Recently, smart sensing/actuation paper has attracted significant interest due to its potential usage as a sustainable component in future electronics, robotics, and intelligent sensing devices. In acknowledging the importance of this topic for the engagement of students at the university level in conjunction with Industrial Revolution 4.0, it is…

The abstract definition of electric power as "ability of a voltage source to do work" or quantitatively as "energy per unit charge" is preceded by a qualitative description in terms of the existence of surface charges. These surface charges and the associated electric fields can be demonstrated experimentally and allow a causal…

An organic solar cell fabrication kit has been developed for demonstration in both undergraduate teaching classes and high school laboratories to promote the growing field of renewable energy and to facilitate empirical comprehension of solar technology. The laboratory focuses on fabricating organic photovoltaics (solar cells) and testing the…

This paper describes a student-centered approach to teaching and learning physics in a high school classroom. The teacher designs and uses a 5E learning cycle to teach series and parallel electric circuits. This article provides an example of the implementation of 5E model for a physics lesson to address three-dimensional learning-science and…

Many types of batteries power an ever-growing number of devices. Electrochemical devices like batteries and fuel cells can, in principle, exceed Carnot efficiency for energy conversion. In this novel laboratory experiment, students explore the partitioning of the enthalpy change of a battery's electrochemical reaction between useful electrical…

Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's rules refer to stationary states and do not provide any indications of the always-present transition processes that connect these states and cause their respective setting. Through the use of suitable simulation programs these transition processes are accessible to classroom activities and allow a deeper and more coherent…

Many physics textbooks describe the way in which a capacitor in an RC circuit charges and discharges over time. A circuit that consists of a capacitor that is connected to a voltage divider as shown in Fig. 1 is commonly addressed, but the textbooks limit the discussion to the time immediately after the switch is closed and a long time after the…

In electrochemistry, the concept of a reference electrode is fundamental. Introductory courses might mention the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE), its working principle, and its theoretical design; however, chances are that students will never have the opportunity to work with one. A hydrogen electrode should be a device readily available at the…

Laboratory report assignments for non-major and introductory classes can be challenging because the students are unfamiliar with the type of technical writing required and the subject matter. These issues for the student make the grading for the instructor difficult and time consuming. Determining the level of detail to require, the format, and…

In this paper we present activities that can help students deepen their understanding of DC circuits and develop practical competences. The students investigate electric properties of commercially available conductive thread and solve a practical design task using the thread. The activities follow the framework of investigative science learning…

Renewable energy is a trending topic due to its importance in today's society especially because of global warming. Because of its importance, this topic should be discussed at schools in an inclusive education environment. Experimental work is a very good activity to provide students effective conceptual discussions, but it is necessary to…

P-n junctions form the basic building blocks for any semiconductor device. Therefore, the complete understanding of the junction characteristics is very important. Although being a widely discussed topic in electronics, there are still some gaps such as finding the value and significance of the junction ideality factor, that needs to be addressed.…

In introductory physics laboratories, spring constants are traditionally measured using the static method. The dynamic method, via vertical spring-mass oscillator, that uses a stopwatch in order to measure the period of oscillations is also commonly employed. However, this time-measuring technique is prone to human errors and in this paper we…

Experiments with Lecher Lines have always been important in the physics curriculum for demonstrating standing waves and the important concept that waves can be guided as well as being emitted into space. A system operating at low power (less than 10 mW) and in the frequency range 300 MHz to 800MHz is described and the wavelength of the radiation…

The research reported in this article represents a systematic, multiyear investigation of student understanding of the behavior of bipolar junction transistor circuits using a variety of different tasks to isolate and probe key aspects of transistor circuit behavior. The participants in this study were undergraduates enrolled in upper-division…