The Arduino board and its communication with several sensors are becoming more and more popular in the physical science community. They offer inspiring possibilities for learning different physical concepts. In this article, we focused on creating a very practical educational system for experimenting with diffraction of laser light and graphically…

This article reports the development and validation of a test instrument to assess secondary school students' declarative quantum optics knowledge. With that, we respond to modern developments from physics education research: Numerous researchers propose quantum optics-based introductory courses in quantum physics, focusing on experiments with…

This paper demonstrates the use of a smartphone as a low-cost multi-channel optical fibre spectrophotometer suitable for physics laboratory classes. A custom-designed cradle and structure support were fabricated using 3D printing. The plastic optical fibres were arranged and inserted into the hole of the cradle to guide the light to the rear…

Popular demonstrations commonly use stretched spandex fabric to illustrate the way in which curved spacetime mimics the force of gravity in general relativity. There are significant potential conceptual pitfalls to such an approach. In particular, it obscures the fact that most of what we ordinarily feel as gravity is due to the warping of time…

A low-cost solar simulator using a LCD projector as a light source has been developed and tested successfully. The prepared simulator has an illumination spectral at the visible light region and is controllable using a computer. The prepared simulator with controllable spectral filter was used to utilize the current-voltage (I-V) measurement for…

Investigation of the kinetics of phosphorescence decay is a suitable learning task in studying the formal kinetics, and also properties of crystal phosphors. Kinetics of phosphorescence decay of crystal phosphors can be experimentally investigated at home as part of distance learning, using a conventional digital photo camera and a luminescent…

Communicating the flow of genetic information (DNA ? RNA ? protein) is not only a basis of biochemical education, but also is the essential foundation for understanding the complexity of biological processes. The described laboratory exercise demonstrates that the information encoded into different DNA sequences can be transformed into various…

STEM is about the integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. To teach STEM effectively, students need practical examples of subject integration. A good example is the use of an electron microscope in teaching physics and biology. An electron microscope is an instrument in which the operation depends on electromagnetism and…

In the laboratory experiment described here, students synthesize silver nanostructures (AgNS) with different shapes and sizes to elucidate the shape- and size-dependent optical properties of nanostructured materials. Students also develop understanding of some thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the synthesis process through this experiment. In…

The photoelectric effect is one of the key experiments taught during first- or second-year university and high school modern physics courses. It is usually the first experiment to introduce light quantization and the concept of photons as "packets of energy." Here, we want to point out a widespread mistake concerning the interpretation…

A new version of SALS (Submersible Audible Light Sensor) consists of a wireless light-detecting probe Bluetooth® connected to the iOS SALS App. As in previous versions of SALS, changes in detected light are converted to changes in sound, the latter now rendered with iPhone or iPad audio. The SALS probe assists the student with visual impairment in…

This article illustrates a learning sequence from the Interdisciplinary Mathematics and Science (IMS) Learning project, connecting science and mathematics learning in the primary school. Exploring light and its properties involved a series of investigations conducted in Grades 4 and 5 across three classes in two schools in regional Victoria. The…

The inquiry-based learning model can facilitate students' understanding of scientific concepts. Scientific epistemological beliefs (SEBs) are related to students' beliefs about the nature of the process of knowledge in science education. However, whether the "prediction-observation-explanation" (POE) inquiry-based learning model can…

Gold nanoparticles are exciting materials in nanotechnology and nanoscience research and are being applied across a wide range of fields including imaging, chemical sensing, energy storage, and cancer therapies. In this experiment, students will synthesize two sizes of gold nanospheres (~20 and ~100 nm) and will create gold nanostars utilizing a…

The well-known demonstration of Pepper's ghost can be enhanced by the use of linear polarisers, which can make the image disappear.