Quantum science is in the news daily and engages students' interest and curiosity. A fundamental quantum science concept that underpins medical imaging, quantum computing and many future technologies is quantum spin. Quantum spin can explain many physical phenomena that are in the lower secondary school curriculum, such as magnetism and light,…

With support from QuarkNet, high school students investigated the effect of overburden on muon flux by collecting data from Fermilab's Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search (MINOS) tunnel. Muon flux varied due to a change in overburden created by a 103-meter deep access shaft. A profile of muon flux as a function of distance from the access…

During the August 21, 2017, solar eclipse, high school students measured secondary cosmic ray flux using QuarkNet detectors. These students conducted experiments examining cosmic ray flux, shower, speed of muons, and muon lifetime using QuarkNet cosmic ray muon detectors (CRMDs). These detectors measure muon flux of momenta greater than ~2 GeV, a…

In this article, simple models of optical computing circuits (1 x 4 demultiplexer (DEMUX), 4 x 1 multiplexer (MUX), Boolean logic, and half-adder (HA)) are shown with mechanically controlled plane mirrors. Photographs of the proposed computational circuits are also shown. It is very useful for the school student to understand optical logic and…

Each year, in middle and high school classrooms, secondary science teachers introduce their students to the periodic table of elements (herein the periodic table). According to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013), one of the performance expectations states that high school students should be able to, "Use the…

This research integrates context-based learning and modelling. It presents a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) about the dissolution of gases in liquids using carbonated drinks as the context. The impact of the TLS is analysed in a longitudinal short-term study involving two groups of learners aged 13-14 years old (n=53). The results led us to…

The goals of the study were as follows: i) to design an active science learning activity on stoichiometry for grade 10 students, ii) to evaluate the academic achievement of grade 10 students after receiving an active science learning activity on stoichiometry, and iii) to investigate the perspectives of grade 10 students regarding an active…

The science curriculum aims to provide students with the identity of a researcher, thinking skills, and scientific process skills. Critical thinking skill emerges as one of the skills that should be emphasized in the teaching process in terms of its structural features and the qualities aimed to be given to individuals. For individuals to gain…

In the present research, the "DNA Model with Clothespins" activity was designed to teach the subjects of nucleotide, DNA, and DNA replication, which are abstract subjects of science. The aim of the research, which was carried out with 20 students in 8th grade, was to examine the effects of the activity on students' achievement on the…

Einstein's derivation of special relativity theory (SRT), based on hypothetical reasoning and thought experiments, is regarded as a prime example of physics theory development. In secondary education, the introduction of SRT could provide a great opportunity for students to engage in physics theorizing, but this opportunity is largely being missed…

The basics of organic chemistry nomenclature were introduced in a laboratory organized in a nonformal environment such as a science festival. The laboratory, divided into three distinct but interconnected activities, was aimed not only at secondary school students but also at lay people. The intent was to explain the importance of associating a…

This paper presents the case for how students can be helped to increase their scientific vocation by experimental work and the introduction of particle physics into pre-university studies. These two ideas are the two main lines of work of the ADMIRA initiative, which has been created by individuals belonging to different and complementary…

We here propose a simple and fast hands-on activity requiring limited equipment, to introduce students of various levels (bachelor's or high school) and backgrounds (from science to arts) to the chemistry of color. The different colors of stained glass are replicated through the deposition, on ordinary glass slides, of silica coatings colored by…

Lateral flow assays play a key role in mass testing for COVID-19, for example, in schools. The red color of the detection lines is caused by gold nanoparticles that are conjugated to antibodies. Hence, these tests present a very topical learning opportunity in the emerging field of nanoscience. To highlight the role of gold nanoparticles, a…

In this paper we present a simple dimensional analysis exercise that allows us to derive the equation for the Hawking temperature of a black hole. The exercise is intended for high school students, and it is developed from a chapter of Stephen Hawking's bestseller "A Brief History of Time."