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Catalog of All Lab and Other Activity Units
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Most of these units have been successfully used by hundreds of students
ranging in level from grades 6 through college.
For a list of Every lab unit uses Smart Science® patented technology to teach students to think like scientists. For a detailed description of the |
| Topic | Title | Lab or Other Activity |
|---|---|---|
1. Experimental Data
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SI Units | Basic metric units |
Simple Graphs |
In-class and virtual data form straight line graphs | |
| Changing Graphs | Understanding broken straight line graphs | |
| Volume Graphs | Graphs with volume as independent variable | |
| Weight Graphs | Weight and number of items illustrates averaging | |
| Random Errors | Observing and analyzing random errors | |
| Systematic Errors | Simple illustration of systematic error | |
Chi-Square |
A do-it-yourself activity for learning to use chi-square tests | |
Measurement New |
Practice taking measurements from common lab equipment | |
|
Balance Construction New |
Build your own inexpensive, sensitive balance from common materials | |
| More experimental data to come | Laboratory safety | |
2. Speed and Acceleration
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Definition of Speed | Analyze the meaning of "speed" |
| Acceleration | Observe and measure acceleration | |
| Mass of Falling Objects | Effect of mass on freefall | |
| Gravity and Speed | Observing speed during freefall | |
| Ramp and Mass | Different masses travel down a ramp | |
| Ramp Angle | The effect of ramp angle on mass acceleration | |
| Friction and Motion New | Horizontal sliding block pulled by weight. | |
| Sliding Masses | The effect of ramp angle and friction | |
| Rolling Cylinders | The effect of cylinder thickness | |
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Rotating Mass New |
How period varies with angle, string length, and mass | |
| Changes in Acceleration | Observe light objects in freefall | |
| Terminal Speed | Measure terminal speed of falling objects | |
| Atwood Machine New | Discover Newton's 2nd Law and/or the acceleration of gravity | |
|
Power New |
Investigate your own wrist power | |
| More speed and acceleration to come | Ball on ramp | |
3. Collisions
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Inelastic Collisions | Analyze inelastic collisions between equal masses |
| Inelastic Collisions with Different Masses | Analyze inelastic collisions between unequal masses | |
| Elastic Collisions | Analyze elastic collisions between equal masses | |
| Elastic Collisions with Different Masses | Analyze elastic collisions between unequal masses | |
4. Projectiles
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Horizontal Projectile Motion | Analyze horizontal component of projection motion |
| Vertical Projectile Motion | Analyze vertical component of projectile motion | |
| Projectile Motion with Varying Force | Analyze effect of launch force on projectile motion | |
| Projectile Motion with Varying Mass | Analyze effect of projectile mass on projectile motion | |
| Projectile Motion with Varying Launch Angle | Analyze effect of launch angle on projectile motion | |
| Projectile Motion and Energy | Follow kinetic and potential energy | |
| Projectile Motion Investigation | Students choose what aspect(s) to investigate | |
4. Periodic Motion
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Spring Constant | Determine spring constant of various spring combinations |
| Springs Moving Different Masses | Observe period motion of springs with differing masses | |
| Springs and Conservation of Energy | Observe the change between kinetic and potential energies | |
|
Pendulum with Different Masses |
Note effect of mass on pendulum period | |
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Pendulum with Different Lengths |
Note effect of length on pendulum period | |
| Pendulum with Different Amplitudes | Note effect of amplitude on pendulum period | |
| Pendulum Kinetic and Potential Energy | Observe transformation between potential and kinetic energies of a pendulum | |
| Pendulum Investigation | Students choose what to investigate | |
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Compound Pendulum |
A study in moment of inertia | |
5. Heat and Temperature
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Brownian Motion, Random Walk | Note randomness of Brownian motion |
| Brownian Motion, Temperature | Note effect of temperature on Brownian motion | |
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Gas Volume-Temperature |
Determine relationship between gas volume and temperature | |
| Liquid Volume-Temperature | Determine relationship between liquid volume and temperature | |
| Gas Pressure-Temperature | Determine relationship between gas pressure and temperature | |
| Absolute Zero | Find absolute zero by extrapolating pressure-temperature curve | |
| Specific Heat | Measure specific heat of liquids | |
| More heat and temperature to come | Phase changes | |
6. Waves
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Wavelength and Speed | Measure both wavelength and speed |
| Reflection and Frequency | Determine effect of frequency on reflection | |
| Reflection and Barrier Angle | Determine effect of angle on reflection | |
| Depth and Speed | Determine effect of depth on speed | |
| Depth and Refraction | Observe effect on depth on refraction | |
| Diffraction | Measure effect of frequency and gap width | |
| Interference | Measure interference change with frequency | |
