Australia's Science Forum

Now you have all said about flicking the mercury down I am thinking "DUH" . Thank you all for your input and I will give this a go, and any that won't do this I will turf. Thanks once again for this wonderful forum.

Hello fellow labbies out there in labbie land, We don't use our clinical thermometers much and the teacher who just borrowed them noticed that a couple of them seen to be "stuck" (his word not mine) at over 42 and some seem to sit on 36.5, some on 37. What is the go!!! Is there a particula...

To all you wonderful labbies out there, This is going to sound like a really dumb question but I'm going to ask it anyway and risk looking like an idiot, why, when you break a spirit thermometer that seems to have red liquid in it while unbroken, does the liquid come out green if the thermometer is ...

Hi nickyw Wow, how great does your storage space look. Mine is all the really old (35 odd years) storage shelves and I'd be thinking that they will be the same for at least the next 35 odd years too. I suppose I can dream of having nice new shelving, I think that's about as close as I'm going to get...

Tina, I am also in awe!!! I thought I was quite organised but you really put me to shame. I would just be happy to get term plans from the four science staff that I have to try and keep organised at this point in time. There is only so many times you should have to ask for these, and you would think...

Our upper school students buy their own copies of text books and then usually try and onsell them to next years upper school. We do try to keep a couple of copies for students who come late during the year or forget their own copy. These do tend to go astray because the teachers don't follow the sig...

I was just having a discussion with my teachers regarding why the oven bags don't explode when you seal them and heat them in a microwave. None of us could really work it out. There is probably a really simple explanation, does anyone out there in labbieland know why they don't?

Hi all, I'm picking up some great tips through this wonderful site so keep up the good work. Regarding the safety glasses, I seem to remember when I was at school many moons ago, there was a small tray of crystals in the bottom of the safety glasses cabinet. Any ideas what they might have been and i...

We have students' parent working in the school at the moment and she asked me the other day about the safety of the Van Der Graaf for her daughter, who has had heart surgery in the past and still suffers some heart problems. When she took her daughter to sci tech in Perth they wouldn't allow her any...

Hi Diana, In Moora we have been getting our eyes from EG Green & Sons in Harvey. They send them up with the order from our local butcher at no cost. I haven't got them the last couple of years and I think the are called Harvey Beef now but if you were interested it might be worth a try if any of...

We do this experiment nearly every year from the science enrichment unit 8336, applied organic chemistry with no problems up until this year when a student managed to get acid in their eye. We have been making rubber balls successfully for as long as I can remember. Use a syringe to put about 10mL o...

Thanks for your input Richard, but once again, why can't the department just make it really easy for EVERYONE who could possibly need to access MSDS's and the like and have them centralised and on our computer desktops. We quite often have teachers teaching out of area, being a reasonably hard to st...

I don't know why there isn't a centralised location ie the DET website, where there can be access to all MSDSs for anyone in the school system with the click of a button and that can be updated by one person so that they are always up to date and we don't have to wait for a disc from the RTG. The sa...

Hi All, I have another problem with electronic balances in that the power adaptors keep on stuffing up. I don't know if it is something the kids are doing or if they are just supplied with cheap and nasty adaptors and these need to be replaced with better quality ones!!! If this is the case where wo...

I am also looking for a copy of these two books if anyone has any old copies sitting around not being used.
Cuishie

Thanks for all your help. This is a great website, keep up the good work!!!
Cuishie

My HOD is wanting to do the experiment "Membranes under stress" out of Heinemann Biol 2 Activity manual with beetroot slices and various solutions and the effect they have on the beetroot. I am unable to find how to make up the pH solutions and the teachers resource book tells me to look u...

Hi everyone, I too am looking for a supplier of distilled water here in western australia as I think the waste of water in the cooling process is too excessive in our waterwise communities now.
Thanks
Leanne

Hi Nikki, You may want to contact your regional technician in regards to your older chemicals etc. You can find out who your regional technician is by logging on to their website at rtg.wa.edu.au. This is a fantastic group of people who are always happy to help out when you need some help and answer...