Provides ideas and outcomes for nine computer laboratory experiments using a commercial eight-bit analog to digital (ADC) interface. Experiments cover statistics; rotation; harmonic motion; voltage, current, and resistance; ADC conversions; temperature measurement; single slit diffraction; and radioactive decay. Includes necessary schematics. (MVL)

Describes student-designed laboratories that promote higher-level thinking skills through scientific reasoning, analysis, and evaluation. Discusses development of course objectives, course format and pedagogical assessment, examples of laboratories designed by students, and student response to the laboratory. Contains 13 references. (JRH)

Describes a "Synthesis and Reactivity" curriculum that focuses on the correlation of laboratory experiments with lecture topics and the extension of laboratory exercises beyond the usual four-hour period. Highlights experiments developed and an out-of-class computational chemistry exercise using CAChe, a versatile molecular modeling…

Uses a university campus as the focus for a study of the entire watershed. Presents a context for incorporating pedagogical elements, interdisciplinary teaching, research experience, and active, collaborative strategies into a useful framework for undergraduate science education. (Author/KHR)

Describes variations on atmospheric pressure demonstrations and some systematic studies. Demonstrations use steam, generated either externally or internally to the container, to sweep out residual air. Preferred vessels collapsed slowly. Demonstrations use plastic milk jugs set in layers of aluminum foil, pop bottles immersed in 4-L beakers…

Fourth- and fifth-graders were taught how to design simple unconfounded experiments using one of two instructional methods differing only in whether children manipulated physical or virtual materials. Results indicated that the two types of materials were equally effective in achieving several instructional objectives, including the design of…

Outlines chemistry labs used during the first quarter of study and advises about framing the course for students. Topics of the labs include observation; blind observation; measurement, determination of conversion factors, and percent error; taking and reporting data over time; and density. (DDR)

Describes laboratory procedures for observing the progressive change deciduous leaves undergo prior to abscission. Outlines the starch test, sugar test, extraction and chromatography of pigments, and experimental results. States that obtained results enable the events of leaf senescence to be correlated with the carbohydrate economy of a tree in…

Describes activities which help students understand several basic scientific concepts regarding water. Outlines objectives, materials needed, procedures, and questions to ask about student observations. Investigations include working with the self-sealing property of water, talcum powder, paper clips, and making water wetter. (RT)

Describes an organic chemistry experiment for teaching the basic concepts of chemical kinetics. Provides background information about first- and second-order reactions, experimental procedures of the Diels-Alder reaction between cyclopentadiene and dimethyl fumarate, and the experimental results. (YP)

Describes the discovery and characteristics of superconductors. Discusses some experiments on the levitation of a magnet over a superconductor. (YP)

Describes experimental procedures to produce magnetic fields with a thermocouple. Provides diagrams showing the apparatus, tables of experiment data, and background information on the theory. (YP)

Answers the question about the crown effect of a liquid drop. Describes the concepts of surface tension, irregularities, and pinch effect. (YP)

Describes ways to make use of lab activities and time for effective learning and student motivation. Provides information on the classification of lab activities, class data for measuring student power output, and a sample pre-lab "think sheet" activity. States the importance of relating activities to topics studied. (RT)

Examines the psychology of learning and its application to work in the laboratory. States that the working memory capacity of students is limited; therefore the amount of information they can process needs to be controlled and "recipe following" in the laboratory is perfectly reasonable. (RT)