In 1900, three botanists claimed they had found regularities in inheritance, which soon would be known as Mendel's Laws, without knowing the work of Gregor Mendel or of each other. Their claims of independent (re)discovery have been thoroughly studied during the past decades, with various outcomes. The case is still of interest today as it offers…

This work describes an alternative approach for introducing the concept of pH in high school. We develop an experimental protocol to demonstrate in classroom as pH affects the life of microorganisms. At the same time, we constructed low-cost equipment and a homemade culture media using ordinary products, which they are easily found by the teachers…

We propose a laboratory experiment on the quantitative study of the normal dispersion of light. A triangular isosceles prism made of flint glass TF3 is used as the object of study, and we describe a simple and affordable device for observing and photographing the dispersion spectrum on a smartphone. A possibility of the quantitative investigation…

The integration of physics, music, and mathematics has long been used to increase students' interest and motivation in these subjects. For example, previous articles in this journal have shown how to teach physical concepts in a musical context, use a smartphone to check the resonant frequencies of whistles, use a smartphone to examine the spectra…

The question of how the processes around the Faraday generator with its rotating magnet should be interpreted has been controversial since its discovery by Faraday. Does the magnetic field rotate together with the rotating magnet or does it remain stationary? Furthermore, does one only need Faraday's flux law to interpret inductive processes, or…

This study aims to investigate the relationship between levels of fluid intelligence and higher-order thinking skills according to Bloom's three levels classification (analysis, evaluation, creation) among sixth grade students in Jordan in the subject of work and energy as one of the science book topics for the first semester of the academic year…

A loop-the-loop experiment is described to show how sliding friction affects motion of the ball. Conservation of energy can be used to explain the basic physics, but significant energy loss is observed in practice and expands the usefulness of this apparatus as a teaching tool.

The problem of an electrically charged pendulum above a grounded conducting surface is examined using traditional analyses, such as forces, energy, and torque. The system was numerically modelled using a finite difference method and analysed. A number of classroom activities have been suggested.

A loop-the-loop experiment usually involves a ball rolling around a vertical loop. A different version of the experiment is described where a nut was allowed to slide around a vertical loop. In both experiments there is a large decrease in kinetic energy when the ball or the nut first enters the loop.

With limited time for science, using science trade books for science and language instruction has become more common in elementary schools. Studies show that trade books often neglect scientific practices. Yet previous analyses have not differentiated by targeted grade level nor by book type. Do some grade levels and types of books highlight…

When any object, such as a glass of water, a greenhouse or the Earth's atmosphere, stays at a steady temperature, the amount of energy entering the object is equal to the amount of energy leaving it. This is considered in equilibrium. This equilibrium changes when the amount of energy entering does not equal the amount of energy leaving.…

In response to primary students' pleas to learn more about the environment during the current climate crisis, St. Bernadette's Catholic Primary School in Birmingham has helped children investigate issues related to climate change and address ways each person can help to heal the imbalance between humans and the natural world. In this article,…

For single-slit diffraction and double-slit interference experiments, commercially made slits can be the most expensive parts, especially since the prices of laser pointers have become very low. One option is to use a razor blade to cut slits in either paint or electrical tape on microscope slides. However, this takes practice, and there is some…

In this paper I describe an interactive Gauss's law computer simulation using the GlowScript programming environment. The simulation calculates a point charge's electric field at locations on the surface of a Gaussian cube and displays the electric field in GlowScript's 3D graphics window. The point charge can be moved, and the electric field…

Laboratory astrophysics and astrochemistry are emerging fields highlighting the importance of laboratory simulations and experiments to benefit remote observations. In particular, ice mixtures found in the outer solar system may offer insight into the early evolution of organic molecules. H[subscript 2]O-ice mixtures containing other species such…