Poinsettia pH paper

To make the Poinsettia pH paper:

1. Cut the flower petals (actually specialized leaves called bracts) into strips
   
2. Place the strips into a beaker.
   
3. Add enough water to cover the plant material and simmer on a hot plate. 
   
4. Filter the liquid into another container (such as a shallow petri dish) and discard the plant matter. 
   
5. Saturate a piece of filter paper with the poinsettia extract. 
   
6. Allow the filter paper to dry and cut the colored paper into test strips. 

Motion Sensors to work out Distance Speed Graphs

Using the Motion sensor here we can do a series of experiments simultaneously to record the Distance, Velocity and acceleration of the cart as it moves down the track.

Here we are using a Lego trolley with a screen at the back to reflected the ultrasound signal.

The cart can be loaded with different masses.

Here are some distance time graphs to show four different runs at four different heights.

As the trolley moves down the track its velocity increases until it crashes at the end and the velocity drops sharply to zero.

1 was the shallowest
3 was the steepest.

Hot and Cold Water Diffusion

A classic way of showing diffusion is to add a small purple crystal to water and let it diffuse. By having two set ups one with hot water at around 80C and the other at 15C ( straight from the cold tap ) an idea is given on how temperature effects the rate of diffusion.

Using a Colorimeter to follow the rate of a reaction

With a new bit of kit I have been looking at the rate of reaction of an old favourite, HCl and Sodium Thiosulphate. This system has many advantages over the usual practical, not the least being that the reaction takes place in asealed cuvette so there is no smell and the amounts of substances are very reduced.

The Pasco software (in this case Saparkvue) makes recording this a breeze, creates the tables and graphs so that the data can the analysed easily.

A small amount of the chemicals are used ( approximately 6ml per experiment. The cuvette is filled with the required mixture and the placed in the calorimeter. This calorimeter records all the wavelengths at the same time so I don't have to worry about selecting the correct one, but simply the best one at the end of the experiment.

Before the experiment is started it is necessary to calibrate the colorimeter  but a cuvette of pure water, then it is simply a task of placing the solution to be examined in the cuvette and clicking start

The results can then be exported to word with any analysis. This system seems so much better value for money than other systems I have used.

Calculating the Specific Heat Capacity of Aluminium using Dataloging

I took a 1kg Mass of Aluminium and heated with an Immersion Heater for 10 minutes. After heating I left the Mass with the hrater in but switched off for another 3 minutes until the temperature settled.

The Al mass was insulated to prevent too much heat from escaping.
I used a PASCO  temperature probe to record the temperature change.

The blue line represented the temperature and the red line the voltage.

Temp start 20.7

Temp end  41.3

Voltage 10.1V Current 3.84A Time 600 secs

Mass 1 Kg

From this data we can work out the specific Heat Capacity of Aluminium

Energy in = Volts x Amps x Time

Energy in = 10.1.x 3.84 x 600 = 23270.3 Joules

SHC Al =  Energy In / Mass x Change in temp

SHC AL = 23270.3 / 1 x 21.6 = 1077.8 J/K

Its a bit high rather than the theoretical value of 913 but then the insulationwasn't as good as it could be.

What is the difference between Coding and Programming?

This seems to be a question I get asked very often.

Many people think and say that they are the same thing but there is a real difference.

Programming is generally about how to solve the problem what is often called the algorithm. It is about how to solve the problem. It can be written in English as a series of steps in how to solve the problem. Sometimes this is called pseudo code.

Coding is taking this program or algorithm and turning it into the actual computer program which is written in  a particular computer programming language, such as C or Python. The code would do the same thing but be written differently using the coding structures or syntax of the language you are using.

Many can code - they can take the algorithm and turn it into a computer program. What is much harder is to take an idea and turn this into a way of doing something. This is programming. This is the much harder problem.

Many courses teach people to code in Python or in  Java. Programming is really the topic of software engineering, examining the problem and working out the pseudo code in how to solve it. There are very few courses on this. Programming is the art of working out were to start and how to do it. It is not written in a specific language although some people do. They for instance program in Java; they think, solve the problem in the Language and code it it the same time. To them programming and coding are one and the same.

Using Data-loggers to speed up the process

Introduction to Data Loggers.

Experiments take time. And much of this time is often wasted trying to learn how to record. This is a very valuable skill but once learnt data-loggers can take over this chore and allow the student to do more learning and less recording.
Using state of the art sensors connected to a computer we can now carry out the experiments and pull out all the information about the process quickly and accurately and get to the learning point. Using these sensors we can also pull out other useful information which is otherwise not readily available to learn more about the processes. The data-loggers cover all aspects of Science and also cover all the A level Biology Chemistry and Physics.

The sensors are linked directly to the computer. They capture data every few fractions of a second and send this to the computer where the data is displayed in a table for the student to work on or more usefully as a graph to display the features of the experiment.

The data-loggers enable far more complex experiments to be carried out and in a fraction of the time taken to do the experiments manually. This is also good preparation for business where things are usually carried out by machine and the students can see for themselves how processes work in a more business like and professional manner.
Using this data-logging equipment gives the child an advantage over others so that they can become better scientists.