Interactive and Experiential Science Tools

We are already a month into the new year, and it has been the most exciting times for us here at prepmagic.com. Though for many of us on the east coast, we did see some ugly effects of storm Jonas. Weather has always been a researchers enigma. More we think we know about it, more curve balls it throws at us. For the first time, University of Washington researchers, have convincingly connected the effect of Moon’s tidal forces on the amount of rainfall on Earth. Read more about it here.

So after the updates for January 2016 being live on prepmagic.com, this is what you should expect for the month of February 2016.

CHEMISTRY

Reactions

Types of Reactions - Interactives illustrating

• different types of chemical reactions - synthesis, decomposition, single replacement, double replacement, neutralization, and combustion.
• endothermic and exothermic processes.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Energy and matter, PS1.B: Chemical Reactions.

Solutions

Colligative Properties - Interactives demonstrating that

• a liquid’s boiling point and freezing point are affected by changes in atmospheric pressure.
• the presence of certain solutes and the number of solutes changes the freezing point and boiling point of a pure substance.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Energy and matter, PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter.

Gases

Partial Pressure - Interactives demonstrating

• that the sum of the partial pressures of all the components in a gas mixture is equal to the total pressure of a gas mixture.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Energy and matter, PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter.

Phase Changes

Vapor Pressure - Interactives demonstrating

• that a liquid boils when the vapor pressure equals the ambient pressure.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Energy and matter, PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter.

BIOLOGY

Evolution

Fossil Dating - Interactives demonstrating 

• methods to determine the age of a fossil using radioactive decay.

NGSS: SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Systems and system models, LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity.

Reproductive Strategies & Survival Rates  - Interactives investigating

• the impact of reproductive strategies and rates on a population’s survival

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Systems and system models, LS4.C: Adaptation.

PHYSICS

Electric Circuits

Electrical Power - Interactives demonstrating that

• the dissipated power of a circuit element equals the product of the voltage across that element and the current through it.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Systems and system models, PS2.B: Types of Interactions.

Sound & Waves

Wave Characteristics - Interactives illustrating various aspects of a wave, including

• wavelength, period, frequency and amplitude
• simple harmonic motion
• velocity of sound waves versus medium of propagation

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Patterns, CCC - Cause and effect, PS4.A: Wave Properties.

Washington D.C. (December 10, 2015),

Prepmagic.com, an innovative science education startup, was selected from a large pool of global applicants, by Software and Information Industry Association's (SIIA/ETIN) flagship Innovation Incubator Program. The program identifies and supports entrepreneurs in their development and distribution of innovative learning technologies. The program began in 2006 and has provided support for dozens of successful products and companies in their efforts to improve education through the use of software, digital content and related technologies. The program is open to applicants from academic and non-profit institutions, pre-revenue and early-stage companies, as well as established companies with newly developed technologies.

SIIA's Innovation Incubator program is one of the earliest offerings to entrepreneurs who have new, innovative products in the ed tech market, it is also unique because it provides a peer review process by successful, established companies, then one-to-one mentorship to support the growth of the newest companies. It’s a great way for ETIN member companies to give back and help promote the next generation of creative solutions.

Innovation Incubator Program finalists were selected from the applicant pool based on key selection criteria, including:

• Ability to positively impact end users of the product
• Ability to succeed in the education technology market
• Level of originality and innovation

All Innovation Incubator finalists presented during the annual Education Business Forum (EBF), the leading business and finance conference for the K-12 and postsecondary education technology markets. The event was held on Dec. 8-9, 2015 at the AMA Executive Conference Center in New York City.

About Prepmagic.com
Prepmagic.com re-imagines how interactive simulations can be a driver of science teaching and learning. Prepmagic not only connects abstract STEM concepts to real world experiences but also allows the high school teachers to create custom interactive lessons and live formative assessments in both virtual and live classroom settings.

Prepmagic uniquely combines the power of interactive simulations, customizable contextual storytelling, and formative assessments, that make science teaching and learning not just fun and engaging but also encourages critical thinking and problem solving.To know more, signup on Prepmagic.com, or write to us at offers@prepmagic.com for a school or district-wide site license offers.

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to the leading companies that are setting the pace for the digital age. The Education Technology Industry Network (ETIN) division of SIIA represents and supports developers of educational software applications, digital content, online learning.

Wish you a very happy new year from the prepmagic.com team. The big news! The new year has been fantastic for the four who made it to the most elite club in the universe, 'the periodic table'. You can read more about it here.

Wanted to share our new year resolution with you. We will be sending you, at the beginning of the month, the list of what to expect in the month on prepmagic.com. This will be our commitment to you.In this month, we will be adding interactive simulations on acids and bases, solutions, gases, and energy in Chemistry. In Biology, we will have heredity, life functions, and ecosystems. Physics will see electrostatics and momentum. Check out our detailed list for January below.

CHEMISTRY

Solutions

Moles & Molarity - Series of interactives demonstrating:

• Concept of a mole and how it relates to atomic mass
• Molarity of a solution, based on moles of solute and volume of solvent
• Diluting a solution

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Scale, proportion, and quantity, PS1 - Matter and its interactions.

Acids & Bases

Acid-Base Titration - Series of interactives on

• Acid-base titration for exploring reaction between acids and bases, based on strength, molarity and pH value.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Scale, proportion, and quantity, PS1 - Matter and its interactions.

Gases

Gas Laws - Series of interactives demonstrating

• behavior of gases and the relationship between pressure, volume and temperature using Boyle’s Law, Charles’ Law and the ideal gas equation.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Scale, proportion, and quantity, CCC - Energy and matter, PS1 - Matter and its interactions

Energy

Heating, Temperature & Phase Change - Interactives to

• investigate the process of heating and phase change using heating curves and to understand the concept of specific heat capacity and molar heat of fusion and vaporization.

Calorimetry - Series of interactives involving

• use of calorimeter to monitor energy changes due to specific heat, molar heat of fusion and vaporization, heat of solution and to measure energy content of common food items.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Scale, proportion, and quantity, CCC - Energy and matter, PS1 - Matter and its interactions, PS3 - Energy.

BIOLOGY

Life Functions

Homeostasis - Interactives investigating

• regulation of body temperature exhibited by endotherms, ectotherms and homeotherms.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Structure and function, CCC - Stability and change, LS1 - From molecules to organisms: Structures and processes

Heredity

Mendelian Inheritance - Interactives exploring

• inheritance patterns based on Mendel's laws of heredity.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Patterns, CCC - Cause and effect, LS3 - Heredity: Inheritance and variation of traits.

Ecosystem

Population Growth - Interactives to interpret

• a population growth curve and understand the carrying capacity of populations.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Patterns, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Stability and change, LS2 - Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics.

PHYSICS

Electrostatics

Coulomb's Law - Series of interactives demonstrating that

• electrostatic force between two point charges is a function of their magnitudes and the distance separating the two, as given by Coulomb's Law.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Scale, proportion, and quantity, PS2 - Motion and stability: Forces and interactions.

Momentum

Elastic Collisions - Interactives showing that

• linear momentum is the product of mass and velocity, and is conserved during an elastic collision along with the conservation of kinetic energy.

NGSS: SEP - Developing and using models, SEP - Planning and carrying out investigations, SEP - Analyzing and Interpreting Data, CCC - Patterns, CCC - Cause and effect, CCC - Stability and change, PS2 - Motion and stability: Forces and interactions.