Methods of Detection - Cover Sheet

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Author - Scott Davis - Summer 1998

Note: This case will expand and be modified after my class performs it in the Fall semester.

Case Purpose: This exercise demonstrates various methods and levels of sophistication of detection and a crude model of atomic force microscopy.

Relation to Text: This exercise can be used early in the semester to teach students observation and experimentation. In addition, it can be used as a lead-in for a variety of cases, including Gogglebox Spectroscopy and Radioactivity and the Atom.

Description of Case Materials: Sealed shoeboxes containing items that can move freely are needed. Some objects include balls of varying sizes, a dowel, a block, and a cone. For experiment 2, pickup sticks (or wood skewers) and shoeboxes with blocks, dowels, etc. glued to the bottom are required.

Case Use: Exercise 1. In this experiment, the students will hear and feel the presence of the objects contained in shoeboxes. In experiment 2, students will mimic atomic force microscopy, a sophisticated method of detection, with the use of pickup sticks and the shoebox.

Reference List: The following links offer information on atomic force microscopy.