Resources & Links

This page serves as reference for CBL and Graphing Calculator users. Included are links to pages with relevant information as well as science background for the labs given at this site.
      3. Links for Teachers and Students

The Science of Temperature and Heat

We know that temperature measures how hot or cold an object is. Temperature is also a measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules in an object - or - temperature is proportional to how fast the molecules are moving. A mug of hot chocolate with fast moving molecules feels hotter and has a higher temperature than a mug of hot chocolate with slow moving molecules. If our cup of hot chocolate was at absolute zero, or 0 Kelvin, the molecules would not be moving at all! When you heat up your mug of hot chocolate you are adding thermal energy to the hot chocolate and making the molecules move faster. When an object cools down it loses heat, the molecules slow down and the object has less thermal energy.

Thermal energy is similar to kinetic energy but they are not the same thing. If your mug of hot chocolate is sliding across the table it has kinetic energy equal to half its mass times its velocity squared (K.E. = 1/2 mv2). That same mug of hot chocolate also has thermal energy because its individual molecules are moving around. If the mug sits still it still has thermal energy but no kinetic energy. If the mug is at absolute zero but is sliding across the table it has kinetic energy but no thermal energy. Thermal energy is the average kinetic energy of the molecules NOT the kinetic energy of the whole mug of hot chocolate. In other words thermal energy is the total INTERNAL kinetic energy.

Another interesting question to think about is which has more thermal energy - a mug of hot chocolate or a whole pot of hot chocolate if they are both at 90 degrees celsius? As stated, they both have the same temperature which means that the molecules in the pot and the mug both have the same AVERAGE kinetic energy or moving at the same speed. However, assuming there is more hot chocolate in the pot than the mug, the hot chocolate in the pot has a greater TOTAL internal kinetic energy or thermal energy.

For more detailed information visit these great temperature and heat links

The Science of Light Intensity

In the Light Intensity Activity you should have found that the relationship between light intensity and distance is inverse square - that is if you increase the distance between the light probe and the light source 'x' times then the light intensity decreases by '1/x2' or the inverse squared.

But why is this so? The light source gives off a certain amount of light per second known as luminous flux measured in lumens. (look on a package of light bulbs - luminous flux is usually listed as well as power in Watts). As the light travels further away from the source it becomes more and more spread out.

However, we are not interested in the total light given off, just that measured by the light probe - a small area of the sphere of light given off. The intensity of the light at any point on the sphere is just the luminous flux divided by the area of the sphere. Since area is a function of radius squared, as you increase the distance from the source - or the radius of the sphere- you will decrease the intensity by inverse square.

For more information about light checkout these light links:


Links For Teachers and Students

TI Graphing Calculator Links

TI Graphing Calculator Magazine - (http://users.aol.com/TImagazine/pages/main.htm)
All of the latest news regarding your graphing calculators.

TI Calculator Homepage - (http://www.ti.com/calc/docs/calchome.htm)
Here you will find the programs provided by TI for your calculators. You will also find sample lesson plans and ideas made by real teachers for their classrooms.

A Gentle Introduction to the TI Graphing Calculator - (http://www.math.montana.edu/~frankw/ccp/ccpwrite/gentle.htm)
A quick look at the basics of the TI Calculator and how to uplink different programs.

Statistical Help for your TI - (http://www.richland.cc.il.us/james/ti82/)
A very nice set of statistical help files.

Graphing Calculator Policy - (http://www.capcollege.bc.ca/dept/math/ti-calc/gc.html)
A sample college policy on how, when and why to use the graphing calculator in class.

CBL Links

Vernier Software - (http://www.vernier.com/)
Here you will find extra probes and software to expand and support your growing CBL needs. Instruments available with biology, chemistry, and physics classes.

TI & CBL Homepage - (http://www.ti.com/calc/docs/cbl.htm)
The original homepage for your CBL. Provides programs for your CBL's and helpful hints if you are still having problems.

AccuLab Products - (http://www.sensornet.com/apgcbl.html)
Another source for buying CBL probes for biology, chemistry, and physics classrooms. Slightly more expensive than Vernier, but they have much faster delivery.

PASCO - (http://www.pasco.com/)
More economic company for you CBL probe needs.

CBL Made Easy - (http://www.cci.unl.edu/calculators/pdf/CBL-Easy.pdf)
Download this PDF file (requires Acrobat Reader) for a hard copy of a great CBL guide.

Project Physlab I - (http://physlab.catlin.edu/physlab.htm)
Different experiments and programs written by and for high school teachers. You must register on the BBS to access the files.

CBL and Graphing Calculators - (http://www.cci.unl.edu/calculators)
Integrating math and science using CBL and graphing calculators.

CESME CBL Clearinghouse - (http://cesme.utm.edu/resources/CBL/cblclearinghouse.html)
Several activities for your CBL system from Calculus to Biology to Statistics. Everything has an activity here if it is in the maths or sciences.

Science Links

The Science House - (http://www.ncsu.edu../)
The Science House is an outreach department of NC State whose aim is to encourage hands-on learning in math and science classrooms.

NC State's Science Junction - (http://www.ncsu.edu/sciencejunction)
The Science Junction assists learners and teachers of science by providing resources, communications and inquiry-based science activities. A good start if you really don't know what you may be looking for.

Physical Science Research Center - ( http://www.psrc-online.org/)
This site is produced by the AAPT to "provide teacher resources for a spectrum of learners."

Wilton High School Chemistry Tutorials - (http://w3.nai.net/~bobsalsa/)
Easily one of the BEST collections of chemistry information on the web. You MUST go here to believe it. Labs, resources, lesson plans, and units are only the beginning.

Paul's Biology Lab - (http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/5875/biology.html)
Several biology resources that can be used in the high school biology classroom. Includes the "Cells Alive" and "Visible Human" programs.

The Law's List - (http://www.alcyone.com/max/physics/laws/)
The laws list is a list of various laws, rules, principles, and other related topics in physics and astronomy.

Math Links

Mathematical Modeling on a TI Calculator - (http://www.ifmt.nf.ca/~physics/labstuff/tigraph.htm)
This page will give you the general procedure to create graphs and mathematical models on your TI calculators using experimental data.

Guidelines for Graphing - (http://chemlabs.uoregon.edu/GeneralResources/graphing.html)
This page gives the general rules and regulations for proper graph making.

Interpretation of the SI for the United States and Metric Conversion Policy for Federal Agencies - (http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/200/202/pub814.htm)
Straight from the National Institute of Standards and Technology the exact SI units.

TI Math Probes - (http://www.ti.com/calc/docs/cbl-math.htm)
Table for math probe usage only.

Algebra Through Modeling with the TI 82/83 Graphing Calculators - (http://mtl.math.uiuc.edu/modules/algebra/)
This module is designed to familiarize teachers with a new and very innovative advanced algebra course. This course presents algebra from the perspective of modeling and data analysis using the basic algebraic functions and a graphing calculator with data analysis capabilities such as the TI-82 or TI-83.

Math Forum - (http://forum.swarthmore.edu/)
A comprehensive site for math educators with lesson plans, educational issues and more