Instructor utilities guide

Y Science
Virtual Laboratories v3.0

Instructor Utilities

Brigham Young University

Table of Contents
Overview .............................................................................................................1
Introduction....................................................................................................1
Software Configurations ..................................................................................1
Electronic Assignments and the Web Connectivity Option ..................................2
Quick Start ..........................................................................................................4
Database.............................................................................................................5
Class Management ...............................................................................................6
Class Roll........................................................................................................7
Inorganic Assignments .................................................................................. 11
Quantum Assignments .................................................................................. 16
Gases Assignments ....................................................................................... 20
Titration Assignments.................................................................................... 24
Calorimetry Assignments ............................................................................... 32
Mechanics, Circuits, and Optics Assignments................................................... 38
Density Assignments ..................................................................................... 43
Organic Assignments..................................................................................... 48
Scores .......................................................................................................... 54
Grading ............................................................................................................. 55
Utilities.............................................................................................................. 58
Overview ...................................................................................................... 58
Backup ......................................................................................................... 58
Restore ........................................................................................................ 59
Reset ........................................................................................................... 59
Messages ..................................................................................................... 59
Web Tools .................................................................................................... 61
Database...................................................................................................... 63

Y Science Server Administration
Introduction....................................................................................................... 64
Requirements ............................................................................................... 64
Access and Initial Configuration ..................................................................... 65
Administrative Pages .......................................................................................... 65
General Settings ........................................................................................... 65
Server Diagnostic .......................................................................................... 66
Users ........................................................................................................... 66
Logs............................................................................................................. 66
Database Settings ......................................................................................... 66
Change Password.......................................................................................... 67

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Appendices
INI Variables and Management Issues ............................................................A-1
ChemLab INI File ..............................................................................................A-1
Database Issues ...............................................................................................A-1
Lab Book Issues................................................................................................A-2
Servlet Engine URL ......................................................................................A-2
Automatic Web Updates ...............................................................................A-3
Window Behavior .........................................................................................A-3
Inorganic INI Files ............................................................................................A-3
Quantum INI Files.............................................................................................A-3
Lab.ini .........................................................................................................A-4
Video.ini ......................................................................................................A-6
Spectro.ini ...................................................................................................A-7
Phosphor.ini ................................................................................................A-7
KE.ini ..........................................................................................................A-8
Diode.ini......................................................................................................A-9
Preset Experiments ......................................................................................A-9
Gases INI Files................................................................................................A-12
Gases.ini ...................................................................................................A-12
Units.ini.....................................................................................................A-17
Preset Experiments ....................................................................................A-20
Titration INI Files ............................................................................................A-22
Lab Variables.ini.........................................................................................A-22
Acids.ini or Bases.ini...................................................................................A-25
Oxidants.ini ...............................................................................................A-27
Reductants.ini............................................................................................A-29
Salts.ini .....................................................................................................A-32
Calorimetry INI Files .......................................................................................A-36
Lab Variables.ini.........................................................................................A-37
Metals.ini...................................................................................................A-40
Organicn.ini...............................................................................................A-41
Reactionn.ini .............................................................................................A-41
Saltn.ini.....................................................................................................A-45
Mechanics INI Files .........................................................................................A-50
Mechanics.ini .............................................................................................A-50

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Density INI Files .............................................................................................A-74
Density.ini .................................................................................................A-74
Solids.ini....................................................................................................A-75
Colors.ini ...................................................................................................A-80
Fluids.ini....................................................................................................A-83
Circuits INI Files..............................................................................................A-92
Circuits.ini .................................................................................................A-92
Optics INI Files ...............................................................................................A-94
Optics.ini ...................................................................................................A-94

List of Organic Synthesis Assignments.............................................................B-1

List of Organic Qualitative Analysis Unknowns................................................C-1

Quantum Equations .......................................................................................... D-1

Answers to Preset Unknowns............................................................................E-1
Inorganic Qualitative Analysis Unknowns ............................................................E-1
Organic Qualitative Analysis Unknowns...............................................................E-2
Titration Unknowns ...........................................................................................E-5

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Overview
Introduction
Welcome to Y Science Laboratories, a set of realistic and sophisticated simulations covering
general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics laboratories. In these laboratories, students are
put into a virtual environment where they are free to make the choices and decisions that they
would confront in an actual laboratory setting and, in turn, experience the resulting
consequences. These laboratories include simulations of inorganic qualitative analysis,
fundamental experiments in quantum chemistry, gas properties, titration experiments,
calorimetry, mechanics, planetary motion, density, electric circuits, optics, organic synthesis, and
organic qualitative analysis. These simulations are packaged in various combinations to produce
Virtual ChemLab: General Chemistry Laboratories, Virtual ChemLab: Organic Synthesis and
Organic Qualitative Analysis, Virtual Physical Science, Virtual Physics, and Virtual Earth
Science. Y Science Laboratories is the umbrella product that covers all of the simulations, and
Instructor Utilities is the administrative tool used to create classes and assignments and retrieve
the student’s work for grading for any of these products. For the remainder of this users guide,
the term Y Science refers to the particular simulation package that you have purchased.

Each of the simulation packages sold under the Y Science umbrella can be purchased as a site
license version or as a student or single user version. The site license version is intended for
institutions (high schools, colleges, universities, etc.) and the student version is intended for
individual student use, although the two will often be combined together. The site license
version, in addition to allowing multiple installations of the software at an institution, is the only
version that includes the administrative stockroom Instructor Utilities. This Users guide
describes how to manage classes and assignments in Y Science using Instructor Utilities, but
keep in mind that your product may not have all of the simulations described here.

Software Configurations
Although the Y Science simulations can be used as an exploratory activity or tool for students,
the true power of the simulations is realized when students enter the virtual laboratory and
perform assignments or experiments given to them by the instructor just as they would do in an
actual laboratory setting. Because these laboratories are virtual, a wide variety of experiences can
be provided ranging from very basic and guided to very complex and open-ended. It is up to the
instructor to decide the best use of the laboratories whether it be as a pre-lab, a lab replacement, a
homework or quiz assignment, a lab supplement, or a lecture discussion activity. Because each
instructor will have a different comfort level using software in the classroom or laboratory and
will have different levels of technical support available, several different methods of
implementing the simulations at an institution have been provided. Brief descriptions of these are
listed below. Details on actually installing the software are given in the installation instructions.

Workbook Version. In this configuration, an electronic workbook is provided at the beginning of
the simulation that allows students to select experiments that correspond to laboratory
assignments in an accompanying “real” workbook. Students can also enter the laboratory,
bypassing the electronic workbook, to explore in the laboratory on their own or to perform

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custom experiments written by the instructor. This version of the software has the full
functionality of the various simulations and can also receive electronic assignments through the
Web Connectivity Option. (See the Electronic Assignments and Web Connectivity Option
section below.) The workbook configuration is the most simple to install and use and requires
almost no oversight by the instructor. The single user version of Y Science installs the software in
the workbook configuration, and the site license version can also be used to install the software
in this configuration on as many institutional computers as necessary.

Direct Access Computer Lab (A Network Version). In this implementation, a centralized database
is installed on a network drive accessible to all client computers in the local area network, and
the Y Science software is installed on any client computers needing access to the simulations.
This installation is called a direct access installation since the client software accesses the
database containing the class lists, assignments, lab books, and scores directly using a mapped or
named network drive. This version allows instructors to give assignments and receive results
electronically. This is a simple installation for computer labs and allows multiple instructors to
use the software, but there are some network security issues associated with this type of
installation. The electronic workbook is available in this installation, but the focus is for students
to receive their assignments and unknowns electronically.

Web Access Computer Lab (A Network Version). This implementation is very similar to the
direct access installation described above except in this instance, the assignment and lab book
data is passed indirectly to the database using a servlet engine running on a TomCat web server.
This installation does not require a local area network but, instead, only requires a simple
connection to the internet. This installation also corrects several security issues associated with a
direct access connection. Details on setting up and using the web connectivity feature is given in
the Instructor Utilities user guide from the management perspective and in the various
simulation user guides from the student perspective. It is strongly suggested the user guides be
reviewed before trying to implement this version. Most questions and problems can be avoided if
the user guides are studied carefully. The electronic workbook is available in this installation, but
the focus is for students to receive their assignments and unknowns electronically.

Electronic Assignments and the Web Connectivity Option
As was described previously, one of the key features of the Y Science simulations is the ability to
give assignments to students using either worksheets out of an accompanying workbook or
electronically. Although worksheets are a convenient method to give assignments to students,
electronic assignments offer the largest variety of activities and the most control over them. The
purpose of the Instructor Utilities component of Y Science is to allow instructors to create
electronic assignments, submit them to students, retrieve the student lab books, and assign
scores. The ability to give assignments and retrieve results is only available when students
running the software have access to the Y Science database (see the Database section below).
Installing a direct access version in a local area network is one way of doing this; however, this
generally limits students to working in a computer lab.

A more flexible approach has been developed where the necessary information for assignments
from the instructor and the results from students can be passed indirectly through a servlet engine
running on a TomCat server. (Details on installing and setting up the servlet engine can be found

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in the Installation and Overview guide.) This method of passing data is called the Web
Connectivity Option or Web Database Access. The advantages of this method include (a) it
allows an institution to still setup the software in a computer lab without requiring read/write
privileges on a network drive (a moderate security hole) and (b) students can install their own
copies of the software and still have access to electronic assignments wherever they are as long
as they have access to the internet. The general principles upon which the Web Connectivity
Option is based are described next.

1. The database containing the class lists, assignments, lab books, and scores must still be
maintained but it can now be stored on a local computer if only one instructor will be using it
or it can be stored on a network drive if multiple instructors will be using the same servlet
engine to pass data to and from the students. See the Database section below for more
details.

2. The Web Connectivity Option works by using the servlet engine as a vehicle to receive data
from both the instructor and students and save it temporarily on the server. The instructor
will send (update) data for each class (from the main database), which the student can, in
turn, retrieve and download to their own computer. In a like manner, a student submits
(updates) their results for an assignment to the server and the instructor, in turn, will retrieve
those results and incorporate them into the main database. This synchronization of the
instructor and student databases is the responsibility of the individual users. If regular
synchronization is not performed by both the students and instructor, then unpredictable
results can occur. On the student side, this synchronization occurs automatically as long as
there is an internet connection.

3. For Instructor Utilities, the Update and Retrieve functions can be performed at two locations.
First, the Class Roll folder for each class has an Update Web button and Retrieve Web button.
Clicking these buttons performs the indicated action for the selected class. Secondly, the
Utilities drawer contains a Web Tools folder where multiple classes can be selected and the
Update and Retrieve functions performed for the selected classes.

4. The information a student must have to use the Web Connectivity Option is their username,
password, and the URL address for the servlet engine. The username and password are
assigned when a student is added to a class. Details on using the student side of the Web
Connectivity Option is given in the individual laboratory user guides. Details on setting up
classes and assignments are given in the Instructor Utilities user guide.

5. Before the Web Connectivity Option can be used, the Web Connectivity Option must be
enabled and the URL address for the servlet engine specified in the Web Tools folder. Details
on configuring the Web Connectivity Option and other important web functions are found in
the Web Tools section.

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Figure 1. The stockroom main screen. The upper two drawers of the filing cabinet access
class management functions, the bottom drawer accesses database backup and
restore functions as well as other utilities, and the stack of lab books accesses
grading functions. Click the bell for help.

Quick Start
Getting into the Stockroom
The stockroom (shown in Figure 1), as entered via the stockroom door in the hallway, is the
laboratory management side of Y Science and is used by instructors to establish classes, make
assignments, and view the results, grades, and lab books of the students. Access to this part of
the stockroom (or Instructor Utilities) is allowed only to those individuals with administrative
rights by typing in an administrative username and password at the stockroom card reader. The
stockroom is divided into three main areas or functions:
(1) Class Management
(2) Grading
(3) Utilities

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Brief descriptions of these areas are given next.

Class Management
Class Management functions are accessed by clicking one of the top two drawers of the filing
cabinet. Some of the functions available in these drawers include creating classes, managing
access privileges, defining assignments for the different labs, and viewing scores and lab books.

Grading
The grading of a specific assignment for an entire class is accessed by clicking the stack of lab
books on the desk. Depending on the type of assignment being graded, various options are
available to make the assignment of scores as painless as possible.

Utilities
Since the class lists, assignments, scores, and lab books are stored in a centralized database, basic
backup and restore functions are available to protect against accidental or intentional corruption
of the database. These functions are accessed by clicking the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet.
Other functions include broadcasting messages to a class or set of classes, handling web
connectivity for multiple classes, and changing the database location.

Database
The database that contains the classes, students, assignments, scores, and lab books is kept in the
Data folder, which is either installed with the software or in another common access location.
The database is stored as encrypted text files and cannot be accessed or modified without the
encryption key. All login information is stored in a separate file, and student lists, assignments,
and scores are stored in files for each individual class. A separate subdirectory is created for each
student inside the Data directory and contains the data for each student’s lab book. Because the
database is centralized and contains important grading information, simple backup and restore
functionality has been added to protect against accidental or intentional corruption of the
database. The backup and restore functions are not intended to protect against hardware failures.
Multiple databases can be managed using the same Instructor Utilities by changing the database
path in the Database folder in the Utilities drawer of the filing cabinet.

In a direct access client/server installation, the database (and other common files and directories)
must be kept on a mapped (PC) or named (Mac) network drive that all Y Science client
computers can access with read/write/erase privileges. In a web access client/server installation,
the database can be stored on a network drive if several instructors will need access to the
database or it can be kept on a local drive, even on a portable computer, as long as there is an
internet connection to allow for the update and retrieval of the web data. Details on using the
web connectivity functionality can be found in the Web Connectivity Option section.

Note: Multiple instances of the Instructor Utilities that are using the same database can be open
at any given time. However, during grading, adding classes and students, and making
assignments it is highly recommended that only one instance of Instructor Utilities is
open at a time.

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Figure 2. The Class Management drawer showing the Class Roll manila folder.

Class Management
Class management functions are accessed by clicking one of the top two drawers of the filing
cabinet. Inside the drawer, there are several green hanging folders and manila folders within the
hanging folders. Each hanging folder represents a class (a collection of students), and each
manila folder represents a management function for the selected class. The class management
drawer is closed by clicking the bottom of the drawer where it is labeled close. Closing the
drawer brings the instructor back to the main stockroom.

Classes are selected by clicking the hanging folder label for the indicated class (which brings that
label forward). The green arrows to the left and right of the hanging folders cycle through the list
of classes six classes at a time. A new class is created by clicking the Add Class button in the
Class Roll folder. Details on adding and managing classes follow.

The manila folders in each hanging folder perform specific class management functions. A brief
description of each folder is given. Details are found in their respective help sections.

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Class Roll. Add and delete classes; add, delete, and import students; specify usernames and
passwords; update to and retrieve from the web; assign stockroom access privileges.

Inorganic. Define and release assignments for the inorganic qualitative analysis laboratory.

Quantum. Define and release assignments for the quantum experiments.

Gases. Define and release assignments for the gases experiments.

Titration. Define and release assignments for the titration experiments.

Calorimetry. Define and release assignments for the calorimetry or thermodynamic experiments.

Mechanics. Define and release assignments for the mechanics experiments.

Density. Define and release assignments for the density experiments.

Circuits. Define and release assignments for electronic circuit experiments.

Optics. Define and release assignments for the optics experiments.

Organic. Define and release assignments for organic synthesis and organic qualitative analysis
experiments.

Scores. View scores assigned to each student for each assignment, export scores, view lab books,
and determine availability of lab books for grading.

Class Roll
Overview
The class roll folder contains class and student information as well as functions for adding and
deleting classes and student records, importing student information, and defining access
privileges. (See Figure 2.) The folder is divided into three areas:
(1) class information
(2) function buttons
(3) a spreadsheet view of student records.
Details on the three areas of the folder are given in their respective sections below. An overview
of the routine or common functions performed in the class roll folder is described here.

Adding a Class. A new class is added by clicking the button in the Class Roll folder labeled Add
Class followed by filling in the Class Name, Section, and Instructor text boxes. Pressing Tab or
Enter automatically advances to the next text box. Pressing Tab or Enter in the Instructor text

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box saves the class information. The laboratories that can be accessed by this class must also be
selected.

Adding Students. Students can be added individually by clicking the Add Member button or by
clicking in an empty row of the spreadsheet. Students can also be imported from a tab-delimited
text file.

Deleting a Class. The currently selected class can be deleted by clicking the Delete Class button.

Deleting Students. The currently highlighted member can be deleted by clicking the Delete
Member button.

