Physics: Circuit Patterns

Today, students started working on a series of labs based on the circuit patterns activities from the PUM curriculum. Today, students built series circuits in PhET’s circuit construction kit, measured the current and potential difference at each element, and started looking for patterns in their results. When using the voltmeter, I was pleased by how many students went back to a lab we’d done moving the ground wire of the multimeter to help explain why some voltages were negative, along with what that negative voltage means. Tomorrow, we’ll pull out the power supplies and resistors to see if their patterns work in the real world.

Chemistry: Disturbing Equilibrium

Students played with moving a reversible reaction out of equilibrium. After mixing Fe(NO₃)₃ and KSCN solutions in several different test tubes. Once the reaction was in equilibrium, they tried something different, such as changing the concentration or putting the test tube into a water bath, to and observed the results.