Astro Academy: Principia is an education programme developed by the UK National Space Academy for the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA). The Academy designed, constructed, flight-qualified and developed experimental procedures for a suite of physics and chemistry demonstration experiments that were conducted by ESA…

This article outlines some engagement or "showmanship" devices that can enhance the impact of live practical demonstrations. The fifteen engagement techniques described herein are used by the author in his spectacular chemistry demonstration shows in theaters, but they can also be useful in the classroom environment. Many of the…

In this article we describe a demonstration for most of the elements from the periodic table which together constitute the show "An Elemental Spectacle: A Guided Tour of the Darker Reaches of the Periodic Table."

To improve the quality of education, it is important for teachers to have an understanding of action research. Action research is 'learning by doing', which involves identifying a problem, looking for a plan to resolve it, observing how successful it is and, if not satisfied, trying again. Action research helps educators to be more effective in…

Activation energies form an energy barrier to a chemical reaction taking place. Simple collision theory, i.e. that particles need to collide to react, would suggest that activation energy is the energy needed to overcome a coulombic barrier provided by the negatively charged electrons contained within energy shells surrounding an atomic nucleus.…