Modifying Information. Class information or member information can be modified by clicking
the appropriate text box and typing the correction. The Save Class or Save Member button,
respectively, may be pressed to save the modified information.

Updating and Retrieving from the Web. If the Web Connectivity Option is being used, class data
(class lists, assignments, scores, etc.) for the currently selected class can be updated to the servlet
engine by clicking on the Update Web button. Student data is retrieved from the servlet engine
by clicking on the Retrieve Web button.

Note on Organizing Classes. Since only a few individuals require access to the stockroom to
make assignments and grade lab books, it is suggested that a separate administrative class be
created for those who require access to the stockroom. Selecting the Admin rights in the Rights
section of the spreadsheet grants access to the stockroom for the selected individual. Grading
rights are also available for individuals, which grants access only to the lab books for grading.

Class Information
The class information area shows the class name, section number, instructor name, and the
selected (and available) laboratory experiments for the selected hanging folder. (See Figure 2.)
The class name, section number, and instructor can be modified by clicking the appropriate text
box. Pressing Tab or Enter advances the cursor to the next text box except after the instructor
box which, instead, saves the class information to the database. Pressing the Save Class button
also saves the class information to the database. It is not necessary to perform a Save Class when
selecting the experiments that will be available to the class. These changes are saved
automatically.

Function Buttons
These buttons perform most of the class roll functionality and are shown in Figure 2. A detailed
description of these buttons is given next.

Save Class. This button is active when text is being entered or modified in the class information
text boxes. Pressing this button saves the currently entered information in all three text boxes.

Import Class. This button is used to import members into the currently selected class using a tab-
delimited text file. Clicking the button brings up a dialog box which allows the import file to be

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located and selected. If errors are found during the import process, an error file is created (and
placed in the installed Y Science directory) and an appropriate error message is displayed. The
format of the import file is as follows:

Last First MI User Name Password
Frog [Tab] Kermit [Tab] T [Tab] [Tab] green
Bird [Tab] Big [Tab] [Tab] [Tab] yellow
Grouch[Tab] Oscar [Tab] T [Tab] [Tab] dirty
Ernie [Tab] [Tab] [Tab] [Tab] ducky
Bert [Tab] [Tab] [Tab] [Tab] pigeon
Etc.

Only the last name and password are required with four [Tab]s on each line. Usernames are
created automatically (if the column is left blank) and middle names are truncated to initials
automatically. Class members that are imported are always given student access rights. An
import file can be easily created by importing a class list into a spreadsheet program, editing the
list to the preceding format, and saving the list as a tab-delimited text file.

Add Class. This button begins a new hanging folder for a new class.

Delete Class. This button deletes the currently selected class. A warning is given before the
deletion occurs.

Add Member. This button adds a member to the currently selected class. Text entry starts on the
left with the last name and proceeds to the right by pressing Tab or Enter. The mouse can also be
used to advance to the next field. Pressing Tab or Enter after the ID has been entered saves the
member automatically to the database. Pressing the Save Member button will also save the
member.

Save Member. When a new member is being added to a class or member information is being
modified, this button saves the current entries to the database.

Delete Member. This button deletes the currently selected member. A warning is given before
the deletion occurs.

Delete All. This button deletes all the members in the currently selected class without deleting
class information. A warning is given before the deletion occurs.

Retrieve Web. This button performs a Retrieve function from the servlet engine for the selected
class and automatically synchronizes the local database. If there is no new data to retrieve then a
warning is given. If the instructor proceeds to retrieve the data, then a force retrieve is done
which retrieves all the data from the server and synchronizes the local database replacing any
duplicate information. See the Web Tools folder in Utilities for more ways of retrieving data and
for specifying the URL address.

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Update Web. This button performs an Update function to the servlet engine for the selected class.
If there is no new data to send, then a warning is given. If the instructor proceeds to update the
server, then a force update is done which replaces all the data on the server. Note that the Update
function must be performed before students can be authenticated over the web. The update
function must also be performed any time modifications are made to the class data in order to
provide the students in the class with the most up-to-date information.

Cancel. This button cancels text entry in any of the class information or member information text
boxes.

Help. This button accesses the help screen for class rolls.

Student Records
The list of members for the class is given in the spreadsheet. Listed for each member is the last
name, first name, middle initial, username, password (usually the student ID), and administrative
privileges. A member can be added by clicking the Add Member button or by clicking on a blank
line in the spreadsheet. The last name and password are required for each member. The first
name and middle initial are optional. The username is generated automatically, but it can also be
specified. The username and password is used by the member to gain access to the different
laboratories in Y Science and must be unique to each member. Selecting Admin rights for a
member gives that person administrative privileges, which means they can enter the stockroom
and create, modify, and delete classes, students, and assignments. Selecting Grading rights for a
member gives that person grading privileges, which means they can enter the stockroom and
access the grading functionality in the lab books. A user with Grading rights does not have the
ability to enter the Class Management or Utilities functions.

When adding a member, text entry is started on the left with the last name and proceeds to the
right by pressing Tab or Enter. The mouse can also be used to advance to the next field. Pressing
Tab or Enter after the password has been entered saves the member automatically to the
database. Pressing the Save Member button will also save the member. The information for a
member can be modified by clicking the appropriate text box. The change is saved by pressing
Tab or Enter until the password is saved or by pressing the Save Member button. Scrolling
through the member list is accomplished using the scroll bar.

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Figure 3. The Inorganic Assignment folder showing a Random/By Student assignment.

Inorganic Assignments
Overview
The inorganic assignment folder allows the instructor to define and release inorganic qualitative
analysis unknowns to the class in the inorganic laboratory. These unknowns (or assignments) are
given to the students in the left slot of the unknown rack in the inorganic stockroom, and the
student’s work on these assignments is recorded (by the student) in the lab book. A new section
is created in the lab book for each assignment accepted by the student. A student reports their
unknown by pressing the Report button in the lab book and then selecting the cations they
determined to be present based on their analysis. After submitting their results, a score is
automatically computed by subtracting points for each incorrect positive or negative result. This
score can be changed at a later time if necessary.

Each unknown is made up of a set of cations that has been selected by the instructor and
constitutes the cations the students will be trying to separate and identify. The instructor can
assign unknowns to the students in four different ways, but the different types of unknowns only
differ by how the actual cations are assigned to the students. These four unknown types are

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Random/By Class, Random/By Student, Manual/By Class, and Manual/By Student where
Random means the cations are assigned to the students randomly based on certain criterion,
Manual means the cations are assigned manually by the instructor, By Student means a different
unknown (but from the same set of cations) is assigned to each student, and By Class means each
student in the class receives the same unknown. As part of the assignment, the instructor must
also specify the total points possible, the number of points deducted per wrong answer, the date
the assignment will be available to the students (the start date), and the date when the assignment
is due.

The inorganic assignment folder is shown in Figure 3 and can be divided into three general areas:
(a) class information, (b) assignment/archive buttons, and (c) the assignment area. The following
details are on these three areas.

Class Information
In the upper-left of the inorganic assignment folder is the class information area where
information on the currently selected class is given, followed by three buttons that are used to
create, retrieve, or archive inorganic assignments. Class information cannot be modified in this
folder.

Assignment/Archive Buttons
Create New Assignment. This button creates a blank assignment, which can be defined by the
instructor and then released to the class. Details on defining an inorganic assignment are given in
the Assignments section.

Retrieve Assignment. This button retrieves an inorganic assignment from a set of assignments
that have been previously archived. Details on archiving and retrieving inorganic assignments
are given in the Archiving and Retrieving Assignments section.

Archive Assignment. This button saves or archives the currently selected or defined inorganic
assignment. Details on archiving and retrieving inorganic assignments are given in the Archiving
and Retrieving Assignments section.

Assignments
The general procedure for creating an assignment includes the following steps:

1. Create a blank assignment using the Create New Assignment button. (This is not necessary
if it is the first assignment.)

2. Enter a title for the assignment.

3. Specify the assignment as Random/By Class, Random/By Student, Manual/By Class, or
Manual/By Student.

4. Define the cation set.

5. Assign the unknowns as appropriate for the assignment type. (See #3.)

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6. Assign the points possible, points for deductions, the start date, and the due date.

The assignment area can be divided into the following parts: (a) Assignment Number, (b)
Assignment Title, (c) Assignment Type, (d) Student List, (e) Cation Set, (f) Function Buttons,
and (g) Points, Deductions, Start Date, and Due Date. Each of these are described in the
following list:

(a) Assignment Number. The number of the current assignment is shown in the assignment
number box. Assignments that have already been created can be accessed using the left and
right arrows next to the box. It can take several seconds to update the assignment information
as each assignment is accessed. Rapidly advancing through the assignments bypasses the
assignment update for each intermediate assignment. The assignment number only reflects
the order in which they were created. The start date determines when they are accessible to
the students.

(b) Assignment Title. Each assignment must be given a title. The title is intended as an aid to
identify the type of unknown that has been assigned, and it is also used as the default name
when archiving the assignment. (See Archiving and Retrieving Assignments for details.)
Assignment titles are entered by clicking the text box and typing the appropriate text.

(c) Assignment Type. The type of assignment is selected by clicking the Create Unknown and
Assign Unknown drop-down menus. The Create Unknown menu allows the unknown to be
assigned Randomly or Manually, and the Assign Unknown menu allows the unknown to be
assigned By Student or By Class. The combination of these two drop-down menus yields the
four different types of unknowns: Random/By Class, Random/By Student, Manual/By Class,
or Manual/By Student.

(1) Random Assignment. In a Random assignment, the cations that have been selected for the
cation set (see Cation Set below) are assigned randomly based on the Minimum and
Maximum parameters. (See Figure 3.) The Minimum and Maximum parameters only
appear on the folder when a Random unknown has been selected. The Minimum
parameter defines the minimum number of cations that can be assigned from the cation
set. A “1” would indicate that no fewer than one cation would be present in the unknown
out of the cations in the cation set, a “2” would mean that no fewer than two cations
would be in the unknown, and so on. A special case of “0” (zero) is allowed and indicates
that no cations or a water unknown could be assigned. Similar to the Minimum parameter,
the Maximum parameter defines the maximum number of cations that can be assigned as
an unknown from the cation set. Some restrictions to these parameters include (i)
Maximum cannot be greater than the number of cations in the set and (ii) Minimum
cannot be greater than Maximum. The Minimum and Maximum parameters are adjusted
by clicking the up and down arrows next to each parameter.

(2) Manual Assignment. In a Manual assignment, an unknown is assigned by selecting the
cations for each unknown manually from the cations in the cation set. (See Cation Set.)
Cations are selected from the cation set by clicking the cation tiles in the Cation Set box.

13

(3) By Class. When an assignment is given by class, then every student in the class will
receive the same unknown. For a Random assignment, the unknown is randomly selected
from the cation set, and for a Manual assignment, the cations in the unknown are selected
manually.

(4) By Student. When an assignment is given by student, then every student in the class will
receive a unique unknown. For a Random assignment, each unknown is randomly
selected from the cation set, and for a Manual assignment, the cations in each unknown
are selected manually for each student.

(d) Student List. A student list (see Figure 3) is provided for By Student assignments, for making
Manual (or individual) assignments and to show the unknowns that have been assigned to
each student. The list shows three students. The middle student in the box is the currently
selected student, and there is a student before and after. Student names in red indicate an
assignment has not been given, whereas student names in blue indicate an assignment has
been given. The up and down arrows are used to scroll through the list. When an assignment
has been made (name in blue), the cations that have been assigned to that student are
highlighted in the Cation Set box. Changes in the assignments can be made up until the start
date.

(e) Cation Set. Before an unknown can be given to the students in the class, a cation set must be
defined. This is done by selecting cations from the Cation List and placing them in the Cation
Set box. Cations are selected clicking and dragging a cation tile from the list to the Cation Set
box. Cations can be removed from the Cation Set box and returned to the list by clicking and
dragging from the Cation Set to the Cation List. For Manual assignments, cations are
assigned from the Cation Set box by clicking once on the desired cation tiles. For a By Class
assignment, this cation selection process is only done once. For a By Student assignment, the
cation selection process must be done for each student. Pressing Save saves the assignment
for the indicated student (see Student List) and automatically advances the student list to the
next student. For a Random assignment, cations in the Cation Set box cannot be selected
manually, but once the assignment has been saved, the depressed tiles in the Cation Set box
indicate the cations that have been assigned to the class or to the indicated student.

(f) Function Buttons. The four function buttons are Save, Cancel, Delete, and Help. The Save
button saves the current assignment. For Random assignments, pressing the Save button
actually assigns the unknowns to the class (By Class) or to each student (By Student). The
Cancel button resets the current assignment to a blank assignment if it has not yet been
saved; otherwise, it restores the assignment to its last saved state. The Delete button deletes
an assignment that has not been released, and the Help button opens the help window for
inorganic assignments.

(g) Points, Deductions, Start Date, and Due Date. The points, deductions, start date, and due
date for the assignment are specified in these text boxes. The points are the total numbers of
points assigned for the assignment, and the deductions are the numbers of points to be
deducted for each wrong answer by the student (either a false positive or false negative). The

14

minimum score possible is zero. By default, text entry starts in the title box and pressing Tab
or Enter advances the cursor to the points box, and then the deductions box. The start date is
the date (starting at midnight) the assignment will be available to the students, and the due
date is the last day the assignment will be available (ending at midnight). Enter the start date
and due date by clicking on the calendar icon in their respective boxes and choosing the
desired day. You may scroll between months by using the arrows on either side of the month
and year display at the top of the calendar box. An assignment cannot be modified, including
the start date, once it has been released to the students, but it is possible to change the due
date. An assignment can only be canceled while it is released by deleting it.

Archiving and Retrieving Assignments
Defining an inorganic qualitative analysis unknown can be a time-consuming and laborious
process, especially if there are several unknowns and there are several classes for which these
unknowns need to be defined. To make this process less time consuming, inorganic assignments
can be archived, or saved, and then retrieved using the Archive Assignment and Retrieve
Assignment buttons.

To archive an assignment, define an inorganic assignment following the steps and procedures
that were described in the Assignments section. Pressing the Archive Assignment button will save
the cation set, the assignment type, the assignment title, the points, and the deductions. A dialog
box will come up asking for a name for the archive and where to save it. The assignment archive
can be stored anywhere, but the default location is the Assignment /Inorganic directory located
where the database is stored. Any number of archives can be stored with any combination of
unknowns.

To retrieve an assignment, an inorganic assignment must first be created. Pressing the Retrieve
Assignment button will bring up a dialog box where the instructor may select from any of the
available archives. Selecting an archive will automatically define the assignment based on the
information that was saved during the archive. At this point, the start date and due date for the
assignment must still be specified, and the actual unknowns must be assigned to the students by
saving the assignment (pressing the Save button) for a Random assignment or by selecting the
cations from the cation set for a Manual assignment.

15

Figure 4. The Quantum Assignments folder.

Quantum Assignments
Overview
The quantum assignment folder allows the instructor to define and release text-based instructions
(or assignments) for performing a number of simulated experiments that demonstrate many of
the concepts and ideas that led to the development of quantum mechanics. The level of these
experiments can be very basic or very sophisticated, depending on the level of the class and the
purpose for performing the experiments. These assignments are given to the students using the
clipboard in the quantum stockroom, and the student’s work on these assignments is recorded
(by the student) in the lab book. A new section is created in the lab book for each assignment
accepted by the student.

The purpose of the quantum laboratory is to allow a student to explore and better understand the
foundational experiments that led up to the development of quantum mechanics. Because of the
very sophisticated nature of most of these experiments, the quantum laboratory is the most
“virtual” of the Y Science laboratory simulations. In general, the laboratory consists of an optics

16

table where various sources, samples, modifiers, and detectors can be placed to perform different
experiments. These devices are located in the stockroom and can be taken out of the stockroom
and placed on the optics table. The emphasis here is to teach the students to probe a sample (e.g.,
a gas, metal foil, two-slit screen, etc.) with a source (e.g., a laser, electron gun, alpha-particle
source, etc.) and detect the outcome with a specific detector (a phosphor screen, spectrometer,
etc.). Heat, electric fields, or magnetic fields can also be applied to modify an aspect of the
experiment. As in all Y Science laboratories, the focus is to allow students the ability to explore
and discover, in a safe and level-appropriate setting, the concepts that are important in the
various areas of chemistry. Complete details on the quantum laboratory, its use and limitations,
and the scope of the simulations can be found in the Quantum Users Guide.