| Resonance | Analyze resonant chamber | |
7. Sound
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Intensity and Distance | Intensity dependence on distance |
| Pitch | Relation between pitch, frequency and period | |
| Resonance and Frequency | Resonant cavities | |
| Speed of Sound | Use resonance to measure speed of sound | |
| Direct Speed of Sound | Use delay time to measure speed of sound | |
| Resonant Harmonics | Measure harmonics for resonant cavities | |
| Beats | Measure beat frequencies | |
| Moving Sound | Analyze Doppler effect | |
8. Statics
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Weighing Objects | Using spring scales to determine the weight of an object |
| Density | Density determination for many materials | |
| First Class Levers | Analyze levers with fulcrum in the middle | |
| Second Class Levers | Analyze levers with load in the middle | |
| Third Class Levers | Analyze levers with effort in the middle | |
| Inclined plane | Effect of angle on force | |
| Pulleys | How pulleys act as a simple machine | |
| Buoyancy New | Studying displacement in different liquids | |
| More statics to come | Vectors, work | |
9. Earth Science
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Porosity | Measuring porosity of different materials |
| Evaporation | Evaporation rates of various liquids with differing surface area | |
| Soil Permeability | Rate water percolates through sand, potting soil, etc. | |
| Erosion and Flow | Effect of flow rate on rate of water erosion | |
| Basic Rock Identification | Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic | |
| Daily Tides | Follow daily tides and analyze | |
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Clouds |
Identify and understand cloud types | |
| Earthquakes New | Measure distances to epicenters on sesimograms; locate epicenters | |
| More earth science to come | Angle of repose, coriolis effect, rocks & minerals | |
10. Chemistry
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Chemical Changes | Understanding chemical and physical reactions |
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Solubility |
What affects solubility in different solutes | |
| Iron-Tin Reaction | Reaction rates and temperature | |
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Acid-Base Titration |
Various combinations of acid and base | |
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Acid-Base Titration Wet Lab New |
Do your own at-home acid-base titration | |
| Crystal Violet Bleaching | Varying concentration of sodium hydroxide affects rate | |
| Molar Volume | Metals dissolve to produce measured volume of hydrogen | |
Chemical Periodicity |
Locate missing elements based on properties | |
|
Laboratory Glassware |
Interactively learn about glassware | |
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Periodic Table |
Interactively check periodic table understanding | |
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Introduction to Periodic Table |
Interactively check periodic table understanding | |
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Analysis of Hydrates |
Stoichiometric analysis of hydrates by heating in crucibles and weighing | |
Hydrate Analysis Procedure |
Interactive exploration of procedure for hydrate analysis | |
| Electrochemical Series | Comparison of electrical potential of half-cells | |
| Electroplating New | Plate and dissolve varlous metals; compare coulombs and grams | |
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Freezing Point Depression |
Estimation of molar mass | |
| Molar Mass by Vapor Density | Estimation of molar mass by weighing vapor | |
| Formula of Chlorides | Determine empirical formula by dissolving metals in acid | |
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Acid-Base Indicators New |
Determine ranges of indicator activity for many indicators | |
| Mole Ratio of Precipitates | Use filtration, drying, and weighing to find empirical formulas | |
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Precipitation Procedure |
Interactive exploration of precipitation procedure | |
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Enthalpy of Neutralization |
Mix different amounts of acid and bases to measure heat generated | |
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Enthalpy of Solution |
Add solids to water and measure heat change in calorimeter | |
| Colorimetric Determination of Copper New | Use colorimetry to find percent copper in alloys | |
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Gravimetric Analysis New |
A do-it-yourself gravimetric analysis wet lab | |
| Oxidizing Power New | Use redox titration to measure oxidizing power of bleaches | |
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Solubility Product New |
A do-it-yourself solubility product wet lab | |
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Inorganic Synthesis New |
A do-it-yourself inorganic synthesis wet lab | |
| Equilibrium Constants New | Study complex ion equilibria using spectrophotometry | |
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Buffers New |
Study how solution composition affects sensitivity to addition of acid or base | |
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Water Electrolysis New |
A do-it-yourself water electrolysis wet lab | |
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Reaction Rates New |
A do-it-yourself reaction rate wet lab | |
| Polyprotic Acids New | Titrating various polyprotic acids with strong base | |
| More chemistry to come | Electrochemical potential, acid analysis, indicator selection, qualitative analysis, solution conductivity, size of molecule, chemical bonding | |
