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Tag Archives: science
The Fun of Research & Development
I’m finally getting around to grading the 5-second timer labs my students did earlier this quarter. One of my students’ timers was a ceramic bowl with an amount of men’s cologne that burned for 5 seconds. Unbeknownst to me until … Continue reading
Certainty and Uncertainty
One of the things most high school students don’t learn about in their science classes is quantitative error analysis. (The closest they usually get to the topic is significant figures.) This year, I started off by teaching my students to … Continue reading
Learning by Screwing Up
One of the signs on my wall states, “You can’t learn effectively without the freedom to make mistakes.” It’s a new school year, and my new batch of students is working on learning this lesson. 00
Diet Coke & Mentos Final Exam: Physics Version
I gave a chemistry final exam involving Diet CokeTM & MentosTM back in 2006. I’ve done it as a lab experiment a couple of times since then, but not as a final—until this year, when I did a physics version. … Continue reading
Shocking My Students
Electricity & Magnetism is a fun topic, especially for teachers who enjoy watching teenagers act like themselves. 00
Demonstrations and Experiments
On 3/25/2012 11:03 PM, Drew Melby posted to the ChemEd-L discussion list “I’ve never felt the need to ‘entertain’ students by making things ‘memorable’. Chemistry is a serious business, not a magic show” 00
Keeping a Lab Notebook for Inquiry Labs
Isaac Asimov once quipped, “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it), but ‘gee, that’s funny …’ “ The phrase is exciting because it means the scientist … Continue reading
Pressure-Perfect Sleeper; Extra Firm
I’ve always wanted to build a bed of nails, especially since I started teaching physics. Now I’ve done it. 00
Fire and Ice
Today I did one of my favorite demos for my classes. The demo is convincing visual evidence that forming intermolecular bonds releases energy. 00
Creating Problems For Themselves
During Christmas vacation, I was talking with my eleven-year-old daughter about school. She loves math (as do I). I asked her about her experience with word problems, knowing that most of my students struggle with them. She said that they … Continue reading