Because these physical chemistry experiments can be complex and not necessarily intuitive to set
up properly, a set of 15 preset experiments has been defined and is accessible to the student
through the clipboard in the stockroom. These preset experiments are defined using a set of INI
variables that describe the various aspects of each experiment. Details on how to change the
preset experiments are found in Appendix A. These preset experiments can also be turned off as
will be described later.

Assignments in the quantum laboratory consist of a set of instructions outlining what is required
of the students to complete the assignment. These assignments are text based, and when a student
accepts the assignment it is displayed on the clipboard. If the student decides to proceed, the
assignment is displayed in the laboratory TV for reference during the experiment. As installed,
the quantum simulation comes with a set of predefined assignments with varying levels of
difficulty. However, the number and difficulty of experiments that can be performed in the
quantum laboratory is enormous; therefore, the ability to import custom assignments and add
them to the database of assignments has also been provided. These custom assignments can also
include custom preset experiments.

Shown in Figure 4 is an example of a quantum assignment folder. The folder can be divided into
two general areas: (1) laboratory setup and (2) assignments. Details on these two areas of the
folder are given in their respective sections.

Laboratory Setup
The laboratory setup area of the quantum assignment folder consists of a class information area
for the currently selected class at the top, followed by the laboratory setup options, followed by
three buttons that are used to create a new assignment, import a custom assignment, and delete a
custom assignment. Class information cannot be modified in this folder.

Preset Experiments. The clipboard in the quantum stockroom contains a list of 15 preset
experiments that the student can select to automatically set up experiments out in the laboratory.
Deselecting this option will turn off access to these preset experiments. Details on modifying the
preset experiments available to the students are found in Appendix A. This setting can be
changed at any time.

Highlight Drop Zones. When individual items of equipment are brought from the stockroom
counter to the optics table, there are specific positions that are allowed for each type of

17

equipment. To help the student see where these allowed drop zones are located, spotlights appear
on the optics table indicating the allowed positions as each item is dragged from the stockroom
counter and dropped on the optics table. Deselecting this setting turns off the spotlights. This
setting can be changed at any time.

Create New Assignment. This button creates a blank assignment that can be defined by the
instructor and then released to the class. Details on defining assignments are given in the
Assignments section.

Import Assignment. The Quantum laboratory comes with a set of predefined assignments with
varying levels of difficulty that demonstrate the concepts and ideas that led up to the
development of quantum mechanics (and beyond). However, it is recognized that the types of
experiments and their level of difficulty will most often need to be custom tailored for the level
of the class, the level of the students, and the individual teaching style of the instructor. This
button allows a custom assignment to be imported into the quantum assignment database.
Pressing the button brings up a dialog box, which allows the instructor to locate the new
assignment file and then bring it into the quantum assignment database. Once the file has been
successfully imported, it is not necessary to keep the original file. This import file must be a text-
(or ASCII-) based file with the following format:

[Assignment with a preset experiment]
1 Assignment Title
2
3 PRESET:preset_file.ini
4
5 Descriptive text of assignment without hard-returns except at paragraphs.

[Assignment without a preset experiment]
1 Assignment Title
2

The first line is the assignment title and will be used to identify the assignment in the assignment
list (see Figure 4) and on the clipboard in the stockroom. The second line must be blank. The
third line is an optional line. If the word “PRESET:” is present on the third line followed by a
preset experiment file, then, when the assignment is accepted by the student, the preset
experiment will be set up automatically in the laboratory after exiting the stockroom. An
assignment does not necessarily have to have a preset assignment. It is only meant as an option
that allows different levels of experiments to be assigned to the students. If the PRESET: line is
missing then the third line in the text file is assumed to be the beginning of the assignment
description. If the PRESET: line is wrong or an invalid or missing file is found, the third line is
also interpreted as the beginning of the assignment description. Preset experiments for
assignments must be located in the Assignment/Quantum directory located in the installed Y
Science directory and must have the extension “.ini”. Note also that there should be no space
between the “PRESET:” and the file name. Details on defining preset experiments are found in
Appendix A, although several have been included with the software.

18

Delete Imported. This button will delete the currently selected assignment (displayed in the
assignment list) from the quantum assignment database if the selected assignment is an imported
assignment. Imported assignments are identified with an “*” after the title. A warning will be
given before the deletion is allowed to proceed.

Assignments

1. If the desired assignment is not present in the quantum assignment database, write the
assignment using the format described and import the assignment.


3. Select the desired experiment using the Select Experiment drop-down list.

4. Assign the points possible, the start date, and the due date.

Shown in Figure 4 is the assignment area for a quantum assignment. The parts of the assignment
area are the following: (a) Assignment Number, (b) Select Experiment, (c) Description Box, (d)
Function Buttons, and (e) Points, Start Date, and Due Date. Each of these is described in the
following list:

the students.

(b) Select Experiment. The list of available experiments in the quantum assignment database is
contained in the Select Experiment drop-down list. Experiments are listed by title and sorted
alphabetically. Experiments with an “*” at the end are imported assignments and can be
deleted using the Delete Imported button. Experiments are selected by clicking the desired
experiment. Currently selected experiments can be replaced by clicking a new experiment.

(c) Description Box. The description box contains the text of the actual experiment for review.
No editing of the experiment description can be done in this box. If a preset experiment is
indicated as part of the experiment, it will also be listed here, but not shown to the student.

(d) Function Buttons. The four function buttons are Save, Cancel, Delete, and Help. The Save
button saves the current assignment. The Cancel button resets the current assignment to a
blank assignment if it has not yet been saved; otherwise, it restores the assignment to its last
saved state. The Delete button deletes an assignment even if it has been released, and the
Help button opens the help window for quantum assignments.

19

(e) Points, Start Date, and Due Date. The points, start date, and due date for the assignment are
specified in these text boxes. The points are the total numbers of points assigned for the
assignment, and the minimum score possible is zero. The start date is the date (starting at
midnight) the assignment will be available to the students, and the due date is the last day the
assignment will be available (ending at midnight). Enter the start date and due date by
clicking on the calendar icon in their respective boxes and choosing the desired day. You
may scroll between months by using the arrows on either side of the month and year display
at the top of the calendar box. An assignment cannot be modified, including the start date,
once it has been released to the students, but it is possible to change the due date. An
assignment can only be canceled while it is released by deleting it.

Figure 5. The Gases Assignments folder.

Gases Assignments
Overview
The gases assignment folder allows the instructor to define and release text-based instructions (or
assignments) for performing a set of simulated physical chemistry experiments that demonstrate
the behavior of ideal, real, and van der Waals gases under varying experimental conditions. The

20

level of these experiments can be very basic or very sophisticated, depending on the level of the
class and the purpose for performing the experiments. These assignments are given to the
students using the clipboard in the gases stockroom, and the student’s work on these assignments
is recorded (by the student) in the lab book. A new section is created in the lab book for each
assignment accepted by the student.

The gas experiments included in the Y Science simulated laboratory allow students to explore
and better understand the behavior of ideal gases, real gases, and van der Waals gases (a model
real gas). The gases laboratory contains four experiments each of which includes the four
variables used to describe a gas: pressure (P), temperature (T), volume (V), and the number of
moles (n). The four experiments differ by allowing one of these variables to be the dependent
variable while the others are independent. The four experiments include (1) V as a function of P,
T, and n using a balloon to reflect the volume changes; (2) P as a function of V, T, and n using a
motor driven piston; (3) T as a function of P, V, and n again using a motor driven piston; and (4)
V as a function of P, T, and n but this time using a frictionless, massless piston to reflect volume
changes and using weights to apply pressure. The gases that can be used in these experiments
include an ideal gas; a van der Waals gas whose parameters can be changed to represent any real
gas; real gases including N2, CO2, CH4, H2O, NH3, and He; and eight ideal gases with different
molecular weights that can be added to the experiments to form gas mixtures. As in all Y Science
laboratories, the focus is to allow students the ability to explore and discover, in a safe and level-
appropriate setting, the concepts that are important in the various areas of chemistry. Complete
details on the gases laboratory, its use and limitations, and the scope of the simulations can be
found in the Gases Users Guide.

Because these gas experiments can be complex and not necessarily intuitive to set up properly, a
set of 15 preset experiments has been defined and is accessible to the student through the
clipboard in the stockroom. These preset experiments are defined using a set of INI variables that
describe the various aspects of each experiment. Details on how to change the preset experiments
are found in Appendix A. These preset experiments can also be turned off as will be described
later.

Assignments in the gases laboratory consist of a set of instructions outlining what is required of
the students to complete the assignment. These assignments are text based, and when a student
Gases comes with a set of predefined assignments with varying levels of difficulty. However, the
number and difficulty of experiments that can be performed in the gases laboratory is large;
therefore, the ability to import custom assignments and add them to the database of assignments
has also been provided. These custom assignments can also include custom preset experiments.

Shown in Figure 5 is an example of a gases assignment folder. The folder can be divided into
two general areas: (1) laboratory setup and (2) assignments. Details on these two areas of the
folder are given in their respective sections.

21

Laboratory Setup
The laboratory setup area of the gases assignment folder consists of a class information area for
the currently selected class at the top, followed by the laboratory setup options, followed by three
buttons that are used to create a new assignment, import a custom assignment, and delete a
custom assignment. Class information cannot be modified in this folder.

Preset Experiments. The clipboard in the gases stockroom contains a list of 15 preset

van der Waals Parameters. One of the gases available in the gases laboratory is a van der Waals
gas. The a and b parameters used to define the van der Waals gas can be changed in the
laboratory by clicking on the cylinder label. Changing the a and b parameters here on the
assignment folder will change the default values that will be initially set for each student in the
class as they enter the laboratory. The units for the a and b parameters are as specified on the
folder.

Units. The units for the pressure, volume, and temperature variables can be changed at will by
the student using the Units buttons located on the LCD controllers. Specifying the units here on
the assignment folder will change the default units that will be initially used on the LCD
controllers for each experiment.


Import Assignment. The gases laboratory comes with a set of predefined assignments with
varying levels of difficulty that demonstrate the behavior of ideal, real, and van der Waals gases
under varying experimental conditions. However, it is recognized that the types of experiments
and their level of difficulty will most often need to be custom tailored for the level of the class,
the level of the students, and the individual teaching style of the instructor. This button allows a
custom assignment to be imported into the gases assignment database. Pressing the button brings
up a dialog box, which allows the instructor to locate the new assignment file and then bring it
into the gases assignment database. Once the file has been successfully imported, it is not
necessary to keep the original file. This import file must be a text- (or ASCII-) based file with the
following format:

1 Assignment Title
2
4

22

1 Assignment Title
2

list (see Figure 5) and on the clipboard in the stockroom. The second line must be blank. The
third line is an optional line. If the word “PRESET:” is present on the third line followed by a
preset experiment file, then, when the assignment is accepted by the student, the preset
experiment will be set up automatically in the laboratory after exiting the stockroom. An
assignment does not necessarily have to have a preset assignment. It is only meant as an option
that allows different levels of experiments to be assigned to the students. If the PRESET: line is
missing then the third line in the text file is assumed to be the beginning of the assignment
description. If the PRESET: line is wrong or an invalid or missing file is found, the third line is
also interpreted as the beginning of the assignment description. Preset experiments for
assignments must be located in the Assignment/Gases directory located in the installed Y Science
directory and must have the extension “.ini”. Note also that there should be no space between the
“PRESET:” and the file name. Details on defining preset experiments are found in Appendix A,
although several have been included with the software.

assignment list) from the gases assignment database if the selected assignment is an imported

Assignments

1. If the desired assignment is not present in the gases assignment database, write the
assignment using the format described and import the assignment.




Shown in Figure 5 is the assignment area for a gases assignment. The parts of the assignment
area are the following: (a) Assignment Number, (b) Select Experiment, (c) Description Box, (d)
Function Buttons, and (e) Points, Start Date, and Due Date. Each of these is described in the
following list:


23

the students.

(b) Select Experiment. The list of available experiments in the gases assignment database is
contained in the Select Experiment drop-down list. Experiments are listed by title and sorted

indicated as part of the experiment, it will also be listed here, but not displayed to the student
when they read the description in the lab.

Help button opens the help window for quantum assignments.


Titration Assignments
Overview
The titration assignment folder allows the instructor to define and release acid-base or
potentiometric assignments to classes using the titration laboratory. Titration assignments consist
of acids and/or bases or potentiometric reagents of unknown concentration. When an assignment
is released to the students, the bottles containing the unknowns will be located on the left side of
the “Unknowns” shelf in the titration stockroom, and upon accepting the assignment the
student’s work on these assignments will be recorded by the student in the lab book. A new
section is created in the lab book for each assignment accepted by the student. The students
report their assignments by clicking on the Report button in the lab book and then entering the
concentrations of the unknowns they were assigned using data gathered from their experimental
work and calculations. After submitting their results, a score can be automatically assigned based
on pre-defined automatic grading criteria. This score can be changed at a later time if necessary.

24

Figure 6. The Titration Assignments folder.

The virtual titration laboratory allows students to perform precise, quantitative titrations
involving acid-base and electrochemical reactions. The available laboratory equipment consists
of a 50 mL buret, 5, 10, and 25 mL pipets, graduated cylinders, beakers, a stir plate, a set of 8
acid-base indicators, a pH meter/voltmeter, a conductivity meter, and an analytical balance for
weighing out solids. Acid-base titrations can be performed on any combination of mono-, di-,
and tri-protic acids and mono-, di-, and tri-basic bases. The pH of these titrations can be
monitored using a pH meter, an indicator, and a conductivity meter, all as a function of volume,
and this data can be saved to an electronic lab book for later analysis. A smaller set of
potentiometric titrations can also be performed. Systematic and random errors in the mass and
volume measurements have been included in the simulation by introducing buoyancy errors in
the mass weighings, volumetric errors in the glassware, and characteristic systematic and random
errors in the pH/voltmeter and conductivity meter output. These errors can be ignored, which
will produce results and errors typical of high school or freshman-level laboratory work, or the
buoyancy and volumetric errors can be measured and included in the calculations to produce
results better than 0.1% in accuracy and reproducibility.

25

Because these titration experiments include a significant amount of detail, a set of 15 preset
experiments has been defined and is accessible to the student through the clipboard in the
stockroom. These preset experiments are defined using a set of INI variables that describe the
various aspects of each experiment. Details on how to change the preset experiments are found in
Appendix A. These preset experiments can also be turned off which will be described later.

The titration laboratory allows both acid-base and potentiometric titrations, however assignments
for each type of titration are essentially the same. A titration assignment consists of (1) selecting
the reagents that will be assigned to the students, (2) specifying the reagents as known or
unknown, (3) specifying the concentrations of the reagents, and (4) selecting and defining the
reagents on the stockroom shelves that will be available to the student during the assignment.
When a titration assignment has been released, the assigned reagents (usually unknowns) will
appear on the left side of the “Unknowns” shelf in the stockroom. Selecting some or all of these
reagents will constitute accepting the assignment, which will then cause the reagent bottles
available in the stockroom to be reconfigured as defined in the assignment. The student now
proceeds with the titration experiment and reports their results using the lab book.

The titration assignment folder is divided into two areas: (1) laboratory setup and (2)
assignments. Details on these two areas of the folder and on defining a titration assignment are
given below.

Laboratory Setup
Shown in Figure 6 is the laboratory setup area of the titration assignment folder. Information on
the currently selected class is given at the top, followed by the laboratory setup options, followed
by three buttons that are used to create assignments and retrieve or archive titration assignments.
Class information cannot be modified in this folder. It should be noted that the settings specified
in this area of the titration folder apply to the selected class as a whole and not to a given
assignment.

Allow Presets. The clipboard in the titration stockroom contains a list of 15 preset experiments
that the student can select to automatically set up experiments out in the laboratory or to assign a
set of pre-defined unknowns. Answers for the unknowns are given in the titration section of the
Instructor’s Manual. Deselecting this option will turn off access to these preset experiments.
Details on modifying the preset experiments available to the students are found in Appendix A.
This setting can be changed at any time.

Auto save and graphing. In the titration laboratory, students have the ability to save the data
associated with a titration (volume, pH/voltage, and conductivity) to the lab book for later
analysis and to view a graph of the pH/voltage and conductivity as a function of volume during
the course of the titration. This ability to save titration data to the lab book includes
automatically reading the volume of titrant delivered from the buret. Deselecting this option will
prevent students from saving titration data to the lab book and from monitoring the titration
using the graphing function. Students will be forced to manually read the buret and record the
necessary data to the lab book.

