemists, environmentalists, technicians, and engineers will be the professionals making breakthroughs in this industry. This laboratory experiment aims to introduce undergraduate students to the removal of pollutants from water…

In this guided inquiry experiment, students extract catecholase enzyme from apples to catalyze the oxidation of catechol. They follow the reaction using the UV--vis absorbance of the "p"-benzophenone produced to determine the Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters. Students make selected experimental choices within a structured framework…

Cosmetic chemistry is a prevalent part of everyday life, but there are very few undergraduate laboratories that explore this topic. Here, we present a laboratory exercise in which students use fizzing bath tablets (better known as "bath bombs") to learn about introductory kinetics. Students created their own bath bombs by combining…

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR),as a multielectron electrode reaction, is an important electrochemical reaction in the field of electrochemical energy storage systems. Herein, a new advanced electrochemical laboratory experiment is designed for undergraduates to master the preparation of oxygen reduction catalytic electrode. Students can use…

The effects of kinetic vs thermodynamic control on "endo"/"exo" stereoisomer ratios can be observed in a simple Diels-Alder reaction between "N"-phenylmaleimide and furan. The use of microwave-promoted synthesis affords the cycloadducts in yields ranging from 65-100%, employing reaction times of 1-10 min at…

What if "every breath you take, every move you make" (Sting 1983) could be harnessed to produce renewable energy? Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are state-of-the-art devices researchers are studying to do just that--convert kinetic energy into electrical energy at the source (Saurabh Rathore 2018). This type of electrical energy is…

Experimental results are presented on the collision of a superball with two different wood blocks. The results are in reasonable agreement with a simple collision model where kinetic energy is conserved, but better agreement is obtained if a small loss of kinetic energy is assumed, as observed. The physics is slightly more complicated than the…