11. Biology
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Food Webs |
Evaluate food webs |
| Seed Germination | Effect of contaminants on seed germination | |
| Cell Metabolism | Effect of sugar, temperature on metabolic rate | |
| Diffusion in a Gel | Observe shapes of diffusion curves | |
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Mitosis |
Learn to classify phases of mitosis | |
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Meiosis |
Learn about meiosis and its phases | |
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Stem Structure |
Identify tissues and cells in stem cross sections | |
| Crossing Over | Explore crossing over during meiosis in Sordaria fimicola | |
Natural Selection |
You're the predator affecting survival of prey | |
| Enzymes | Effect of substrate concentration on rates | |
| Osmosis | Effect of varying salt concentration on various materials | |
|
Membrane Diffusion New |
Rate of diffusion across a semipermeable membrane | |
Onion Osmosis New |
Effect of solute and concentration of red onion cells | |
| Gel Electrophoresis | Uses agarose gel with DNA fragments and ethidium bromide dye | |
| Photosynthesis | How photosynthesis rate varies with color, intensity of light | |
| Photosynthesis and pH | How photosynthesis rate varies with pH and color of light | |
| Capillarity | Different liquids in tubes of varying diameter | |
| Corn Genetics | Monohybrid crosses | |
| Corn Genetics 2 | Dihybrid crosses | |
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Plant Transpiration |
Rate of water loss from leaves | |
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Animal Behavior |
Taxis with various stimuli | |
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Thin Layer Chromatography |
Separating various plant pigments with different solvents | |
| Cell Respiration | Rate of sprout respiration for various seeds & temperatures | |
| More biology to come | Plasmolysis, biodiversity, genetic code, liquid diffusion, water potential, population genetics | |
12. Electricity
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Power and Voltage | Brightness of light bulb compares with applied voltage |
| Wire Properties | Measure resistance at different lengths for different gauges | |
| Capacitors | Measure response of different combinations of capacitors in RC circuit to constant voltage | |
| Ohm's Law | Measure current-voltage data for different resistors (virtual) and current-resistance data for different voltages (wet). | |
| More electricity to come | Circuits, static electricity fields, Coulomb's law, RC circuits, Ampere's law, electromagnetic induction, LC circuits | |
13. Heat Transfer
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Conduction in Solids | Compare rate of heat transfer in different solid rods |
| More heat transfer to come | Radiation, convection | |
14. Astronomy
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Moon Phases | Understand and name phases of Moon |
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Solar System New |
Identify solar system bodies and some of their properties | |
| More astronomy to come | Star tracks, Jupiter's moons, analemma | |
15. Light
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Light Reflection |
Angles of incidence and reflection |
| More light to come | Refraction, total internal reflection, laser diffraction, two-slit interference, colors, lens focal length | |
16. Environmental
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Biomes |
Investigate land-based biomes |
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Food Webs |
Learn about food webs | |
| Dissolved Oxygen New | Measure dissolved oxygen at different temperatures and salt concentrations | |
| Primary Productivity New | Measure dissolved oxygen over time in water samples from different sources and with different light levels | |
| Biodiversity New | Use morphology and chemical tests to identify closeness of different plant species. | |
| More environmental to come | Whales, greenhouse gases, phytoplankton, kelp, sandy shore ecosystem | |
15. Hydraulics
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Water Stream Trajectory |
Compare Bernoulli's equation with calculated stream speed |
| More hydraulics to come | Flow through a pipe, pistons and pressure | |
16. Nuclear
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Photoelectric Effect | Photoelectric current and stopping voltage varies with wavelength and intensity |
| More nuclear to come | Radioactive decay, Rutherford scattering | |
17. Physiology
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Muscle Fatigue New |
Investigate muscle fatigue and recovery |
Cardiac Physiology New |
How activity affects heart rate and pressure |
| More physiology to come | Heart rate, nerve action-potential, gas exchange, cardio reflex | |
18. Molecular Biology
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Genetic code |
This exercise introduces students to genetic code |
Restriction Enzymes New |
This hands-on simulation illustrates how restriction enzymes work | |
| More molecular biology to come | Gene expression, DNA extraction | |
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Uses data from literature instead of student collected data
Interactive "game" style activity illustrates scientific
principles
Interactively test knowledge of material
Hybrid lab combines offline 'wet' activities with virtual activities
Pure "wet" lab with data entered into system
Companion procedure activities for specific labs
Hands-on simulated activity
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Notes:
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