Activity coefficients. In order to achieve the most accurate calculations of pH and voltage for the
titrations, activity coefficients, as calculated from the extended Debye-Huckle limiting law, are

26

used in the equilibrium calculations. Deselecting this option will turn off the use of activity
coefficients. Turning off activity coefficients may be useful when students are expected to
perform their own equilibrium calculations and compare them to the results from the virtual
laboratory. Students also have the ability to turn activity coefficients on or off in the stockroom.

Glassware errors. Actual volumetric burets and pipets do not deliver volumes that correspond
exactly to the scale etched on the barrel. These volumetric errors are simulated in the laboratory
by assigning appropriate error functions to each piece of precision glassware available in the
laboratory. These glassware errors are unique to each student but remain constant over time.
Deselecting this option will turn off these error functions, and the buret and pipets will deliver
the volumes as indicated.

Buoyancy errors. Items that are weighed on a balance under standard air pressure are buoyed up
by the air causing the observed mass, as displayed by the balance, to be different than the true
mass. This buoyancy correction is small but does make a statistically significant contribution
when accuracies approaching 0.1% are needed. The mass readings displayed on the analytical
balance in the simulation are observed masses and have been reverse corrected from the true
mass. The balance will give the true mass when this option is deselected.

Base Barometric Pressure. The buoyancy errors applied to the balance readings require
knowledge of the density of air among other things. The density of air can be calculated using a
variety of methods, but each requires knowledge of the temperature and barometric pressure.
Therefore, in order to correct for buoyancy errors, the student must know the current temperature
and barometric pressure in the virtual laboratory. The temperature is constant at 25°C, but the
barometric pressure is assigned a new random value every day. The base or average pressure
used for assigning the daily barometric pressure is specified here. The swing in pressures that can
be assigned for any given day is ±20 Torr around the indicated base pressure.


Retrieve Assignment. This button retrieves a titration assignment from a set of assignments that
have been previously archived. Details on archiving and retrieving titration assignments are
given in the Archiving and Retrieving Assignments section.

Archive Assignment. This button saves or archives the currently selected titration assignment.
Details on archiving and retrieving qualitative analysis assignments are given in the Archiving
and Retrieving Assignments section.

Assignments


27


3. Specify the assignment as Acid/base or Potentiometric

4. Select reagents for the assignment shelf.

5. Specify the assignment as By Class or By Student.

6. Type or paste assignment instructions.

7. Define the stockroom reagents that will be available during the assignment.

8. Assign the points possible, auto-grading criterion, the start date, and the due date.

The assignment area can be divided into two general areas, each accessed by clicking on their
respective tab on the left: (1) The assignment area and (2) The stockroom shelves (the Acid/Base
or Potentiometric tab). The assignment area is used to define the major portions of the
assignment including the unknowns, points possible, grading, start date, and due date. The
stockroom shelves (either Acid/Base or Potentiometric) area is used to define the stockroom
reagents that will be available during the assignment. Details for each area are given below.

The Assignment Tab
the students.

identify the type of unknown that has been assigned, and it is also used as the default name
when archiving the assignment. (See Archiving and Retrieving Assignments for details.)
Assignment titles are entered by clicking on the text box and typing the appropriate text.

(c) Assignment Type. Titration assignments can be either Acid/base or Potentiometric. An
assignment is defined as Acid/base or Potentiometric by clicking on the appropriate radio
button. The default assignment type is Acid/base.

(d) Assignment Shelf. A titration assignment can consist of up to three reagent bottles usually
representing unknowns that will appear on the “Unknowns” shelf in the stockroom. For acid-
base assignments, two of these bottles can be any combination of acids and/or bases and the
third can be an inert salt. For potentiometric assignments, there can only be two bottles, one
of which must be an oxidant and the other a reductant. The third bottle is not allowed. The
three buttons in the Assignment area represent the three reagents that can be assigned as an
unknown. The first two buttons are used to select the acids and/or bases for an acid-base

28

assignment or the oxidant and reductant for a potentiometric assignment, while the third
button is for the inert salt. An “x” in the box on each button indicates that a reagent has been
selected for that position on the “Unknowns” shelf, and the name of the selected reagent will
be labeled on the button.

Clicking on a reagent button will bring up a dialog box where (1) the reagent to be assigned
to that bottle can be selected from a dropdown list, (2) the concentration for the reagent can
be specified as Fixed or Random, and (3) the concentration will be labeled as Known or
Unknown to the student. A Fixed concentration means that the concentration to be assigned
to that bottle will be constant and the same for each student. A Random concentration
indicates that the concentration will be assigned randomly within a concentration range
specified by a minimum and maximum concentration. A Random unknown or known can be
assigned for the class or uniquely for each student (see Unknown Type below). Note that
concentrations for aqueous reagents are specified in molarity and the concentrations for
solids are in weight percent. Clicking on the dropdown arrow to the left of the Assignment
Shelf buttons will drop down the details (concentration, unknown type, and its known or
unknown designation) associated with each assigned reagent.

(e) Unknown Type. Concentrations for bottles on the Assignment Shelf and on the stockroom
shelves can be specified manually (Fixed) or they can be assigned randomly. Fixed
concentrations are the same for each student in the class, but concentrations assigned
Randomly can be the same or unique for each student. The Assign Unknown dropdown list
allows the concentrations that are generated randomly to be the same for the entire class (By
Class) or to be unique for each student (By Student).

(f) Student List. A student list (not shown in Figure 6 but an example can be seen in Figure 3) is
provided for By Student assignments to show the unknowns that have been assigned to each
student. The list shows three students. The middle student in the box is the currently selected
student, and there is a student before and after. Student names in red indicate an assignment
has not been given, whereas student names in blue indicate an assignment has been given.
The up and down arrows are used to scroll through the list. When an assignment has been
made (name in blue), the concentrations that have been assigned to that student are given in
the reagent bottle drop down list. Changes in the assignments can be made up until the start
date.

(g) Tools Available. In titration experiments, the equivalence point can be determined using
various techniques. For acid-base titrations, a pH meter, indicators, and a conductivity meter
are available. For potentiometric titrations, a voltmeter and a conductivity meter are
available. The Tools Available section is used to specify which of the allowed techniques
will be available for an assignment. The default is all that all techniques are available.

(h) Assignment Instructions. As part of an assignment, it is possible to include instructions for
the student to use as they do their experimental work. These instructions are not a mandatory
part of the assignment but are optional depending on the level of guidance that is needed for
a particular assignment. Instructions are simply typed or pasted into the Instructions text box.
These instructions will be available for viewing on the clipboard in the stockroom when

29

assigned unknowns are on the “Unknowns” shelf, and they will be available on the TV in the
laboratory after an assignment has been accepted.

(i) Function Buttons. The four function buttons are Save, Cancel, Delete, and Help. The Save
button saves the current assignment. For Random assignments, pressing the Save button
assigns the unknowns to the class (By Class) or to each student (By Student). The Cancel
button resets the current assignment to a blank assignment if it has not yet been saved;
otherwise, it restores the assignment to its last saved state. The Delete button deletes an
assignment even if it has been released, and the Help button opens the help window for
titration assignments.

(j) Points and Auto-grading. Scoring for an assignment is specified in these boxes. The points
are the total number of points possible for the assignment. The Auto-grade check box is used
to turn on auto-grading. If auto-grading is turned off, then it is the instructor’s responsibility
to inspect the student’s results and assign a score (see Grading). If auto-grading is turned on,
then the % Error and Deduct values must be included as part of the assignment. Auto-grading
works by subtracting the number of points specified in the Deduct box from the total points
possible for every interval the student’s answer is outside the range specified in % Error. For
example, using the % Error of 1 and a Deduct value of 2 shown in Figure 6, if the student’s
answer were wrong by 2.2%, 4 points would be deducted. If two unknowns are assigned,
then both will be used to deduct points. The minimum score possible is zero.

(k) Start Date and Due Date. The start date and due date are used to specify when an assignment
will be available for the class. By default, text entry starts in the title box and pressing Tab or
Enter advances the cursor to the points box, and then the deductions box. The start date is the
date (starting at midnight) the assignment will be available to the students, and the due date is
the last day the assignment will be available (ending at midnight). Enter the start date and
due date by clicking on the calendar icon in their respective boxes and choosing the desired
day. You may scroll between months by using the arrows on either side of the month and
year display at the top of the calendar box. An assignment cannot be modified, including the
start date, once it has been released to the students, but it is possible to change the due date.
An assignment can only be canceled while it is released by deleting it.

The Stockroom Shelves
The stockroom shelves tab in the assignment area will be labeled as either Acid/Base or
Potentiometric depending on the type of assignment that has been selected. Clicking on the tab
will bring the user to a series of buttons, each of which represents a bottle on the stockroom
shelves (see Figure 7). For acid-base assignments, there will be a set of buttons for the acid shelf,
the bases shelf, and the inert salts. For potentiometric assignments, there will be a set of buttons
for the oxidants and for the reductants. The purpose of these buttons is to allow each bottle on
the stockroom shelves to be reconfigured as necessary for the assignment defined in the
assignment area. Reagents can be deselected so they will not be available for students during the
assignment, concentrations can be changed, and concentrations can be converted into unknowns
(although these unknowns cannot be reported and graded as part of the assignment). Combined
with the unknowns that are assigned on the “Unknowns” shelf, the ability to reconfigure the

30

Figure 7. The stockroom shelves definition area in the Titration Assignment folder. Shown
here are the buttons to define an acid-base assignment.
reagents on the stockroom shelves provides an enormous amount of flexibility for the level of
assignments.

Clicking on a reagent button will bring up a dialog box where (1) the reagent availability can be
deselected (the default state is all reagents are available), (2) the concentration for the reagent
can be specified as Fixed or Random, and (3) the concentration is Known or Unknown to the
student. An “x” in the box on each button indicates that a reagent is available for the assignment.
A Fixed concentration means that the concentration to be assigned to that bottle will be constant
and the same for each student. A Random concentration indicates that the concentration will be
assigned randomly within a concentration range specified by a minimum and maximum
concentration. A Random unknown or known can be assigned for the class or uniquely for each
student. Note that concentrations for aqueous reagents are specified in molarity and the
concentrations for solids are in weight percent. Clicking on the dropdown arrow to the left of the
buttons will drop down the details (concentration, unknown type, and its known or unknown
designation) associated with each reagent.

31

Defining a titration assignment can be a time-consuming and laborious process, especially if
there are several unknowns and there are several classes for which these unknowns need to be
defined. To make this process less time consuming, titration assignments can be archived, or
saved, and then retrieved using the Archive Assignment and Retrieve Assignment buttons.

To archive an assignment, define a titration assignment following the steps and procedures that
were described in the Assignments section. Pressing the Archive Assignment button will save the
entire assignment except the start date and due date. A dialog box will come up asking for a
name for the archive and where to save it. The assignment archive can be stored anywhere, but
the default location is the Assignment/Titrations directory located where the database is stored.
Any number of archives can be stored with any combination of unknowns.

An assignment is retrieved by clicking on the Retrieve Assignment button, which will bring up a
dialog box where the instructor may select from any of the available archives. Selecting an
archive will automatically define the assignment based on the information that was saved during
the archive. At this point, the start date and due date for the assignment must still be specified,
and the actual unknowns must be assigned to the students by saving the assignment (pressing the
Save button). It is not necessary that a new assignment be created first before retrieving an
archive.

Calorimetry Assignments
Overview
The calorimetry assignment folder allows the instructor to define and release text-based
instructions (or assignments) for performing a set of simulated calorimetry experiments that
demonstrate the concepts important in the study of chemical thermodynamics. The level of these
clipboard in the calorimetry stockroom, and the student’s work on these assignments is recorded
(by the student) in the lab book. A new section is created in the lab book for each assignment
accepted by the student.

There are three different calorimeters in the virtual calorimetry laboratory that allow students to
measure various thermodynamic processes including heats of combustion, heats of solution,
heats of reaction, the heat capacity, and the heat of fusion. The calorimeters provided in the
simulations are a classic “coffee cup” calorimeter, a Dewar flask, and a bomb calorimeter. The
calorimetric method used in each calorimeter is based on measuring the temperature change in
the calorimeter caused by the different thermodynamic processes. Instructors can choose from a
wide selection of organic materials to measure the heats of combustion; salts to measure the
heats of solution; acids and bases for heats of reaction; metals and alloys for heat capacity
measurements; and ice for a melting process. Boiling point elevation and freezing point
depressions can also be assigned to be measured. Systematic and random errors in the mass and
volume measurements have been included in the simulation by introducing buoyancy errors in
the mass weighing, volumetric errors in the glassware, and characteristic systematic and random
errors in the thermometer measurements.

32

Figure 8. The Calorimetry Assignments folder.

Because these calorimetry experiments can be complex and not necessarily intuitive to set up
properly, a set of 15 preset experiments has been defined and is accessible to the student through
the clipboard in the stockroom. These preset experiments are defined using a set of INI variables
that describe the various aspects of each experiment. Details on how to change the preset
experiments are found in Appendix A. These preset experiments can also be turned off as will be
described later.

The calorimetry laboratory is used for measurements of the heat of combustion, the heat of
solution, the heat capacity of a metal, and the heat of reaction, however assignments for each
type of calorimetry experiment are essentially the same. A calorimetry assignment consists of (1)
selecting the type of measurement to be assigned (organic, salt, metal, reaction), (2) selecting the
reagents or metals that will be assigned to the students, (3) specifying the reagents as knowns or
unknowns, (4) specifying the points and grading option, and (5) specifying the start date and due
date. When a calorimetry assignment has been released, the assigned reagents or metals will
appear on the left side of the “Unknowns” shelf in the stockroom. Selecting one or all of these

33

reagents or metals will constitute accepting the assignment. The student now proceeds with the
calorimetry experiment and reports their results using the lab book.

The calorimetry assignment folder is divided into two areas: (1) laboratory setup and (2)
assignments. Details on these two areas of the folder and on defining a calorimetry assignment
are given below.

Laboratory Setup
Shown in Figure 8 is the laboratory setup area of the calorimetry assignment folder. Information
on the currently selected class is given at the top, followed by the laboratory setup options,
followed by three buttons that are used to create assignments and retrieve or archive calorimetry
assignments. Class information cannot be modified in this folder. It should be remembered that
the settings specified in this area of the calorimetry folder apply to the selected class as a whole
and not to a given assignment.

Allow preset experiments. The clipboard in the calorimetry stockroom contains a list of 15 preset

Auto save and graphing. In the calorimetry laboratory, students have the ability to save the
temperature versus time data from the thermometer to the lab book for later analysis and to view
a graph of the temperature as a function of time during the course of an experiment. Deselecting
this option will prevent students from saving temperature data to the lab book and from
monitoring the temperature using the graphing function. Students will be forced to manually
monitor and record the temperature in the lab book.

Glassware errors. Actual graduated cylinders do not deliver volumes that correspond exactly to
the scale etched on the cylinder. These volumetric errors are simulated in the laboratory by
assigning appropriate error functions to each piece of glassware available in the laboratory.
Deselecting this option will turn off these error functions, and the graduated cylinders will
deliver the volumes as indicated.

Buoyancy errors. Items that are weighed on a balance in air are buoyed up by the air causing the
observed mass, as displayed by the balance, to be different than the true mass. This buoyancy
correction is small but does make a statistically significant contribution when accuracies
approaching 0.1% are needed. The mass readings displayed on the analytical balance in the
simulation are observed masses and have been reverse corrected from the true mass. The balance
will give the true mass when this option is deselected.

Base Barometric Pressure. The buoyancy errors applied to the balance readings require
knowledge of the density of air among other things. The density of air can be calculated using a
variety of methods, but each requires knowledge of the temperature and barometric pressure.
Therefore, in order to correct for buoyancy errors, the student must know the current temperature
and barometric pressure in the virtual laboratory. The temperature is constant at 25°C, but the

34

barometric pressure is assigned a new random value every day. The base or average pressure
used for assigning the daily barometric pressure is specified here. The swing in pressures that can
be assigned for any given day is ±20 Torr around the indicated base pressure.


Retrieve Assignment. This button retrieves a calorimetry assignment from a set of assignments
that have been previously archived. Details on archiving and retrieving calorimetry assignments
are given in the Archiving and Retrieving Assignments section.

Archive Assignment. This button saves or archives the currently selected calorimetry assignment.
Details on archiving and retrieving calorimetry assignments are given in the Archiving and
Retrieving Assignments section.

