Physical Science

The best way to get involved with something that is, to some people, normally considered tiresome and boring, like science, is to make it interesting. When we are young we heard that playful Mary Poppins song with the lyrics, “a…
Read more

Chemistry is fascinating to all ages, children included.  Sometimes the temptation is to think that chemistry is too complex for kids to understand.  Granted, you probably shouldn’t try to have them calculate second-order rate laws right off the bat, but…
Read more

The age-old question “What should I wear today?” takes on new meaning when the chemistry teacher announces that tomorrow’s lab will use concentrated acids.  Indeed, what should the student wear?  Looking great may be important, sure, but it does little…
Read more

Chemical changes come in many forms, but we teach that there are certain clear signs that can indicate that a chemical change has taken place.  Those signs, while not always absolute proof of a chemical change, provide an excellent way…
Read more

Chemistry can be a daunting subject for a lot of students. Since it’s possible for high school students to take chemistry in Grade 11 (in Canada at least), this guide will go over what you need to know.  Firstly, there’s…
Read more

The idea that everything on this planet is made of matter has been around for thousands of years, as has the idea that all matter is composed of some time of smaller, indivisible particle. That theory was never really tested…
Read more

INTRODUCTIONA hydrate is a compound that contains water. After the water is removed, the solid that remains is called the anhydrous salt, or anhydrate for short. Our goal for this lab was to first determine the percent of water in…
Read more

In the United States, helium can be used for many different things. It can be used for advertising purposes, recreation, purge systems, and low-temperature cooling systems. Objects that float in the air, such as balloons, blimps, and other things of…
Read more

The human body is the most complex yet simple combination of natural elements. First off the elements in the body are: Oxygen (65%) Carbon (18%) Hydrogen (10%) Nitrogen (3%) Calcium (1.5%) Phosphorus (1.0%) Potassium (0.35%) Sulfur (0.25%) Sodium (0.15%) Magnesium…
Read more

When you hear the word drug, most people go straight to the heavy illegal stuff, like cocaine and heroin, but the word drug includes many other things as well. Caffeine, tobacco, and other substances some of us use on a…
Read more