Our students built a full-size, mobile planetarium in three weeks. The planetarium was built with commonly available, cheap construction materials. Our priorities were mobility, possibility of quick assembly and reassembly and the students' availability of materials in every place in the world. The students calculated all the parameters of the…

This article challenges the notion that entropy is something to be avoided. A line of argument is presented that is accessible to those not having specialist knowledge and that offers a new perspective to those more familiar with the concept. It shows that temperature is better understood by addressing entropy. Entropy change diagrams are…

Physics textbook authors commonly introduce the concept of weightlessness (apparent or real) through a "thought experiment" in which a person weighs herself or himself in an elevator. When the elevator falls freely, the spring balance should show zero weight. There is an unresolved controversy about how this "zero reading"…

Games have often been used in the classroom to teach physics ideas and concepts, but there has been less published on games that can be used to teach scientific thinking. D. Maloney and M. Masters describe an activity in which students attempt to infer rules to a game from a history of moves, but the students do not actually play the game. Giving…

With the introduction of the Wireless Smart Cart by PASCO scientific in April 2016, we expect a paradigm shift in undergraduate physics laboratory instruction. We have evaluated the feasibility of using the smart cart by carrying out experiments that are usually performed using traditional PASCO equipment. The simplicity, convenience, and…

Since 2009, the U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Biological Sciences has funded Research Coordination Networks (RCN) aimed at collaborative efforts to improve participation, learning, and assessment in undergraduate biology education (UBE). RCN-UBE projects focus on coordination and communication among scientists and educators who…

An inexpensive self-made apparatus for photochemical experiments was developed and has been tested to facilitate the inclusion of photoreactions in undergraduate teaching laboratories despite budget constraints. The core setup allowing the selection of defined wavelengths in the visible and UV regions is made of commercially available components…

A strategy for incorporating crystallography laboratory practice into various experimental chemistry courses for undergraduates is described. The flexible approach that relates key concepts to hands-on activities allows students to draw an immediate connection between crystallography theory and their own lab experiences, leading to a deeper…

A spreadsheet-based project is presented that is designed to enhance and expand student understanding of phase transition properties of pure water and ideal and nonideal (electrolyte) aqueous solutions. Using fundamental principles of classical and statistical thermodynamics, students calculate the melting and boiling points, the enthalpies and…

There are many reasons for exposing physics students to primary source material in the sciences. These works can illuminate the history of science and give students a more vivid picture of the development of physics than most textbooks attempt to provide. They can also serve as pedagogical tools for exploring the misconceptions and "wrong…

Spontaneity criteria for processes with useful (especially electrical) work have been discussed based on total differentials of thermodynamic functions. Reaction Gibbs energy ([Delta][subscript r]G) and electrochemical reaction Gibbs energy ([Delta][subscript r]G~) have been juxtaposed. Three-dimensional graphs showing the dependencies of…

Colorimetry allows every color to be defined as a combination of three values, known as "color coordinates." Color coordinates allow researchers to universalize and standardize their color measurements, and nowadays, determining the color coordinates of samples is a routine method applied by organic and analytical chemists, students, and…

Three-dimensional printing was used to prepare a p-bonding model with embedded magnets. The model enables students to have a kinesthetic experience that simulates the energetics of bonding, antibonding, and nonbonding p-orbital interactions.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to develop a Scaffolded Mastery Learning (ML) module in cell division topic for both teachers and students and study its impacts in teaching and learning process. Method: The study employed Sidek Module Development model in developing the modules. Three expert teachers and ten Form 4 students were involved in…

The planets in our solar system are remarkable and captivating objects for beginning astronomers to study. While merely observing the planets is fairly easy, it can be difficult to capture the high-quality images beginners hope for. The methods used for deep-sky astrophotography are optimized for dim, fairly large objects using large apertures and…