Assignments



3. Specify the assignment type as Organics (combustion), Salts (solution), Metals (heat
capacity), or Reactions.

4. Select the reagents or metals for the assignment shelf.




Shown in Figure 8 is the assignment area for a calorimetry assignment. The parts of the
assignment area are the following: (a) Assignment Number, (b) Assignment Title, (c)
Assignment Type, (d) Report In, (e) Assignment Shelf, (f) Auto-Grade and Points, (g) Assign
Unknown, (h) Student List, (i) Assignment Instructions, (j) Function Buttons, and (k) Start date
and Due Date. Each of these is described in the following list:


35

the students.

identify the type of measurement that has been assigned, and it is also used as the default
name when archiving the assignment. (See Archiving and Retrieving Assignments for
details.) Assignment titles are entered by clicking on the text box and typing the appropriate
text.

(c) Assignment Type. The type of measurement that can be assigned for a calorimetry assignment
includes the heat of combustion (Organics), the heat of solution (Salts), the heat capacity of a
metal (Metals), or the heat of reaction (Reactions). The assignment type is selected by
clicking on the appropriate radio button. The default assignment type is Organics (heat of
combustion).

(d) Report In. When reporting the enthalpy or heat capacity for the selected assignment type, the
answers can be reported per mole or per gram. For reagents that are assigned as unknowns
(allowed only for Organics, Salts, and Metals), reporting answers per gram is the only option.
For reactions, answers are reported per mole of the first reagent. The default unit is per mole.

(e) Assignment Shelf. The assignment shelf is used to specify the reagents or metals that will be
available for students on the “Unknowns” shelf in the stockroom for the selected assignment
type. For Organics, Salts, and Metals, up to two reagents or metals can be selected, but for
Reaction assignments only one reaction pair can be selected. If two reagents or metals are
assigned, then the heat or heat capacity of both must be reported for the assignment. For By
Class assignments, the same reagents or metals will be given to each student in the class. For
By Student assignments, the reagents or metals must be selected individually for each
student. If the Unknown box is checked, then the identity of the reagents or metals will be
hidden from the students (not available for Reaction assignments).

(f) Auto-Grade and Points. Scoring for an assignment is specified in these boxes. The points are
the total number of points possible for the assignment. The Auto-grade check box is used to
turn on auto-grading. If auto-grading is turned off, then it is the instructor’s responsibility to
inspect the student’s results and assign a score (see Grading). If auto-grading is turned on,
then the % Error and Deduct values must be included as part of the assignment. Auto-grading
answer were wrong by 2.5%, then the student would lose 4 points. If two unknowns are
assigned, then both will be used to deduct points. The minimum score possible is zero. The
Compare to option specifies if the reported answers will be compared to the standard state
value or to the non-standard state value actually used in the simulation. This option is only
available when Auto-Grade has been selected.

(g) Assign Unknown. Assignments can be given to students either By Class or By Student. In a
By Class assignment, each student in the class will receive the same reagents or metals. In a

36

By Student assignment, the reagents or metals can be different for each student, but the
reagents or metals must be assigned manually to each student. By default, assignments are
defined By Class.

(h) Student List. A student list (see Figure 8) is provided for By Student assignments to show the
reagents that have been assigned to each student. The list shows three students. The middle
student in the box is the currently selected student, and there is a student before and after.
Student names in red indicate an assignment has not been given, whereas student names in
blue indicate an assignment has been given. The up and down arrows are used to scroll
through the list. When an assignment has been made (name in blue), the reagents that have
been assigned to that student are given in the drop down list. Changes in the assignments can
be made up until the start date.

(i) Assignment Instructions. As part of an assignment, it is possible to include instructions for
These instructions will be available for viewing on the clipboard in the stockroom when
assigned unknowns are on the “Unknowns” shelf, and they will be available on the TV in the
laboratory after an assignment has been accepted.

(j) Function Buttons. The four function buttons are Save, Cancel, Delete, and Help. The Save
button saves the current assignment. For By Student assignments, pressing the Save button
saves the assignment for the selected student only. The Cancel button resets the current
assignment to a blank assignment if it has not yet been saved; otherwise, it restores the
assignment to its last saved state. The Delete button deletes an assignment even if it has been
released, and the Help button opens the help window for calorimetry assignments.

(k) Start Date and Due Date. The start date and due date are used to specify when an assignment

Defining a calorimetry assignment can be a time-consuming and laborious process, especially if
there are several assignments and there are several classes for which these assignments need to
be defined. To make this process less time consuming, calorimetry assignments can be archived,
or saved, and then retrieved using the Archive Assignment and Retrieve Assignment buttons.

37

To archive an assignment, define a calorimetry assignment following the steps and procedures
that were described in the Assignments section. Pressing the Archive Assignment button will save
the entire assignment except the start date and due date. A dialog box will come up asking for a
the default location is the Assignment/Calorimetry directory located where the database is stored.
Any number of archives can be stored with any combination of assignments.

and the actual reagents must be assigned to the students by saving the assignment (pressing the
archive.

Mechanics, Circuits, and Optics Assignments
Overview
The mechanics, circuits, and optics assignment folders allow the instructor to define and release
text-based instructions (or assignments) for performing a set of simulated physics experiments
that demonstrate the concepts of mechanics, electrical circuits, and optics. The level of these
clipboard found in each laboratory, and the student’s work on these assignments is recorded (by
the student) in the lab book. A new section is created in the lab book for each assignment
accepted by the student. Although Mechanics, Circuits, and Optics each have their own
assignment folders, the method for delivering these assignments is essentially identical and will
be described together here.

There are five different types of experiments within the mechanics simulation: Free Motion,
Ramp Motion, Billiards Ball Motion, Falling Rod Rotational Motion, and Planetary Motion.
Each experiment operates within the general framework of the lab and many of the same objects
and forces are used with each type of experiment. The circuit laboratory allows students to build
circuits using either a breadboard or schematic representation. Using the breadboard students
will connect components as they would in an ordinary circuit laboratory by adding resistors, light
bulbs, capacitors, or inductors of any combination and a battery or function generator. When
using the schematic the students can “draw” a circuit schematic on paper as they would to plan a
circuit. The optics laboratory allows students to use lenses and mirrors to modify the images of
various objects and light sources and view the results with a virtual eye. The physics of color can
also be explored using filters and prisms. As in all Y Science laboratories, the focus is to allow
students the ability to explore and discover, in a safe and level-appropriate setting, the concepts
that form the foundation of classical physics. Complete details on these laboratories, their uses
and limitations, and the scope of the simulations can be found in the Mechanics, Circuits, or
Optics Users Guide.

38

Figure 9. The Mechanics Assignments folder. The assignment folders for Circuits and Optics
are identical except for the sidebar options.

Because these physics experiments can be complex and not necessarily intuitive to set up
properly, a set of 15 preset experiments for each of these simulations have been defined and are
accessible to the student through the clipboard found in each laboratory. These preset
experiments are defined using a set of INI variables that describe the various aspects of each
experiment. Details on how to change the preset experiments are found in Appendix A. These
preset experiments can also be turned off as will be described later.

Assignments in these laboratories consist of a set of instructions outlining what is required of the
students to complete the assignment. These assignments are text based, and when a student
Mechanics, Circuits, or Optics come with a set of predefined assignments with varying levels of
difficulty. However, the number and difficulty of experiments that can be performed in the
laboratories are large; therefore, the ability to import custom assignments and add them to the
database of assignments has also been provided. These custom assignments can also include
custom preset experiments.

39

Shown in Figure 9 is an example of a mechanics assignment folder. Assignment folders for
Circuits and Optics are similar. The folder can be divided into two general areas: (1) laboratory
setup and (2) assignments. Details on these two areas of the folder are given in their respective
sections.

Laboratory Setup
The laboratory setup area of the assignment folder consists of a class information area for the
currently selected class at the top, followed by the laboratory setup options, followed by three
buttons that are used to create a new assignment, import a custom assignment, and delete a
custom assignment. Class information cannot be modified in this folder. The laboratory setup
options are unique to each laboratory simulation.

Preset Experiments. (All) The clipboard found in each laboratory contains a list of 15 preset

Ideal Wires. (Circuits) In the circuit laboratory, wires can be either ideal or non-ideal. Ideal
means they connect the nodes and contribute no resistance to the circuit. Non-ideal means they
are assumed to have some small resistance as every real wire does. Deselecting this option turns
off ideal wires.

Ideal Components. (Circuits) Resistors, capacitors, and inductors can be treated as ideal or non-
ideal components. Ideal means the stated value of the component is the actual value. For non-
ideal or real components a tolerance can be set such that the value of the component is randomly
assigned to be within a certain chosen range as occurs for real components. Deselecting this
option turns off ideal components.

Show Component Values. (Circuits) For a circuit built on the breadboard, mousing over each
component will show its nominal value, and for the engineering paper the component values are
displayed next to each component. Deselecting this option will hide the component values to
force a measurement or a calculation of the component values.

Display in Centimeters. (Optics) In the optics laboratory, the units for the various objects can be
displayed in centimeters or inches. Deselecting this option will display the units in centimeter.
Note that although the units can be displayed in centimeters, the hole spacing on the optics table
is still fixed at 2 inches.


Import Assignment. Each laboratory comes with a set of predefined assignments with varying
levels of difficulty that demonstrate the various concepts in the physics of motion, circuits, and

40

optics. However, it is recognized that the types of experiments and their level of difficulty will
most often need to be custom tailored for the level of the class, the level of the students, and the
individual teaching style of the instructor. This button allows a custom assignment to be
imported into the assignment database. Pressing the button brings up a dialog box, which allows
the instructor to locate the new assignment file and then bring it into the assignment database.
Once the file has been successfully imported, it is not necessary to keep the original file. This
import file must be a text- (or ASCII-) based file with the following format:

1 Assignment Title
2
4

1 Assignment Title
2

list (see Figure 9) and on the clipboard. The second line must be blank. The third line is an
optional line. If the word “PRESET:” is present on the third line followed by a preset experiment
file, then, when the assignment is accepted by the student, the preset experiment will be set up
automatically in the laboratory. An assignment does not necessarily have to have a preset
assignment. It is only meant as an option that allows different levels of experiments to be
assigned to the students. If the PRESET: line is missing then the third line in the text file is
assumed to be the beginning of the assignment description. If the PRESET: line is wrong or an
invalid or missing file is found, the third line is also interpreted as the beginning of the
assignment description. Preset experiments for assignments must be located in the
Assignment/Mechanics, Assignment/Circuits, or Assignment/Optics directory located in the
installed Y Science directory and must have the extension “.ini”. Note also that there should be
no space between the “PRESET:” and the file name. Details on defining preset experiments are
found in Appendix A, although several have been included with the software.

assignment list) from the assignment database if the selected assignment is an imported

Assignments

1. If the desired assignment is not present in the assignment database, write the assignment
using the format described and import the assignment.

41




Shown in Figure 9 is the assignment area for a mechanics assignment. The assignment areas for
a circuits and optics assignment are identical. The parts of the assignment area are the following:
(a) Assignment Number, (b) Select Experiment, (c) Description Box, (d) Function Buttons, and
(e) Points, Start Date, and Due Date. Each of these is described in the following list:

the students.

(b) Select Experiment. The list of available experiments in the assignment database is contained
in the Select Experiment drop-down list. Experiments are listed by title and sorted

indicated as part of the experiment, it will also be listed here, but not shown to the student.

Help button opens the help window for the assignment folder.


42

Figure 10. The Density Assignments folder.

Density Assignments
Overview
The density assignment folder allows the instructor to define and release a set of solid and/or
liquid unknowns to classes using the density laboratory. Density assignments consist of solids
and/or liquids with unknown densities. When an assignment is released to the students, the
assigned solids and/or liquids are placed in graduated cylinders and the student is required to
determine the densities of the assigned materials. These assignments are given to the students
using the clipboard hanging on the wall in the laboratory, and the student’s work on these
assignments is recorded (by the student) in the lab book. A new section is created in the lab book
for each assignment accepted by the student.

The density laboratory allows students the ability to measure the mass and volume of a large set
of liquids and solids which, in turn, will allow them to explore the fundamental concepts
governing density and buoyancy. The laboratory has a set of graduated cylinders that can be
filled with various liquids such as water, corn syrup, mercury, jet fuel, tar, plus many others.
These cylinders can be filled with one or two liquids to study miscibility or the relative density
of the liquids. The laboratory also contains a large selection of solids that can be dropped into

43

these cylinders, and the students can then observe whether the solids float or sink in the selected
liquids. The density of the solids can be calculated by measuring the mass of the solids and the
volume of liquid displaced in the cylinders after the solids have been dropped into the liquid. The
density of the liquids can be determined by measuring the mass and volume of the liquid.
In order to provide students with a set of standard experiments to investigate the concepts of
density and buoyancy, a set of 15 preset experiments has been defined and is accessible to the
student through the clipboard hanging on the wall. These preset experiments are defined using a
set of INI variables that describe the various aspects of each experiment. Details on how to
change the preset experiments are found in Appendix A. These preset experiments can also be
turned off as will be described later.

The density laboratory is used for measurements of volume and mass and the combination of
these measurements is used to investigate the density of both solids and liquids. A density
assignment consists of (1) selecting whether the assigned materials will be real or virtual, (2)
specifying the assignment as the same for the class or different for each student, (3) specifying
the unknown solids and liquids, (4) specifying the points and grading option, and (5) specifying
the start date and due date. When a density assignment has been released, the assignment will
appear on the clipboard. A student accepts the assignment by clicking on the Accept button,
which will then display any assignment instructions. The student now proceeds with the density
experiment and reports their results using the lab book.

The density assignment folder is divided into two areas: (1) laboratory setup and (2)
assignments. Details on these two areas of the folder and on defining a density assignment are
given below.

Laboratory Setup
Shown in Figure 10 is the laboratory setup area of the density assignment folder. Information on
the currently selected class is given at the top, followed by the laboratory setup options, followed
by three buttons that are used to create assignments and retrieve or archive density assignments.
Class information cannot be modified in this folder. It should be remembered that the settings
specified in this area of the density folder apply to the selected class as a whole and not to a
given assignment.

Preset Experiments. The clipboard in the density laboratory contains a list of 15 preset
experiments that the student can select to automatically set up experiments in the laboratory.

Glassware Errors. Actual graduated cylinders do not deliver volumes that correspond exactly to
the scale etched on the cylinder. These volumetric errors are simulated in the laboratory by
assigning appropriate error functions to each piece of glassware available in the laboratory.
Deselecting this option will turn off these error functions, and the graduated cylinders will
deliver the volumes as indicated.

44


Retrieve Assignment. This button retrieves a density assignment from a set of assignments that
have been previously archived. Details on archiving and retrieving density assignments are given
in the Archiving and Retrieving Assignments section.

Archive Assignment. This button saves or archives the currently selected density assignment.
Details on archiving and retrieving density assignments are given in the Archiving and
Retrieving Assignments section.

Assignments



3. Specify the assignment type as Real or Virtual.

4. Select the fluids and/or solids that will go into the five graduated cylinders.




Shown in Figure 10 is the assignment area for a density assignment. The parts of the assignment
area are the following: (a) Assignment Number, (b) Assignment Title, (c) Fluids, (d) Solids, (e)
Material Type, (f) Assign Unknown, (g) Student List, (h) Assignment Instructions, (i) Reporting,
(j) Function Buttons, (k) Auto-Grade and Points, and (l) Start Date and Due Date. Each of these
is described in the following list:

the students.

identify the type of measurement that has been assigned, and it is also used as the default

45

name when archiving the assignment. (See Archiving and Retrieving Assignments for
details.) Assignment titles are entered by clicking on the text box and typing the appropriate
text.

(c) Fluids. The five fluid buttons represent the five graduated cylinders in the laboratory. These
buttons are used to select the fluids that will be used for the unknowns. Clicking on any of
the buttons brings up a dialog box containing (1) a drop down list where you specify if the
fluid should be selected manually or randomly, (2) the list of available fluids, and (3) the
Save and Cancel buttons. When selecting fluids manually, you must select a fluid for each
graduated cylinder and for each student if assigning a unique unknown for each student (see
below). When selecting unknown fluids randomly, you must select a group or range of fluids
from which the program will randomly assign an unknown to the class or to each student.
These fluid assignments are made at the time the overall assignment is saved.

(d) Solids. The five solid buttons represent the five graduated cylinders in the laboratory. These
buttons are used to select the solids that will be used for the unknowns. Clicking on any of
the buttons brings up a dialog box containing (1) a drop down list where you specify if the
solid should be selected manually or randomly, (2) the list of available solids, and (3) the
Save and Cancel buttons. When selecting solids manually, you must select a solid for each
graduated cylinder and for each student if assigning a unique unknown for each student (see
below). When selecting unknown solids randomly, you must select a group or range of solids
from which the program will randomly assign an unknown to the class or to each student.
These solid assignments are made at the time the overall assignment is saved.

