Microscopes - high or low power

Which is best, high or low power microscopes. Both are great, but for students starting out and wanting a home microscope, I suggest that a low-power microscope is far better value and will be used more than the high microscope, which often needs specially prepared slides to view.

 

Comparing Linux, windows and an Apple Mac

Comparing the differences in the power of a windows laptop, an Apple Mac Laptop and a rare thing a Linux laptop. Which is the most powerful for the same specification? The Linux version won hands down which surprised the students.

How forces vary on different surfaces

 The students expect certain surfaces to have more friction than others but are often surprised by two smooth surfaces that can have a considerable amount of friction at Hemel Private Tuition

Lead Iodide

 Making Lead Iodide from two colourless aqueous solutions, or Potassium Iodide and Lead Nitrate. The unsuspecting students made up the solutions dissolving the white crystals. When the two mixed the insoluble precipitate of bright yellow Lead Nitrate was formed. The look of surprise on their faces as the reaction happened at Hemel Private Tuition

Vectors

 One of the best ways of demonstrating vectors using a @pascoscientific Smartcart with a fan, set at an angle. Changing the angle of the fan shows dramatically how the angle of the force affects the velocity of the cart along the track at Hemel Private Tuition

Writing new questions

 One thing that makes a difference at Hemel Private Tuition is that I write a significant number of additional Maths questions and problems with their worked solutions for my students. Practice makes perfect, and having the right type and number of questions makes the difference.

A more unusual diffraction

 Looking at diffraction, but a more unusual twist on the pencil in a glass by adding other liquids. Trying Oil and other organic solvents to see how they affect the diffraction of light @Hemel Private Tuition