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Category Archives: Science
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” +5-4
Vacuum Cleaner Hovercraft
To demonstrate the power of hydraulics, some of my students and I built a hovercraft out of plywood and a wet/dry vacuum cleaner. +8-6
Posted in Science
4 Comments
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. +6-3
Open Friend Quiz
An “open book test” means students are allowed to use their books, and an “open notes” test means they’re allowed to use their notes. I’ve become fond of “open friend” quizzes. My students took one today. +3-3
Posted in Philosophy, Science
2 Comments
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. +11-6
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
Egg On My Head
Today two groups of students successfully dropped raw eggs onto my head from the roof of the school as I walked underneath. Last week another group of students did the same thing. +2-4
Physics in 5 Seconds
Every year I introduce inquiry labs and lab write-ups by giving my students a lab to do at home. They bring in the result and present it to the class and then they write it up in their lab notebooks. … Continue reading
Physics Day 6: Everything You Need to Pass the Final Exam
Once in a while I’ll come up with and use a teaching idea that I think is going to fail, but I’ll do it anyway because I think it will fail in a useful way. This time I was wrong: … Continue reading