When injecting dye into a vortex, one finds that the dye remains captured around the vortex core over minutes, despite the fact that the vortex (and the dyed region) is strongly time-dependent. According to a recent theory, three-dimensional time-dependent vortices should be defined as rotating, material-holding regions of the fluid. Vortices…

The fact that a bungee jumper can reach an acceleration greater than the acceleration of gravity is, also from a physics point of view, intriguing. Taking only gravity into account, it can be explained by applying conservation of energy or by deriving carefully the equation of motion in a Newtonian approach. In this article we show how it can be…

This communication describes a method to detect aluminum in gastric drugs by the naked eye using a microfluidic paper-based analytical device ([mu]PAD). Aluminum ions react with chrome azurol S (CAS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) to form a colored complex, which generates a colored band on the [mu]PAD. A printed ruler can be used to…

A ball at rest on a surface can be made to bounce up by pushing it down then releasing the downward force as fast as possible. Measurements and calculations are presented to show how it can best be done.

The abstract nature of physical chemistry and spectroscopy makes the subject difficult to comprehend for many students. However, bridging arts and science has the potential to provide innovative learning methods and to facilitate the understanding of abstract concepts. Herein, we present a high-school project based on the conversion of selected…

The FCE (field-based chemistry experiment) model was developed to cultivate pre-service science teachers' ability to teach chemistry experiments in secondary classrooms. We describe the process of developing the FCE model and student activities via feedback from experts and analysis of the implemented program. This study evaluated the…

Ecosystems, interacting systems of biotic and abiotic factors, are a fascinating topic in life science. The "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) recognize "Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics" (HS-LS2) as one of four overarching ideas in life science that students should understand. Student…

We show that the gravitational acceleration g near Earth's surface can be easily determined with high accuracy by conducting the usual free fall experiment in high school or college physics laboratories. Unlike the conventional method of data analysis that uses formulas without taking air resistance into account, we consider the effect of air drag…

This review presents an overview and analysis of the body of research on special relativity theory (SRT) education at the secondary and lower undergraduate level. There is currently a growing international interest in implementing SRT in pre-university education as an introduction to modern physics. For this reason, insights into learning…

Researchers have found that computer modeling fosters the learning of causal mechanisms in systems, an important crosscutting concept in science that many novice learners find challenging. Despite the research that highlights the role of teacher's instructional practices in enacting computer tools, few studies have considered teachers' use of…

Activities that engage high school students in visualizing chemical phenomena can help them develop representational competence to think about and communicate their understanding of these phenomena. This paper presents a collaborative learning activity that can engage precollege students in designing a poster that describes four different types of…

Game-based learning environments are designed to provide effective and engaging learning experiences for students. Predictive student models use trace data extracted from students' in-game learning behaviors to unobtrusively generate early assessments of student knowledge and skills, equipping game-based learning environments with the capacity to…

Learning to create, use, and evaluate models is a central element of becoming a scientist. In physics, we often begin an analysis of a complicated system with highly simplified or toy models. In introductory physics classes, we tend to use them without comment or motivation. Some students infer that physics is irrelevant to their understanding of…

We developed new teaching materials, electrical resistors and capacitors, using carbon nanotube (CNT) paper and carbon fibre (CF) paper to foster students' creative thinking, thereby deepening and extending learning. Using a CNT-paper electrical resistor, it is possible to elucidate the dependence of the resistance value on the length and width.…

Rarely are scientific phenomena isolated to a single discipline such as biology, chemistry, physics, Earth science, or others. Rather, these phenomena span multiple disciplines and often require bringing together content and understandings from multiple disciplines to engage with or explain the target phenomena. This study uses a model-based…