The Wilson cloud chamber is an apparatus used for detecting and observing the trails of alpha/beta rays or even cosmic rays in saturated gas conditions. The principle of this device is based upon the powerful ionization of the aforementioned rays within the medium. This article will provide instruction for creating a classic version of the cloud…

The statics of fluids may seem simple at first but often poses problems for students when it comes to applying it to concrete cases. Despite its relatively simple laws, some subtleties, mainly related to the elastic characteristics of a fluid, must be noted. This elasticity allows the pressure exerted in a part of the fluid to propagate in its…

The conceptual gambit of this article is to propose that the notion of anti-entropy should be complemented by that of exergy investment or destruction, a term first proposed by Zoran Rant in 1956. It argues that one of Bernard Stiegler's most important interventions into deconstruction is the thermodynamic reformulation of Derridean…

It is well known that the needle of a compass in a magnetic field deflects, and that a compass near a conductive wire carrying a stable electric current deflects its needle. The only explanation of this observation is that the current-carrying wire creates a magnetic field around it. The strength of the magnetic field at any point near the wire…

Sound is a very omnipresent physical phenomenon that plays a crucial role in our daily lives. It is essential for verbal communication and helps us orient ourselves. Children are especially affected by sound and its presence in their daily lives. This circumstance, and the subject-specific interesting facets of the topic of sound, make this…

This study examined high school chemistry students' understandings of big ideas--matter and energy, how these understandings are related to macro and submicro representations and fine-grained distinguishing characteristics of students' explanations. The study was conducted in the context of computer-based models and model-based assessments.…

Most textbooks and lecturers present Michaelis-Menten kinetics using the equation v = V[subscript max][S]/(K[subscript m] + [S]). There are advantages to presenting this relationship in a slightly different form, namely v = V[subscript max]/{1 + (K[subscript m]/[S])}. We articulate advantages for single-substrate reactions and extend the formalism…

The purpose of this study is to determine pre-service chemistry teachers' knowledge of the oxidation number and coordination number in coordination compounds. Data were collected from 31 pre-service chemistry teachers through a 4-question scale, and the second question of the scale consisted of 8 sub-questions. The results showed that the…

In a study of student understanding of negative definite integrals at two institutions, we administered a written survey and follow-up clinical interviews at one institution and found that "backward integrals", where the integral was taken from right to left on the x-axis, were the most difficult for students to interpret. We then…

Scientific teleological explanations cite end states as causes to account for physical phenomena. Researchers in science education have noted that students can use teleological explanations in ways that are illegitimate, for example, by implying that inanimate objects are acting intentionally. Despite such cases, several examples of legitimate…

Acceleration of moving objects is usually measured by photoelectric gates. In this paper, a method of acceleration measurement is proposed by pasting white card stock and black tape on a pulley and then using an Arduino to time the motion. This method only needs one photoelectric sensor to measure the acceleration. In contrast, using photoelectric…

Inspired by a commercially produced scattering experiment that was popular beginning in the 1960s, we have developed a Nerf-projectile-based educational activity to demonstrate the basics of particle scattering experiments.

With the development of digital technology, plentiful sensors are embedded in the smartphone, which makes it a valuable tool for teaching elementary experimental physics. For instance, the magnetic field sensor of the smartphone has been used to measure gravitational acceleration by measuring the magnetic pendulum's oscillation period. The…

The early 20th century marked a number of transformational experimental and theoretical discoveries in physics. Among them is one that is often neglected in the introductory physics curriculum, which revolutionized our understanding of the molecular world. Evidence for the thermal motions of atoms was first observed by Perrin in 1909, which had…

Chemical education practices in teaching and instruction have seen significant progress in recent decades. However, despite the advances in chemical education, challenges in providing connections and synchronicity between conceptual understanding and student appreciation remain at the forefront of the global drive for sustainability in science…