(e) Material Type. The type of measurement that can be assigned for a density assignment
includes Real or Virtual. A Real assignment uses real solids and fluids for the basis of the
unknowns. A Virtual assignment allows the use of virtual materials having a range of
densities and viscosities selected randomly by the program at the time the assignment is
saved. The range of densities for these materials is defined in the Fluids and Solids sections
of the assignment folder. The default assignment type is Real.

(f) Assign Unknown. Assignments can be given to students either By Class or By Student. In a
By Class assignment, each student in the class will receive the same unknown solid or fluid.
In a By Student assignment, the unknowns can be assigned randomly or manually to each
student. By default, assignments are defined By Class.

(g) Student List. A student list (not shown in Figure 10) is provided for By Student assignments
to show the unknowns that have been assigned to each student. The list shows three students.
The middle student in the box is the currently selected student, and there is a student before
and after. Student names in red indicate an assignment has not been given, whereas student
names in blue indicate an assignment has been given. The up and down arrows are used to
scroll through the list. When an assignment has been made (name in blue), the unknowns that
have been assigned to that student are given in the Fluids and Solids sections. Changes in the
assignments can be made up until the start date.

46

(h) Assignment Instructions. As part of an assignment, it is possible to include instructions for
These instructions will be available for viewing on the clipboard when an assignment is
accepted, and they will be available on the TV in the laboratory while the assignment is out
in the laboratory.

(i) Reporting. When reporting the unknown densities for the selected assignment, the answers
can be reported either Numerically or on a Relative basis. Numerically means the answers
will be reported as numbers and graded against actual values. Relative means the densities
will be ranked from lowest to highest but no absolute values will need to be given. Answers
will be graded Numerically by default.

(j) Function Buttons. The four function buttons are Save, Cancel, Delete, and Help. The Save
button saves the current assignment. For By Student assignments, pressing the Save button
saves the assignment for the selected student only. The Cancel button resets the current
assignment to a blank assignment if it has not yet been saved; otherwise, it restores the
assignment to its last saved state. The Delete button deletes an assignment even if it has been
released, and the Help button opens the help window for density assignments.

(k) Auto-Grade and Points. Scoring for an assignment is specified in these boxes. The points are
the total number of points possible for the assignment. The Auto-grade check box is used to
turn on auto-grading. If auto-grading is turned off, then it is the instructor’s responsibility to
inspect the student’s results and assign a score (see Grading). If auto-grading is turned on,
then the %Error and Deduct values must be included as part of the assignment. Auto-grading
answer were wrong by 6.5%, then the student would lose 10 points. If two unknowns are
assigned, then both will be used to deduct points. The minimum score possible is zero. Keep
in mind that because of inherent uncertainties in the volume measurements, typical
uncertainties in measured densities will be about 3%.

(l) Start Date and Due Date. The start date and due date are used to specify when an assignment

47

Defining a density assignment can be a time-consuming and laborious process, especially if there
are several assignments and there are several classes for which these assignments need to be
defined. To make this process less time consuming, density assignments can be archived, or
saved, and then retrieved using the Archive Assignment and Retrieve Assignment buttons.

To archive an assignment, define a density assignment following the steps and procedures that
were described in the Assignments section. Pressing the Archive Assignment button will save the
entire assignment except the start date and due date. A dialog box will come up asking for a
the default location is the Assignment/Density directory located where the database is stored. Any
number of archives can be stored with any combination of assignments.

and the actual reagents must be assigned to the students by saving the assignment (pressing the
archive.

Organic Assignments
Overview
The organic assignment folder allows the instructor to define and release organic synthesis and
organic qualitative analysis assignments to the class in the organic laboratory. These assignments
are given to the students using the clipboard in the organic stockroom, and the student’s work on
these assignments is recorded (by the student) in the lab book. A new section is created in the lab
book for each assignment accepted by the student.

In the organic laboratory, the instructor has the option to specify whether (a) compound names
are listed as IUPAC names or common names, (b) if the TV tutorial is available to the student
during practice sessions, and (c) if the spectra library is available to the students. These settings
are independent of the assignments and can be changed at any time.

The instructor can assign to the students of a class any number of synthesis or qualitative
analysis experiments. For either type of assignment, the instructor specifies the total points
possible, the date the assignment will be available to the students (the start date), and the date
when the assignment is due. A synthesis assignment involves selecting one of 17 different
reactions, which defines a set of available starting materials, and a product that each student in
the class will make, purify, and characterize. An organic qualitative analysis assignment involves
assigning unknowns (compounds with an unknown structure) to each student either randomly or
individually, and the student, in turn, will use the analytical techniques and functional group tests
in the laboratory to determine the structure of the unknown. The organic assignment folder is
divided into two areas: (1) laboratory setup and (2) assignments. Details on these two areas of
the folder are given in their respective sections below.

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Figure 11. The Organic Assignment folder showing a synthesis assignment.

Laboratory Setup
Shown in Figure 11 and Figure 12 is the laboratory setup area of the organic assignment folder.
Information on the currently selected class is given at the top, followed by the laboratory setup
options, followed by three buttons that are used to create assignments and retrieve or archive
qualitative analysis assignments. Class information cannot be modified in this folder.

Display Names As. In various parts of the organic laboratory, the names of compounds are
displayed either as pop-ups, on the chalkboard, or on the TV. Selecting IUPAC or Common
specifies in what format these names will appear. This setting can be changed at any time.

Tutorial. When Tutorial is selected, the tutorial mode is enabled on the laboratory TV and the
student has the ability to see the contents of different solutions on the lab bench when an
assignment is not out in the laboratory. During an assignment, the tutorial mode is automatically
disabled. This setting can be changed at any time.

49

Figure 12. The Organic Assignment folder showing a qualitative analysis experiment.

Spectra Library. A library of approximately 700 FTIR and NMR spectra are available to the
student through the spectra library option on the laboratory TV. Selecting Spectra Library
allows the students to have access to this library in the laboratory and to save these spectra in
their lab books. When a spectra is saved in the lab book from the spectra library, the spectra is
clearly labeled as coming from the library. Note that the spectra for the qualitative unknowns are
contained in the library; therefore, it is suggested that the library be disabled while qualitative
analysis assignments are available to the students. This setting can be changed at any time.

instructor and then released to the class. Details on defining a synthesis or qualitative analysis
assignment are given in the Assignments section.

Retrieve Assignment. This button retrieves a qualitative analysis assignment from a set of
assignments that have been previously archived. Details on archiving and retrieving qualitative
analysis assignments are given in the Archiving and Retrieving Assignments section.

50

Archive Assignment. This button saves or archives the currently selected qualitative analysis
assignment. Details on archiving and retrieving qualitative analysis assignments are given in the
Archiving and Retrieving Assignments section.

Assignments


2. Specify the type of the assignment as Synthesis or Qualitative Analysis.

3. For synthesis assignments, choose the reaction and product to be made by the students.

4. For qualitative analysis experiments, choose the set of unknowns (or retrieve an archive)
and assign them to the students.


Shown in Figure 12 is the assignment area for a qualitative analysis assignment. A synthesis
assignment screen is similar (shown in Figure 11) except for the contents of the two scroll boxes
and the absence of the student list (described subsequently). The parts of the assignment area are
the following: (a) Assignment Number; (b) Assignment Type; (c) Reactions/Class Scroll Box;
(d) Products/Unknown Scroll Box; (e) Points, Start Date, and Due Date; (f) Student List; (g)
Structure Display Box; and (h) Function Buttons. Each of these is described in the following list:

the students.

(b) Assignment Type. The type of assignment is selected by clicking the Synthesis or Qualitative
radio buttons. For a qualitative analysis assignment, additional information defining the
assignment is also listed. Show C–H Analysis specifies whether a C–H analysis of the
unknowns will be available to the student for this assignment. Qualitative analysis unknowns
can be assigned randomly or individually. In a random assignment, a set of unknowns is
defined by the instructor and then randomly assigned to each student in the class. In an
individual assignment, an unknown can be selected for each student in the list.

(c) Reactions Scroll Box. For a synthesis assignment, the first scroll box is labeled as
“Reactions” and lists 17 named reactions. These same reactions are listed on the clipboard in
the organic stockroom. Selecting a reaction on the clipboard defines a set of starting
materials from which the student is free to choose to perform a reaction. Although the

51

starting materials were chosen to demonstrate the chemistry of the named reaction, the
student is not forced to perform that reaction, but instead, can choose any of the 15 reagents
in the laboratory to perform any other viable reaction. Thus, any named reaction (or starting
material set) is capable of producing a number of products in addition to the products of the
named reaction. Selecting a named reaction in the reactions scroll box defines a list of
products (shown in the products scroll box) that can be assigned to the class to make from the
starting material set. A reaction is chosen by clicking the appropriate reaction.

Class Scroll Box. For a qualitative analysis assignment, the first scroll box is labeled as
“Class” and lists 11 classes of unknowns grouped by functional group. Selecting a functional
group in the class scroll box defines a list of unknowns containing that functional group
(shown in the unknown scroll box) that can be assigned to the students. A functional group is
chosen by clicking the appropriate group.

(d) Products Scroll Box. Once a reaction has been selected, a list of the products that can be
made from the starting material set for the reaction is listed in the products scroll box. (See
Appendix B for a complete list.) The products that are listed first are products that
correspond to the selected named reaction. Other products are also listed that demonstrate
different reactions or selectivity, but can be made from the same selected starting materials
using other reagents and reaction conditions. Clicking a product selects that product, but does
not save the assignment. Above the products scroll box is a drop-down menu, which allows
the products to be listed by IUPAC name or Common name.

Products Scroll Box. (for qualitative assignments) Once a class or functional group has been
selected, a list of products containing that functional group is listed in the products scroll
box. (See Appendix C for a complete list of unknowns.) Within a class, products are
generally listed with single functional groups first followed by multiple functional group
unknowns and from less difficult to more difficult. Above the products scroll box is a drop-
down menu, which allows the products to be listed by IUPAC name or Common name.
Unlike a synthesis assignment, where there is only one product that can be assigned, for a
random assignment it is typical to select a set of unknowns, which, in turn, will be assigned
randomly to the students. Sets of unknowns do not have to be restricted to one functional
group, but can extend to other functional groups as well. A single product is selected by
clicking the name. Multiple products are selected by Ctrl-click (both for the Mac and PC) and
ranges of products are selected by Shift-click. For individual assignments, an unknown is
assigned to each student by selecting a class (functional group) and a single unknown. After
the product is selected, the assignment is automatically saved and the student list is advanced
to the next student. This process should proceed until each student has an unknown.


52


(f) Student List. For qualitative analysis assignments, a student list is provided for making
individual assignments and to show the unknowns assigned to each student. The list shows
three students. The middle student in the box is the currently selected student, and there is a
student before and after. Student names in red indicate an assignment has not been given,
whereas student names in blue indicate an assignment has been given. The up and down
arrows are used to scroll through the list. When an assignment has been made (name in blue),
the class and unknown are highlighted in the class and unknown scroll boxes, and the
structure of the unknown is shown in the structure display box. Updating the assignment
information as each student is accessed can take several seconds. Rapidly advancing through
the students bypasses the assignment update for the intermediate students. Changes in the
assignments can be made up until the start date.

(g) Structure Display Box. Mousing over a product or unknown listed in the product/unknown
scroll box shows the structure of the compound in the structure display box. When a product
has been selected, the structure is shown in the display box by default. For qualitative
analysis unknowns, the structure of the unknown assigned to the selected student is shown by
default in the display box.

(h) Function Buttons. The four function buttons are Save, Cancel, Delete, and Help. The Save
Help button opens the help window for organic assignments.

When defining a qualitative analysis assignment, the instructor is required to define a set of
possible unknowns by selecting from the available set of compounds given in each class of
unknown. This can be a time-consuming and laborious process, especially if these sets are large
and need to be defined for several classes. To make this process simpler, these sets can be
archived or saved and then retrieved using the Archive Assignment and Retrieve Assignment
buttons. These buttons are only active for qualitative analysis assignments. Archiving is not
possible for synthesis assignments.

To archive an assignment, define a qualitative analysis assignment following the steps and
procedures that were described in the Assignments section. Pressing the Archive Assignment
button will save the unknown set and the number of points allocated for the assignment. A dialog
box will appear asking for a name for the archive and where to save it. The assignment archive
can be stored anywhere, but the default location is the Assignment /Organic directory located
where the database is stored. Any number of archives can be stored with any combination of
unknowns.

53

To retrieve an assignment, a qualitative analysis assignment must first be created. Inside a
qualitative analysis assignment, pressing the Retrieve Assignment button will bring up a dialog
box where the instructor may select from any of the available archives. Selecting an archive will
automatically define the set of unknowns based on the archive and allocate the number of points
for the assignment if that was also saved as part of the archive. At this point, the start date and
due date for the assignment must still be specified, and the actual unknowns must be assigned to
the students by saving the assignment (pressing the Save button).

Scores

Figure 13. The Scores folder inside the Class Management drawer.

Overview
The scores folder (see Figure 13) shows the scores that have been earned by each student in the
class for each assignment, allows these scores to be exported in a tab-delimited text file, shows
the assignments that need to be graded, and allows the lab books to be inspected. The scores
folder is divided into three areas: (1) class and student information, (2) function buttons, and (3)
a spreadsheet view of student records. Each of these areas is described in the following sections.

54

Class and Student Information
Shown in Figure 13 is the class and student information area of the scores folder. Information on
the currently selected class is given at the top, followed by detailed student information for the
selected student in the spreadsheet. Class and student information cannot be modified in this
folder.

Function Buttons
The two function buttons are View Lab Book and Export Scores. Selecting a student in the
spreadsheet enables the View Lab Book button. Clicking View Lab Book brings up the lab book
for the selected student starting in the Practice section. It is possible to record or modify scores
for assignments that have been reported. See Grading for more details. The Export Scores button
exports the current scores to a tab-delimited text file. A dialog box is used to specify the file
name and path.

Student Records
The list of members is given in the spreadsheet with the assignments and points possible listed
across the top. Members can be listed by Name or by ID (password). When an assignment has
been reported by a student but has not been graded, a small lab book icon appears in the cell
corresponding to the student and the assignment. The lab book icon indicates that an assignment
is available for grading for that student. Clicking the lab book icon brings up the lab book for the
student in the assignment section that needs to be graded. While in the lab book, it is possible to
record a score for the assignment or simply view the lab book and then return to the scores
folder. See Grading for more details. When a grade has been recorded for the assignment, the lab
book icons are replaced with the actual score.

Grading
Overview
Each student is given an electronic lab book to record their notes and submit their results for
grading. These lab books may be reviewed and graded (assigned a score) by (1) clicking the
stack of lab books on the stockroom desk, (2) clicking a lab book icon in the Scores folder, or (3)
clicking the View Lab Book button in the Scores folder. Each method launches the electronic lab
book and allows the instructor to navigate through a student’s notes, results, and conclusions and
record grades for assignments. Each method differs, however, in how the students and
assignments are selected.

The lab book is organized by sections and pages. The section name and current page number for
the section is listed at the top of the page. The first section is labeled Practice and is always the
section that is available to the student anytime an assignment is not out in the laboratory. When
an assignment is accepted for the first time, a new section is created in the lab book (named with
the assignment number) where only the notes associated with that assignment can be recorded.
Each assignment will have its own section, and these sections can only be modified while the
assignment is out in the laboratory. Once an assignment has been submitted for grading, no other
modifications are allowed. After an assignment has been submitted, an extra page is added to the
end of the section where grading information will be posted. This last page also contains the

55

Figure 14. The grading view of the lab book as accessed through the stack of lab books in
the stockroom.
student’s reported answers for unknowns, and grading comments from the instructor can also be
recorded here.

Described in the following sections are the navigation tools for the lab book, recording scores,
and the different methods the lab book can be accessed.

Navigation
Moving around inside the lab book from page to page and section to section is accomplished
using the five buttons grouped at the top of the left page of the lab book. (See Figure 14.) The
description of the functionality for each of these buttons follows.

The Previous and Next buttons are used to go to the previous or next page in the current section.
If a page in either the downward or upward direction is not available in the section, the button is
grayed out and not active.

