9 facts about Spirometer

If you are a science student studying human anatomy, you would soon be introduced to a spirometer. It is a medical instrument that is used widely in hospitals and diagnostic centers for conducting pulmonary function tests. Here are 9 important facts about Spirometer that you must know:

1. A spirometer is a medical device that helps measure the volume of air that passes in and out of the lungs. It helps doctors and medical health professionals in measuring the respiratory flow rates.

2. The device is used for checking the condition of the patient’s lungs. If the patient is suffering shortness of breath, the spirometer is able to identify that.

 
3. Spirometer helps in early diagnosis of lung-related problems such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema and allows patients to get the right treatment at the early stage of the disease. 
   
   

4. In 1813, Kentish E made a simple "Plumometer" for studying the effect of diseases on pulmonary lung volume. In 1846, John Hutchinson developed water hydrometer which featured a calibrated bell. The caliberated bell was inverted in water to measure the volume of air exhaled by a person.

5. In 1854, an easier to use spirometer was introduced by Wintrich. The first peak flow spirometer came in the year 1902 and was made by Wright B.M and Mc Kerrow

6. There are many types of spirometers. Windmill type or the spiropet spirometer helps measure forced vital capacity. It is light in weight and therefore easy to use and carry around.

7. Peak flow spirometer is another commonly used spirometer. It is used to measure a person’s ability to breathe out air.

8. Incentive Spirometer is used to augment the patient’s functioning of lungs.

9. Another type of spirometer is the Whole body spirometer. It provides accurate reading of the amount of air that goes in and comes out of the patient’s lungs. Of the various types of spirometers, this is indeed the most reliable and most widely used.

Continue

5 safety tips to follow when conducting chemistry lab experiments

Chemistry lab experiments involve use of chemicals-which if mishandled can prove dangerous. As school science teacher or lab assistant you must ensure that the experiments are conducted in a safe manner. Here are 5 safety tips that would help you avoid any serious injury or accident from taking place and make chemistry lab experiments fun, interesting, and educational for kids.

1. Always be present in the chemistry lab when kids are conducting any experiment. They should never be left unattended as they might try to experiment something out of curiosity which may lead to an injury or accident.

2. Be sure that kids follow step-by-step instructions as described in the chemistry book. Even a small diversion can cause adverse reaction. 

3. When in chemistry lab, students, teachers, and assistants should wear the proper safety equipment. Chemistry lab safety equipment that are a must include a long sleeved lab coat, long pants, goggles, and closed toed shoes. Girls must be made to tie their hairs at the back so that they do not get into the chemicals.

4. Provide only those chemicals to students that are required for conducting the experiment. Foreign chemicals can react and cause a problem. After the experiment is conducted, the chemicals must be disposed off. Putting them back in the original bottle can cause contamination.

5. Ask kids to wash their hands properly after completing the experiment. You must instruct them to handle the glass equipment carefully to avoid breakage and injury.

Follow safety procedures, and make chemistry lab experiments fun-filled and valuable for students. 

Continue

Tips for making your science project a success

If you are participating in a science fair or there is a competition in your school, here are some tips to help you make it a success:

• Think of something fresh and unique. An original idea is always able to impress the judges. Come up with new ideas and new innovations if you wish to stand out. Think hard as to how you can deal with an existing problem in a new way or how you can interpret data in better ways.

• Equip yourself with thorough knowledge on the subject of your science project. Make sure that you understand the theories and concepts behind the project that you are doing. If you do not know what you are doing, you would end up disappointing the judges. It is very important to understand the science and details behind the project that you are working on. After all, that is the sole purpose of science fairs and competitions.

• If you understand your project, you can prove it as well. Support the results with full conviction and can answer all the questions related to your project. Your project in order to impress the judges must be ready with everything-hypothesis, experiment, findings, and result.

• Last, but not the least, dedication is of the utmost importance. Invest quality time and make sincere efforts towards the success of your project. Your hard work would surely pay off by winning you appreciation and accolades.

Want to buy science equipment, science project kits, or lab supplies? Visit www.sciencefirst.com

Continue

Important science lab equipment for your kid

Buying science lab supplies for your child is as important as buying notebooks and pens for reading and writing. As kids reach higher grade levels, they require lab supplies for conducting science experiments in school labs. Science projects and experiments help kids understand the theories and principles of science in a better manner.

