Waterbath

Waterbaths are expensive things. But a cheaper alternative is to use a sous vide. The temperature is accurate to 0.1C, and it is much cheaper than a thermostatically controlled waterbath. Timings are shorter but then so are the lessons.

 

Exploring the Analog Thing

 Playing with the Analog Thing. Setting up the Oscilloscope and then investigating what the different parts do. Experimenting with the integrators and summers

Ready for teaching

Coronation day for the Kings, but students are still stressing about upcoming exams and what they don't know. No worries, I'm here to help fix that today. #examprep #studentsuccess

Exothermic Reaction

 Making a big bang using an old paint tin and some icing sugar. Just managed to catch the lid coming off in mid-flight as the icing sugar met the flame. Fun demo Everyone had a go and lots of slo-mo videos captured.

Pasco Drop Counter

 

Producing very accurate and quick pH curves using the @Pascoscientific drop counter. Calibration is straightforward, and then it takes minutes to get a pH curve and a temp curve for an acid-alkali neutralisation. Just the thing for revision #ScienceMadeEasy

Ways of doing the same experiment - Measuring the Speed of Sound

 I may do an experiment one way, but the exam papers may show the investigation another way. Getting the students to do the same experiments differently and compare all the results to find the most accurate. Round robins work well.  #ScientificMethod

One example of this is measuring the speed of sound.

1. Make a deafening sound and smoke simultaneously and have the students spread across the school field with arms up. as they hear the sound, they put their arms down. This a very effective demo, and knowing the distance and the time, the students can work out the speed of sound. The results are usually appalling, but it is a great demo to watch and participate in. This is great as an introduction.

2.

Using a tube and a tuning fork. This can be done in several ways - varying the tube length in water.

Resonance Tube Experiment:
a) Set up a long cylindrical tube vertically with a movable piston at the top. b) Adjust the position of the piston to create a resonant sound wave inside the tube. c) Measure the distance between the piston and the water level in the tube and the frequency of the sound produced.

d) Using the formula v = f * λ, where v is the speed of sound, f is the frequency, and λ is the wavelength, calculate the speed of sound.


Time of Flight Experiment:
a) Stand at one end of a long hallway or corridor and have another person stand at the opposite end. b) Use a stopwatch to measure the time it takes for a sharp sound, such as a clap or a pop, to travel from one end to the other.
c) Measure the distance between the two positions. d) Divide the distance by the time to obtain the average speed of sound.




Kundt's Tube Experiment:
a) Set up a transparent tube filled with fine talcum powder with a loudspeaker at one end. b) Generate a continuous sound wave using the loudspeaker.
c) Observe the formation of patterns or nodes in the powder as the sound wave travels through the tube. d) Measure the distance between consecutive nodes and calculate the wavelength.
e) Use the formula v = f * λ to determine the speed of sound, where v is the speed of sound, f is the frequency, and λ is the wavelength.

Getting the calculators ready for exams

Upgraded most of my A-level Maths student's fx-CG50 calculators to Version 3.8, ready for the exams. Not much new here, but is better for exam mode. Taught them how to set up exam mode as well.