56

The Search Notes button is used to specify a word or phrase that can be
searched for in the current section or in the entire lab book. Shown on the
right is the Search dialog area that is placed on the left page of the lab
book when the Search Notes button has been pressed. The text box is used
to enter the word or words that will be searched for in the current section
or in all sections. The Search button initiates the search for the word or
words typed in the text box. If a match is found, the page with the match
will be shown on the right page of the lab book with the match
highlighted. Pressing the Search button again will search for the next
occurrence. After a match has been found, pressing the OK button will
close the Search dialog and switch the lab book to the new page. Pressing the Cancel button
closes the Search dialog and keeps the lab book on the old page. The Current Section and All
Sections radio buttons specify whether the search is to be made on the current section or over all
sections in the lab book, respectively.

The Go To Page button is used to
jump to any page in any of the sections
in the lab book. Shown on the right is
the Go To dialog box that is displayed
when the Go To Page button is
pressed. The first box lists the
currently available sections in the lab
book by name. Clicking one of these
will then list the available pages for the
highlighted section in the second box.
Clicking one of the pages will switch the lab book to the indicated page and section. Pressing the
Cancel button keeps the lab book on the old page.

The Exit button exits the lab book.

Accessing the Lab Book
A student’s lab book can be accessed in three ways.

1. Stack of Lab Books. Clicking the
stack of lab books on the
stockroom desk launches the
electronic lab book with a dialog
box (shown in the accompanying
figure) that allows a specific class
and assignment to be selected. The
first box shows the current list of
classes. Selecting one of these
classes then lists in the second box
the assignments that have been defined for the selected class. Selecting one of the
assignments listed in the second box removes the dialog box and displays the lab book for the

57

first student in the class with the lab book in the selected assignment section. (See Figure 14.)
In the middle of the left page is a student list where the student shown in the box is the
student to whom the current lab book belongs. Recording a score for this assignment
automatically advances the lab book to the next student. Other students in the class can also
be accessed using the up and down arrow keys in the student list. Other assignments can be
viewed or graded using the Go To Page button or the Search Notes button. Pressing Exit
returns to the select class/select assignment dialog box.

2. Lab Book Icon. When an assignment has been reported by a student, but has not been graded,
a small lab book icon is placed in the cell corresponding to the student and the assignment in
the Scores spreadsheet. The lab book icon indicates that an assignment is available for
grading for that student. Clicking the lab book icon brings up the lab book for the student in
the assignment section that needs to be graded. Recording a score for the assignment replaces
the lab book icon with the score in the spreadsheet.

3. View Lab Book. Selecting a student listed in the Scores spreadsheet and clicking the View
Lab Book button brings up the lab book for the student starting in the Practice section. The
assignment sections of the lab book can be accessed using the Go To Page button or the
Search Notes button. Scores can be modified or recorded in the assignment sections.

Recording Scores
In assignment sections of the lab book, a score box and Record button are available at the bottom
left page of the lab book. (See Figure 14.) If a score has already been recorded for the
assignment, then the score is shown in the score box; otherwise, the score box is blank. A score
is recorded or modified by (1) clicking the score box, typing the score, and pressing Enter or (2)
clicking the Record button. A score can be recorded for an assignment even if the assignment has
not been submitted; however, this will prevent the student from further work on the assignment
even if the due date has not passed. Also note that when recording scores, comments can be
recorded in the comment box (not shown) for each assignment for later student viewing.

Utilities
Overview
Since the class lists, assignments, scores, and lab books are stored in a centralized database, basic
backup and restore functions are available to protect against accidental or intentional corruption
of the database. In addition to these database utilities, there is also a Message utility that allows
an instructor to broadcast important information or reminders to the students of a selected class
on the chalkboard in the organic laboratory or the chalkboard in the general chemistry
laboratory. All of these functions are accessed by clicking the bottom drawer of the filing
cabinet. Inside the utilities drawer are manila folders, each of which performs a specific utility
function. These functions are described in the sections that follow.

Backup
The Backup folder contains a list of the 22 most recent backups listed by date and time with the
most recent backups listed first. Clicking the Perform Backup button performs a complete
backup of the current database. When the number of backups reaches 22, the oldest backup is

58

discarded to make room for the newest backup. These backups are stored in the Backup directory
in the Y Science directory and, therefore, do not protect against hardware failures.

Restore
The Restore folder contains a list of the 22 most recent backups listed by date and time with the
most recent backups listed first. Clicking one of the backups generates another list containing the
classes that were stored in the selected backup. Clicking the Restore All button replaces the
current database with the selected backup. A warning is given before the restore proceeds to
delete the current database. A specific class within a backup can be restored by first selecting the
class and then clicking the Restore Class button. A warning is given before the restore proceeds
to delete the current class and replace it with the backup.

Reset
The reset folder simply contains a Reset button, which, when pressed, deletes the current
database and resets it to a known state containing one class (Admin) and two members. One of
the members has administrative privileges for access to the stockroom. It is important that after
the reset operation, the new administrative password is either noted or changed so future access
to the stockroom can be ensured.

Messages
When administering classes and assignments inside of Y Science, it is sometimes necessary or
useful to send out brief messages reminding the students of deadlines, giving them hints, or
warning them of problems. The Messages folder (see Figure 15) allows an instructor to compose
a message, select the classes where the message will be sent, and define at what time the
message will be released to the student and when the message will expire. Messages that have
been sent are displayed on the chalkboards in the general chemistry laboratory and in the organic
laboratory. Multiple messages can be sent and made available to students at the same time. The
process for creating and sending messages is divided into three steps: (a) compose the message,
(b) select the class or classes where the message will be sent, and (c) define when the message
will be sent and when it will expire.

(a) Composing a Message. A new message is created by first clicking the Create New Message
button (unless this is the first message, in which case the message area is already set up for a
new message). The actual text to be sent to the students can be typed directly into the
message box or can be pasted in from another program. The message can be as long as
needed since scrolling will be available for the students at the chalkboards.

(b) Selecting the Classes. Once the message has been typed or entered, the classes for whom the
message is intended must be selected. Located on the left of the Messages folder is a list of
classes for the current database. Classes are selected by clicking the desired class. Multiple
classes are selected by Ctrl-click (both for the Mac and PC) and a range of classes is selected
by Shift-click.

(c) Sending the Message. Once the message has been composed and the destination classes
selected, the time of delivery for the message must be defined next. Below the message text
box are the Send options. A message can be sent Now or On a specified date by selecting the

59

Figure 15. The Messages folder as accessed from the Utilities drawer.

appropriate radio button. If a date is specified, the date must selected using the usual calendar
functionality described in the assignment folders. The duration of the message or how long
the message will be available to the selected classes is defined by specifying the number of
days (from the send date) the message will be available or by specifying the Until. The
message is not actually sent until the Send Message button is pressed.

(d) Miscellaneous. The number of the current message is shown in the message number box at
the top of the folder. Messages that have already been created and saved can be accessed
using the left and right arrows next to the box. It can take several seconds to update the
message information as each message is accessed.

At the bottom of the Messages folder are the normal four buttons for Save, Cancel, Delete,
and Help. The Save button will save the current message for later action. The Cancel button
will cancel the current message or current changes and revert back to the previously saved
state. The Delete button will delete the current message, and Help will access the Utilities
Help screen.

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Figure 16. The Web Tools folder as accessed through the Utilities drawer. The Web Tools
folder is used to test the servlet engine, update and retrieve data from the web,
and set the URL address.

Web Tools
The Web Connectivity Option allows the instructor to give electronic assignments to the students
of one or more classes and, in turn, receive their answers and results through a servlet engine.
Details on configuring and using the Web Connectivity Option is given in the Overview section
at the beginning of this users guide. The Web Tools folder, shown in Figure 16, allows the
instructor to configure the Web Connectivity Option and perform several web connectivity
functions. Details on configuring the web option and using the web connectivity functions is
given here. Details on installing the servlet engine are given in the Installation and Overview
Guide, and details on administering the servlet engine are given in the Y Science Server
Administration section below.

Servlet URL. The Web Connectivity Option works by having a servlet engine collect data from
both the instructor and student and store it temporarily on the server. Both the instructor and the
student must specify the URL address of the servlet engine before the Web Connectivity Option
can be used. The Servlet URL text field is used to specify the URL address of the servlet engine
being used by Instructor Utilities. The servlet engine is actually a very small Java program that

61

runs on a TomCat server; as a result, several instances or contexts of the servlet engine can run
simultaneously on any given server. It is recommended that each context on the server be used to
pass only one managed database between the instructor and the students since the servlet engine
does not check for duplicate classes nor duplicate students. The format of the URL address will
take the form of http://localhost:8080/Context/y where the localhost will be the IP address or
registered server name of the server and Context is the name of the context war file of the servlet
engine running on the server. The default Context is “yscience”.

Test Connection. Clicking the Test Connection button will query the servlet engine at the
specified URL address to test the servlet engine configuration and the indicated URL address. If
the test is not successful, then trouble shoot the following issues: (1) the TomCat server is not
running, (2) the servlet engine is not running or not configured, (3) there is no internet
connection, or (4) the URL address is incorrect.

Test Server. Clicking the Test Server button will query the servlet engine at the specified URL
address to test the servlet engine configuration, the indicated URL address, and tests the writing
and reading of files on the server. A common problem when configuring the servlet engine is the
servlet engine runs correctly but incorrect permissions have been granted to the servlet
preventing the writing and reading of files. This test insures that the correct permissions have
been established.

Clear All. Clicking the Clear All button will clear all the stored data off the context at the
specified URL address. If more than one database is using the same context, then data from the
other database will also be cleared.

Select Classes. The update and retrieve functions for the Web Connectivity Option can be
performed for each class using the Update Web and Retrieve Web buttons located in the Class
Roll folder for each class. However, if there are several sections of the same class, it will be
easier to select all these classes and perform the update and/or retrieve at the same time. Listed in
the Select Classes scroll box is a list of all the classes for the current database. Multiple classes
are selected by Ctrl-click (both for the Mac and PC) and ranges of classes are selected by Shift-
click. All classes in the list can be selected by clicking on the Select All box. The Update,
Retrieve, or Clear buttons below the Select Classes scroll box operate on these selected classes.

Update Web. This button performs an Update function to the servlet engine for the selected
classes. If there is no new data to send, then a warning is given. If the instructor proceeds to
update the server, then a force update is done which replaces all the data on the server. Note that
the Update function must be performed before students can be authenticated over the web and
allowed to turn on their own Web Connectivity Option. The update function must also be
performed any time modifications are made to the class data in order to provide the students in
the class with the most up-to-date information.

Retrieve Web. This button performs a Retrieve function from the servlet engine for the selected
classes and automatically synchronizes the local database. If there is no new data to retrieve then
a warning is given. If the instructor proceeds to retrieve the data then a force retrieve is done

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which retrieves all the data from the server and synchronizes the local database replacing any
duplicate information.

Force Update/Retrieve Web. The Force Update Web and Force Retrieve Web buttons are
identical to the regular Update and Retrieve functions except the Force functions copy all the
data either from the local database to the server (update) or from the server to the database
(retrieve). A regular Update or Retrieve moves only the data that is new or has been modified.

Clear Web. Clicking on this button clears the data for the selected off the context at the specified
URL address. This is a destructive process and prevents any students who may try to upload data
from doing so. A class can be re-established by simply performing and Update function.

Database
Local Database Location. The database that contains the classes, students, assignments, scores,
and lab books is stored either locally inside the main installed Y Science directory or it could be
stored elsewhere such as on a network drive where it can be shared with other client computers
in a direct access installation. Details on the database structure can be found in the Database
section. The Local Database Location text field allows the instructor to specify the location of
the working database that will be used by Instructor Utilities which, in turn, allows an instructor
to manage multiple databases. The path that is entered in the text field must be a complete path
and must end with /Data/ (or :Data:) For the OS X operating system, the path separators must be
colons (“:”). If an entered path does not contain a valid Y Science database then an initial
database will be created automatically. If you enter a valid Y Science database path, then you will
be prompted to enter a username and password to gain entry to the new database. The entered
path can be saved by either using the Return key or by clicking on the Save button.

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Y Science Server Administration
Introduction
Requirements
In the Web Connectivity Option, assignments and student results are passed between the
instructor and student using a small server application that stores both the assignment and student
data temporarily on the server. This server application (hereafter called a servlet or servlet
engine) runs inside a TomCat server (or any other equivalent application server) that can be
installed on a Windows, OS X, or Unix platform. The server computer can be any computer that
has an IP address and does not have to be anything fancy. The following is a general list of
requirements and other general information needed to setup and run the servlet engine. (Note that
in the following description administrator is either the instructor setting up the servlet engine or
a technical support individual.)

1. The server must have the latest version of Java 2SE JRE 5.0 installed (currently that is 5.0
Update 8). For OS X machines, this will be on the OS X installation disk. You must be using
Tiger 10.4 or greater. For Windows and Unix, this can be downloaded from
http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads.

2. The server must also have the TomCat (also called Jakarta) application server (or an
equivalent) installed. A copy of TomCat for Windows and OS X is included on Y Science
installation CD in the Servlet folder.

3. A directory will need to be established on the server where the data can be stored temporarily
by the servlet engine. All users who will be administering TomCat will need to have
read/write privileges to this directory. This should only be a problem in Unix.

4. It is not recommended that different Y Science databases use the same servlet engine since
there is no checking for duplicate class names and students. This is easily solved since
multiple instances of the servlet engine can run simultaneously on the server. Each instance
of the servlet engine is called a context and must be managed independently.

5. The URL address for the servlet engine will have the following format:
http://localhost:8080/Context/y where the localhost will be the IP address or registered server
name of the server and Context is the name of the context war file of the servlet engine
running on the server. The default Context is “yscience”. This URL address will be needed
by the instructor and students.

6. In order for the Web Connectivity Option to work, the servlet engine must be running on a
server that is accessible to the client computers who will be using it. If the server is behind a
firewall, then it is the administrator’s responsibility to ensure that any client computers
outside the firewall can still see the server.

7. When running TomCat on any version of Windows other than Windows 2000 Server or
Windows 2003 Server, there can only be, at most, 10 simultaneous connections to the

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TomCat server from the clients. This is by Microsoft's design; however, the connection time
with the server should be short for each client and should not cause a significant problem
except with large numbers of users.

In the following discussion, it is assumped that you have successfully installed and know how to
start and stop the servlet engine. Specific instructions for installing and configuring the servlet
engine can be found in the Installation and Overview Guide. Given below is a description of how
to initially configure and access the servlet administration page, followed by a description of the
various servlet options within the servlet administration page.

Access and Initial Configuration
After the servlet engine has been installed on the server, you need to configure each context you
may have deployed. The servlet engine will not work until it has been configured. To do this, use
your browser to go to the link http://localhost:8080/yscience/admin (or use your other context
names in place of “yscience”) and use the username chemlab and the password chemlab (case
sensitive) to gain access to the context manager or servlet administration page. This will be the
address you use each time you need to access the servlet administration page.

The first time you access the servlet administration page, you will be asked to specify where the
database will be located, that is, the path where you will save the context data. (You will need a
new folder for each context.) You will also need to enter a new username and password since the
initial chemlab username and password will not work after the sevlet has been configured. When
this information has been entered, click the Update Path button and everything should be ready
for use. Repeat this step for all contexts you have deployed. Please Note: For OS X, the path
used for specifying where the context data will be stored must be entered using Linux syntax.
That is, if the path on your Mac is Macintosh HD:Users:YourName:ServletData then the path
you should enter is /Users/YourName/ServletData. We recommend that spaces not be used in
any of the folder names.

Administrative Pages
After the servlet engine has been initially configured, the administratin page can be re-visited to
customize various servlet settings, perform diagnostics, and perform various other administrative
functions. The servlet administration page is divided into the following sections: (1) General
Settings, (2) Server Diagnostic, (3) Users, (4) Logs, (5) Database Settings, and (6) Change
Password. Detailed descriptions of these sections are given next.

General Settings
Session Timeout Time The servlet can only transfer data to and from the server one session at a
time, although the time required for each session is typically very brief. This setting is the
maximum time a session can last for both students and administrators before a session timout is
invoked. The default timout setting is usually sufficient except updating and retrieving for very
large classes.

Select Server DB Version The Y Science server can administor to both older version 2.5 (v2.5)
and v3.0+ products. Although the different versions use different servlet protocols, you can

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specifiy with this setting the product version and protocols you wish to use. Selecting v2.5+
(default) allows the servlet to use both protocols, while v2.5 and v3.0 force the servlet to restrict
access to the indicated versions.

Server Status This allows you to turn the transfer of data through the servlet engine on and off.
However, this option does not actually turn the servlet application on and off.