Though parents are provided a list of supplies from teachers describing what is needed, there are certain school science lab supplies that are very basic and must be bought for your child. A microscope, for instance, is one of the most important supplies that you must get for your child. Buying your child her first microscope can be quite exciting for her. If she grows to be a scientist or a research professional several years from now, she would always remember her first microscope given by you.

Other important science lab equipment that you may buy for your kid is magnets. Magnets are required for understanding the different laws of magnetism - learning the scientific principles behind magnets can be fun for your kid. You may also buy prisms for your child. Prisms reflect beautiful, colorful lights when sun’s rays fall onto them. Your child would be excited to see the phenomenon and to understand the cause behind it.

Magnifying glasses, protector, lab coat, lab glasses or protective eye ware, and gloves are some other items that you are required for conducting experiments in science labs. Provide the essential supplies to your child and make learning more interesting and effectual for her.

For buying science lab supplies, visit www.sciencefirst.com

Continue

How to keep your science lab equipment in good condition?

Proper care of science lab equipment is very important as dirt, dust, and other contaminants get deposited on the inside of the test tubes, flannels, beakers, and other science lab equipment and can affect the accuracy of the experiments conducted by students in any school or college.

To ensure that your science lab supplies are free of contaminants, you must rinse them thoroughly with deionized water, before and after using them. Deionized water is free of electric charge and has almost neutral ph level. DI water doesn’t cause any errors into the results or observations of the scientific experiment. The washed instruments can be dried with the help of a towel.

Glass based lab supplies must not have any hidden cracks as beakers and test tubes can easily break down when a strong chemical is poured into them. This may also cause serious injury due to spillage of chemicals contained therein. To ensure that the equipment remains in good condition and that there are no cracks you must take extra care when handling them.

When not in use, store all the science laboratory equipment in a strong and sturdy cabinet. Make use of firm grips when handling glass equipment. Employ a lab assistant to take good care of chemistry lab supplies, physics lab supplies, and biology lab equipment. He would ensure that all the equipment are properly stored and maintained.

To buy lab equipment for chemistry, physics, biology, anatomy, environmental, and other branches of science, you may visit www.sciencefirst.com

Continue

Tips for buying school science laboratory equipment

With so many lab supplies being available these days, it can be quite confusing what to buy and what not to buy. It is advisable to keep the course curriculum in mind when buying the science lab equipment for any particular class.

You must consider the number of children that would be using the lab supplies. It is advisable that only 2-3 children should be allowed to conduct the experiment together. If there are too many children using the same science lab supplies and working on a single project, the learning would not be much. It may also waste their time if they are made to wait for their turn to get the lab equipment.

There are certain science lab equipment required for carrying most of the science experiments, including that for physics, chemistry, and biology. Flasks, beakers, test tubes, pipettes, funnels, stirring rods, spoons, glassware, measuring rods, weighing scales, lenses are some such equipment that can be bought in bulk as they would be required quite often in science labs. Brushes and cleaning agents can also be bought for keeping your lab supplies neat and clean.

It is very important to buy top quality science lab supplies and equipment to prevent any accident or mishap from taking place.

Log on to www.sciencefirst.com for buying high quality science laboratory supplies and equipment.

Continue

Physics Laboratory Equipment: Backbone of all Physics Experiments

Being a science concerning matter and forces, physics plays a vital role in everyone’s life. That is why physics experiments are being conducted by scientists and physicists to check the relevance and authenticity of already existing theories and principles. In a physics laboratory, we find different equipment and apparatus meant for performing experiments in different branches of physics.

The common type of physical laboratory equipment and tools that we find in all physics laboratories are telescope, potentiometer, electroscope, voltmeter, resistance box, capacitor, electron microscope, spectrophotometer, micrometer, pulley, pendulum, multimeter, barometer, rheostat, Vernier Callipers and induction coils. These instruments help students to understand how a specific tool is used, to understand the inherent uncertainties of the measurements, to feel the role and existence of set theories and principles and to go through various fundamental concepts of physics. All apparatus and instruments whether beakers or tweezers or volt meters or thongs or hot plates or test tubes contribute in making an experiment successful in all aspects. With a physics instrument a student or physicist or scientist can get what he/she wants and expects from his/her ongoing experiment. These instruments are like raw materials for an experiment making it possible and happen.

Continue