A description of the measurement procedure, related theory and experimental data analysis of the magnetic susceptibility of materials is given. A short review of previous papers in the line of this subject is presented. This work covers the whole experimental process, in detail, and presents a pragmatic approach for pedagogical sake. (Contains 2…

This project is conducted by students during the second semester of their second year in our educational institution. This project constitutes an initiation into research and allows a broadening of knowledge, a development in autonomy, organization, team work, and initiative. It helps prepare the student-engineer for an internship in industry. The…

X-ray fluorescence is a non-destructive technique that allows elemental composition analysis. In this paper we describe a prescription to obtain the elemental composition of homogeneous coins, like 50 cent Euro coins, and how to get the quantitative proportions of each element with the help of Monte Carlo simulation. Undergraduate students can…

It is shown how the same physically appealing method can be applied to find analytic solutions for two difficult and apparently unrelated problems in optics and electrostatics. They are: (i) the diffraction of a plane wave at a perfectly conducting thin half-plane and (ii) the electrostatic field associated with a parallel array of stripes held at…

By allowing students to develop and conduct research on biological or environmental problems they identify themselves, students gain a higher level of understanding and appreciation for science. To this end, teachers should incorporate student-driven research in biology and environmental science classes in lieu of cookbook laboratory activities…

The laboratory exercise described in this paper is based on a well-known qualitative demonstration of Curie temperature. A long ferromagnetic wire, in the form of a spiral, is attracted to a strong permanent magnet placed near its midpoint (see Fig. 1). The temperature of the wire is increased by passing a current through it. When the temperature…

Newton's third law is often misunderstood by students and even their professors, as has already been pointed out in the literature. Application of the law in the context of electromagnetism can be especially problematic, because the idea that the forces of "action" and "reaction" are equal and opposite independent of the medium through which they…

We present an inquiry-based project using readily-available seed stocks of Arabidopsis. Seedlings are grown under simulated "common garden" conditions to test evolutionary and organismal principles. Students learn scientific method by developing hypotheses and selecting appropriate data and analyses for their experiments. Experiments can be…

This paper presents an experimental technique to observe the vibration tracks of string standing waves. From the vibration tracks, we can analyse the vibration directions of harmonic waves. For the harmonic wave vibrations of strings, when the driving frequency f[subscript s] = Nf[subscript n] (N = 1, 2, 3, 4,...), both resonance and non-resonance…

The motion of a ball rolling without slipping on the lateral section inside a fixed vertical cylinder is analysed in the Earth referential frame which is assumed to be Galilean. Equations of motion are rapidly obtained and the golf ball paradox is understood: these equations describe a motion consisting of a vertical harmonic oscillation related…

The steady-state fluorescence anisotropy is employed to study the binding of protein of a model protein, human serum albumin, to a commonly used flavonoid, quercetin. The experiment describes the thermodynamics, as well as the biochemical interactions of such binding effectively.

This manuscript describes a set of three experiments that investigates the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of phosphine substitution at a Ru center. In the first experiment, the students synthesize a Ru organometallic complex containing a phosphine ligand. In the second, equilibria for phosphine substitution involving several different…

A simple method for the quantitative determination of photosynthetic pigments extracted from green beans using thin-layer chromatography is proposed. Various extraction methods are compared, and it is shown how a simple flatbed scanner and free software for image processing can give a quantitative determination of pigments. (Contains 5 figures.)

Explosions and fires--these are what many students are waiting for in science classes. And when they do occur, students pay attention. While we can't entertain our students with continual mayhem, we can catch their attention and cater to their desires for excitement by saying, "Let's make rockets." In this activity, students make simple, reusable…

The Rutherford-Geiger-Marsden gold foil experiment is demonstrated to give students a useful mental image of the concept or principle of chemistry. The experiment shows students that in a short time one unexpected result can change the way science looks at the world.