A smartphone is a powerful learning aid in the hands of a large section of students around the world. The camera of the phone can be used for several learning purposes apart from its obvious purpose of photographing. If the focal length of the lens of the camera can be determined, several experiments in optics can be performed with it. In some…

We demonstrated that an optimally designed pinhole camera can be used as an astronomical tool to observe the libration and apparent diameter change of the Moon at night. The libration and apparent diameter change of the Moon were observed using a handmade pinhole camera with a diameter of 0.65 mm and a focal length of 400 mm. It was found that the…

Thermal cameras have shown to have utility in secondary school classrooms and undergraduate courses. In this paper, the author argues for their potential in the primary school classroom and presents a range of activities that can be undertaken with thermal cameras (or supplied images). With limited access in mind, the activities in this paper have…

Practical experiments enhance students' understanding of basic concepts and promote deep learning experiences in chemistry. The smartphone application of Lab4Chemistry was utilized to replace colorimeters with smartphone camera sensors. Low-cost and readily available materials, including anthocyanin (fresh red cabbage) and common kitchen…

In this experiment we have first determined the focal length of an equiconvex lens. We have observed that a real image can be formed by the lens on the same side of the source if the source is sufficiently strong. This is due to the reflection from the concave surface of the lens. We have measured these image distances for different object…

The use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), also known as drones, is increasing in geospatial science curricula within the United States. Four geospatial science faculty members within the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU), Texas, focus on applying imagery obtained from drones to map,…

We propose a laboratory experiment on the quantitative study of the normal dispersion of light. A triangular isosceles prism made of flint glass TF3 is used as the object of study, and we describe a simple and affordable device for observing and photographing the dispersion spectrum on a smartphone. A possibility of the quantitative investigation…

A very simple and color-observable homemade Raman spectroscope with easy preparation is introduced by simply adding low-cost components (a transmission diffraction grating sheet, a magnifying glass, a paper mask, and a DPSS laser pointer module) to a consumer digital camera. The Raman spectral images and profiles of cyclohexane, carbon…

A novel demonstration device for realizing the intuitive visual observation of the system's internal energy change is proposed. The device is safe, simple, and efficient, combining an infrared camera with a water bottle sprayer. With this setup, the changes of thermal images for air and helium during the compression and expansion processes were…

Fluorescence analysis is an important technology, which can obtain the concentration of target analytes through comparing the fluorescence intensity change of a fluorescent sensor. Generally, the fluorescence intensity is measured by a fluorometer. However, many undergraduates have no chance to operate such an expensive instrument. Besides, the…

This paper proposes a simple method to design experiments for drawing the light paths at a lens to find its effective focal length and principal planes. In the designed experiments, long-exposure photography was used to record the light scattered using a moving sheet of paper, thus revealing the light path. According to the proposed experimental…

Data from the Kepler satellite were analysed using the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes database. With the participation of 53 students, we determined the parameters of the HAT-P-7b (Kepler-2) exoplanet system (transit duration, planet-to-star radius ratio, orbital period, semi-major axis and star mass). We used approaches that are easy to…

Circular motion changes the perception of up and down. For a skater, the need to lean in towards the centre of an arc constitutes an embodiment of centripetal acceleration. This paper presents a discussion between a physicist and a high-school science teacher without previous physics studies at university level. The discussions started as part of…

This paper describes a study in which five physical science teachers were requested to take photographs and describe the science concepts embedded in these. Particularly, the science had to be relevant to the grade 10-grade 12 curriculum they were teaching. This study was an exploratory case study employing qualitative methods. To analyze data…

Plant awareness disparity (PAD, formerly plant blindness) is the tendency not to notice plants in one's environment, which leads to the perspective that plants are unimportant. In this paper, we explore how plants and animals are represented in introductory biology textbooks to determine if these texts are contributing to PAD in undergraduate…