Australia's Science Forum

Hi Kerrin,
I purchased one of these last year:
http://aussiemagnets.com.au/product/-86 ... co%29.html

The physics teacher seems happy with it
best regards
Kate

I do the ordering, liase with accounts department for payment of invoices, and keep track of everything in a spreadsheet divided into sub sections. For large expenses I get HODs approval first. I dont have to do the annual budget submission though

You cant beat 70% ethanol for cleaning out an incubator. But watch out for the 70% ethanol fumes, especially while you're reaching right in to the back. Take a breath before you reach in, do as much as you can, then step right back to get your breath. :yuck: Also, as mentioned earlier, wait till the...

Hi all, my school has a centrifuge that came off the ark :rolleyes: , and has no safety catch to prevent it being opened while the rotor is spinning. It doesnt get used much, but I am thinking that it is too unsafe and would like to ask for a replacement. Does anyone have any recommendations? Im thi...

Also the diastase powder should be stored in the fridge. As it's an enzyme I make up the solution fresh (the day before), store it in the fridge overnight and aliquot it just before the prac. We use 5 ml of 0.5% diastase solution with 10 ml of 0.5% starch, and it works really well. Also make sure yo...

the A is an ammeter- which measures current, in Amperes (or Amps for short)
the uA is a microammeter which measures current in the millionths of Amperes range (ie 10 to the -6 amps)
the V is a voltmeter, for measuring volts
hope this helps

Prof Bunsen sell a range of theodore Gray Periodic tables, including a big one. I bought the lenticular one because its just so beautiful and nifty...it mostly sits on my wall behind my computer and I just love it

Hi, has anyone done the cornflour on a speaker demo...I am trying but nothing is happening. I have an audio signal generator, and tried settings between 100 and 170Hz, but the cornflour slime just doesnt budge, even when I prod it to get it started
any ideas would be greatly appreciated

serrata 'squamous epithelium, smear of human mouth scrapings'

Hi there, do your chem teachers do the deflagration of chlorine demonstration in which chlorine gas is produced in a gas jar? If so, how do you clean up? How long does it have to sit in the fume hood, and how do you tell (other than the canary in a coal mine approach) when it has dispersed? Is there...

we have the old home eco plastic chopping boards, can go in the dishwasher, or wash by hand with cold water, then scrub with bleach then rinse. cant stick pins in them though

We did same as lada, demo only, nasty chemicals but great prac ...read your MSDS carefully

thanks lada and anne...that gives me peace of mind

I would love some advice on whether to get rid of any of the chemicals listed below. :unsure: They are all on the lists of 'banned chemicals in schools' or the 'not recommended list', both lists appear in the Chemical Safety guide for science laboratories in Victorian high schools. I'm at an indepen...

I bought a heart model and my 10yo son bought the torso. He enjoyed putting it together, needed only a small amount of help. The main problem with the torso is that some of the parts are tiny, and would get lost in a class very quickly. The heart is fun, the ventricles and atria swing open to reveal...

We purchased 4 good balances this year (max 400g/readability 0.01g), and these have been invaluable for the senior classes

our amylase is from 2007, stored at 4 degrees, still works fine
Worth trying the old stuff if you cant get the new.
good luck

Hi Labbie,
Livingstone School supplies have some in their catalogue (p99, 18th edition).
I havent tried them, so cant recommend or otherwise.
Hope this helps

Yes, I too am subject to the whims of whatever teacher is in the lab that backs onto my prep bench :-( Just hate interrupting classes by walking through the classroom to turn on the gas (under the teaching bench):-({|= (but on the bright side I get to have a peek at what they're actually doing :popc...

Hi there, I'm using a benchtop autoclave to sterilise some bug plates before disposal 8-[ . Have read all the posts on this wonderful forum, but am a little confused :oops: about the oven bag situation. In my previous life in medical research we used big built-in autoclaves, and the proceedure was t...