Server Diagnostic
This section performs a wide set of servlet function diagnostics to insure the servlet is
functioning properly. Mostly these tests confirm that data can be written to and read from the
specified server database location. After the diagnostic is performed, the test results are
displayed with brief explainations for any failures.

Users
Here you can add and delete servlet administrator users. Only those who need access to the
administration portion of the server should be added to the list of users. To add a new user,
simply enter in the username and password of the new user, verify the password by entering it
again, and then click the Add User button. The password must be at least five characters long.

Logs
A history of all access to and use of the servlet can be stored in log files for later inspection for
diagnostic purposes. The following options allow control of the logging functions performed by
the servlet engine.

Logging Level This specifies the level of detail to be stored in the log files. These levels include
off, severe, warning, info, and config. Off gathers no information, Severe lists only errors,
Warning lists errors and warnings, Info displays a general log of those who access the server
along with errors and warnings., and Config stores all attempted actions.

File Size Limit This is the maximum or limiting log file size before a new log file is created.

Number of Old Log Files to Keep This is the maximum number of old log files to keep before
the oldest file is deleted.

Log File Format This allows you to choose plain text or XML as the file format for the log files.

Database Settings
This section allows you to specify a new database path to store the database information on the
server. Note that specifiying a new database path is a distructive process and resets all database
settings back to their default state and requires entering a new username and password. Setting a
new database path in this section is equivalent to an initial configuration when the servlet engine
was first installed. Changing to a new database path does not erase information stored in
previous database locations and that information can be restored by typing in the old database
path.

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Note that for OS X based servers, the path used for specifying where the context data will be
stored must be entered using Linux syntax. That is, if the path on your Mac is Macintosh
HD:Users:YourName:ServletData then the path you should enter is
/Users/YourName/ServletData. We recommend that spaces not be used in any of the folder
names.

Change Password
This section allows you to change the password for the servlet adminstrator who is currently
logged into the system. The new password must be more than 5 characters long and must be
entered twice.

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Appendix A
INI Variables and Management Issues
Many of the functions and simulation parameters used in Y Science are controlled by INI
variables. INI variables are numerical or text settings that are contained in a small set of INI files
found in the various Y Science directories. These INI files are text-based files all with the
extension “.ini” and can be viewed or edited in any simple text-based editor. It should be noted
that in these INI files, variables are grouped together in sections by a header line with the format
[name], where name is the name of the section. When adding INI variables to a file, the section
names, if not already present in the file, must be added along with the new variables.

During the installation of Y Science, these INI variables are set at what is considered to be the
optimal settings for most applications. However, many of these INI variables can be changed to
fit individual needs and applications. Given in this appendix is a description of most of these INI
variables and how they fit within the greater scope of Y Science. Along with a description of
these INI variables, many issues associated with the management and implementation of Y
Science will also be discussed.

ChemLab INI File
The ChemLab.ini file is the main INI file that controls the overall operation of the software.
Most of what is described in this section is a more detailed description of how the Y Science
simulations are configured and how some of these INI variables can be reconfigured. Given
below is a description of the INI variables that can be modified.

Database Issues
When Y Science is installed, a Chemlab.ini file is created in the main Y Science directory that has
the format

[Database]
DatabasePath = pathData (PC)
or
DatabasePath = path:Data: (Mac)

where path is the path to the Y Science directory chosen at the time of the installation. This INI
variable points to the Data directory where the login, class management files, and electronic lab
books are stored. For client installations, this variable points to the database on the server. For
local installations, the variable points to the local database.

During a direct client installation, the installer creates this variable based on where the client
installer was launched. If the installer was launched from the server in the Y Science directory,
then the variable should point to the correct database. If the direct client installer was copied to a
removable media (say, a USB drive), which is then used to install the client program, the INI
variable will default to the removable media drive. During the installation, an option is given to
enter the correct path for the server database. This path must include the Data (:Data:) part of
the path to the database.

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As Y Science has been developed and as new features have been added, the format of the
database has been forced to change. When students are using older versions of the software with
new versions of Instructor Utilities, there could be database incompatibilities. An INI variable
has been added which will control how these incompatibilities will be handled.

[General]
Autoupgrade = No or Yes (default) or Force

A No will always prompt the user to upgrade the database, A Yes will automatically upgrade the
database if it is a student user, and Force will always upgrade the database for any version of the
software.

Lab Book Issues
To increase the speed and reliability of the electronic lab book in a Direct Database Access
mode, a copy of the lab book is placed on the local drive of the computer when the lab book is
opened in the laboratory or in Instructor Utilities. When this is done, a lock is placed on the file
to prevent two users (the instructor and the student) from modifying the file at the same time. In
the event of a hardware crash while the lab book is open, this lock remains in effect even when
the program is restarted. This lock can be overridden by the instructor by opening the lab book
inside Instructor Utilities using the View Lab Book button in the Score folder.

When a student has their lab book open in the laboratory, the lab book information is stored in
memory. Saves of the lab book are made only at the time the lab book is exited, when an
assignment is submitted, or when a grade is assigned. To protect against loosing data because of
hardware crashes, the lab book is automatically saved every 5 minutes (300 seconds). The timer
interval between automatic saves can be changed by adding the variable

[Labbook]
SaveTimer = nnnn

to the Chemlab.ini file, where nnnn is the time in seconds between saves. If this line is absent in
the INI file, the time interval defaults to 300 seconds. If nnnn is set to zero, then automatic
saving is turned off.

Servlet Engine URL
If the Web Connectivity Option is being used, the URL address for the servlet engine is stored
with the INI variable

[Manage]
WebURL=http://localhost:8080/Context/y

where localhost is the IP address or registered name of the server on which the servlet engine
resides and Context is the name of the servlet engine context (usually “yscience”). In Instructor
Utilities, the URL address is specified in the Web Tools folder. When a student version is first
installed, the URL address is initially left blank and when the first student activates the Web

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Connectivity Option, they must type in the full path of the URL. From then on, the URL address
of the most recently successful authenticated student is used as the default address.

Automatic Web Updates
If the Web Connectivity Option is used on the student side, an INI variable

[General]
Web_Install=aConnect

can be set that forces an automatic retrieve when the students enter the laboratory and automatic
updates when the student submits assignments and exits the laboratory. Automatic Updates can
be set individually in the Web Options section of the student lab book, but this variable forces
automatic updates. For security reasons, this variable is mandatory for computer lab installations
using the Web Connectivity Option and is automatically set during a web client install (see the
installation instructions for more details).

Window Behavior
Macromedia Director has a feature that causes overlapping windows to still be active even for
windows that are underneath, so when the cursor is clicked on the active window that click is
also recorded on the inactive window. We have addressed this problem by providing three cursor
options with INI variables.

[Window Behavior]
All_Windows_Cursor = Off, Clicks (default), or Always
Popup_Windows = Off, Clicks (default), or Always

Both INI variables work the same way but are applied to different types of windows.
All_Windows_Cursor applies only to the main laboratory windows, and Popup_Windows
applies to the popup windows (lab book, meters, detectors, etc.). Off means an inactive window
cannot be activated except by clicking on the window bar at the top. Clicks means the cursor will
not change when over an inactive window but clicking anywhere on the window will activate the
window. Always means all inactive windows will behave as if they were active.

Inorganic INI Files
There are no INI files currently used for the inorganic simulation.

Quantum INI Files
The quantum simulation consists of a set of fundamental experiments that demonstrate the ideas
and concepts leading up to the development of quantum mechanics. Much of the operation of the
laboratory and the parameters defining the experiments is controlled using INI variables located
in the files Lab.ini, Video.ini, Spectro.ini, Phosphor.ini, KE.ini, and Diode.ini. The variables in
Lab.ini generally control aspects of the entire quantum simulation or experimental parameters
that are in more than one experiment. The Lab.ini file is located in the QuantumDB directory in

A-3

the ChemLabQ directory. The Video.ini, Spectro.ini, Phosphor.ini, KE.ini, and Diode.ini files
contain INI variables that are specific to the operation of each of the indicated detectors. These
variables generally control and define the operation of the various quantum experiments and are
located in the Detectors directory in the ChemLabQ directory. There is one additional set of INI
files and these define the preset experiments located on the stockroom clipboard and used in the
quantum assignments. Described in each of the following sections are the INI variables
contained in each of these INI files. The purpose for providing this information is to grant
instructors the ability to change or adjust the quantum simulation to suit their own needs.

Lab.ini
INI Variables Description
[Settings] Required header line.
Move_Detector_Forward=1 For monitors with resolutions of 1024 x 768 or less, there may not be enough
room for the main lab window and detector window to be open at the same time
and comfortably see changes in the detector as changes are made in the lab.
Setting this variable to 1 forces the detector window to be on top after any
change is made in the lab. Setting this variable to 0 forces normal window
operation.

IntenEGunDisp=1 e/s,10 e/s,100 e/s, The electron gun allowed intensity values displayed on the LCD controller.
1000 e/s,1 nA,1 uA,1 mA,1 A
IntenEGunVal=1 e/s,10 e/s,100 e/s,1000 e/s, The electron gun intensities assigned to the corresponding display values. It is
0.05,0.3,0.7,1 not suggested that the e/s values be changed.

IntenLaserDisp=1 p/s,10 p/s,100 p/s,1000 p/s, The laser allowed intensity values displayed on the LCD controller.
1 nW,1 uW,1 mW,1 W,1 kW,1 MW
IntenLaserVal=1 p/s,10 p/s,100 p/s,1000 p/s, The laser intensities assigned to the corresponding display values. It is not
0.05,0.2,0.4,0.6,0.8,1 suggested that the p/s values be changed.

IntenBulbDisp=1 nW,1 uW,1 mW,1 W,1 kW, The super light bulb allowed intensity values displayed on the LCD controller.
1 MW
IntenBulbVal=0.05,0.2,0.4,0.6,0.8,1 The super light bulb intensities assigned to the corresponding display values.

WavelengthDisp=nm,um,mm The allowed units displayed on the laser LCD controller.
WavelengthVal=1e-9,1e-6,1e-3 The multipliers assigned to the corresponding units on the laser LCD.
WavelengthMax=999 The maximum setting on the maximum scale on the laser LCD controller.
WavelengthMin=020 The minimum setting on the minimum scale on the laser LCD controller.

KEnergyDisp=me,eV,keV The allowed units displayed on the electron gun LCD controller.
KEnergyVal=1e-3,1,1e3 The multipliers assigned to the corresponding units on the electron gun LCD.
KEnergyMax=050 The maximum setting on the maximum scale on the electron gun LCD controller.
KEnergyMin=001 The minimum setting on the minimum scale on the electron gun LCD controller.

AlphaKEnergy=5.4e6 The kinetic energy of the alpha particles from the alpha source in eV.

BDisp=uT,mT,T The allowed units displayed on the magnetic field LCD controller.
BVal=1e-6,1e-3,1 The multipliers assigned to the corresponding units on the magnetic field LCD.
BMax=100 The maximum setting on the maximum scale on the magnetic field LCD
controller.

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BMin=0 The minimum setting on the minimum scale on the magnetic field LCD controller.

EDisp=V,kV The allowed units displayed on the electric field LCD controller.
EVal=1,1e3 The multipliers assigned to the corresponding units on the electric field LCD.
EMax=005 The maximum setting on the maximum scale on the electric field LCD controller.
EMin=00 The minimum setting on the minimum scale on the electric field LCD controller.

HeatDisp=0 K The allowed units displayed on the heater LCD controller.
HeatVal=10 The multipliers assigned to the corresponding units on the heater LCD.
HeatMax=400 The maximum setting on the maximum scale on the heater LCD controller.
HeatMin=30 The minimum setting on the minimum scale on the heater LCD controller.

SlitDisp=nm,um,mm The allowed units displayed on the two-slit LCD controller.
SlitVal=1e-9,1e-6,1e-3 The multipliers assigned to the corresponding units on the two-slit LCD.
SlitMax=100 The maximum setting on the maximum scale on the two-slit LCD controller.
SlitMin=1 The minimum setting on the minimum scale on the two-slit LCD controller.

Laser_Open_Delay=75 The delay time in msec before the laser lid is removed during a mouse over.

T_Heat_Glow = 399 The temperature at which the heating element begins to glow in K.

T_Gas_XPLD = 700 The temperature at which the gas holder explodes.
T_Liquid_XPLD = 400 The temperature at which the liquid holder explodes.
T_Oil_XPLD = 450 The temperature at which the oil mist begins to smoke.

T_Red = 700 The temperature at which the foils turn dull red when heated.
T_Orange = 900 The temperature at which the foils turn orange when heated.
T_white = 1100 The temperature at which the foils turn white when heated.

Color_A=4096 The first of the visible light scaling parameters used in the spectrometer color
window to simulate the sensitivity of the human eye.
Color_B=8.317766167 [
The second scaling parameter. The equation is Iobs = Imax ln(I A) B . ]
Setting_Delay=400 The delay time in msec before a change in any LCD controller is processed.

Gas_Glow=300 The AC voltage at which any gas will begin to emit.

PB_Gx=76.20 The distance, in cm, between position 7 and position 9 on the table. This is used
to calculate the deflection of particles in any particle bending experiment.
PB_Ey=91.44 The distance, in cm, between position 9 and position 8 or 10 on the table. This is
used to calculate whether a particle will hit a detector in position 8 or 10.
PB_n=40 The number of iterations to use when solving the differential equation while a
charged particle moves through the electric or magnetic fields.
PB_EB_Length=0.050 The length of the electric and magnetic fields, in m, for the E and B modifiers in
position 7 on the table. This is used in the particle bending experiments.
PB_E_Dist=0.050 The spacing between the electric plates for the E modifier in position 7. This is
used for calculating the applied electric field using E = V/d.

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Video.ini
[Video]
OilYMin=29 The y pixel position where the oil drops disappear from the screen.
OilYMax=379 The y pixel position where the oil drops appear on the screen.
OilXMin=75 The left-most pixel position (xmin) where the oil drops can fall.
OilXMax = 330 The right-most pixel position (xmax) where the oil drops can fall.
PixelFactor=1 The number of pixels used when calculating the speed of the oil drops per pixel.
Oil_Y_Pixel_D_nm=2857 Defines the number of nm per pixel in the oil mist.
Oil_SlowMo_Factor = 5 Defines the slow-motion factor when the slow-motion button is pressed.
Oil1=1.00e-06 Defines the diameters of the 10 different oil drops in m.
Oil2=1.13e-06
Oil3=1.25e-06
Oil4=1.38e-06
Oil5=1.42e-06
Oil6=1.51e-06
Oil7=1.64e-06
Oil8=1.69e-06
Oil9=1.79e-06
Oil10=1.92e-06
Oil1_Size=01 There are 10 graphics that depict 10 different size drops where 01 is the
Oil2_Size=01 smallest drop and 10 is the largest. These variables assign the drop graphic for
Oil3_Size=01 the 10 different size drops defined earlier.
Oil4_Size=01
Oil5_Size=02
Oil6_Size=02
Oil7_Size=02
Oil8_Size=02
Oil9_Size=03
Oil10_Size=03

MaxIntensity=1 The intensity of the egun that blows away the oil drops.
EPlate_D=0.010 The spacing of the electric plates in the oil mist chamber in m.
oilDensity=821 Density of the oil in kg m-3 for the oil mist.
airDensity=1.22 Density of the air in kg m-3 for the oil mist.
airVisc = 1.4607e-5 Viscosity of the air in kg m-1 s-1 for the oil mist.
atmoPres=1.00 Air pressure in atmospheres for the oil mist.

SpotPixel=2 The size of the spots for the two-slit single photon experiments.
PixelPerCM=50 The number of pixels per cm in the x direction on the video screen for the two-slit
experiment. Essentially defines the size of the screen.
Video_Slit_D=0.01 The distance of the screen from the slits in m.
SlitTopY=126 The top pixel position for the interference pattern.
SlitBottomY=239 The bottom pixel position for the interference pattern.
SpotSqueeze=0.9 Used to adjust a set of random numbers to give a gaussian distribution.
BaseIntensity=0.25 The intensity of each spot as they hit the screen in the single photon experiment.
Overlapping spots add intensity.
Spot_Dis_mSec=750 The time, in msec, spots on the video screen persist before disappearing when

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not in Persist Mode.
BoxExtend=100 For some configurations, the outer fringes of an interference pattern can be very
long. This variable sets an upper bound on this size for certain situations.

Large_Spot_Size=8 The size of a simple laser spot on the video camera in pixels.
Slit_Rect_W=400 The width of the white rectangle in a bulb/two-slit combination.
Slit_Rect_H=20 The height of the white rectangle in a bulb/two-slit combination.

Slit_Width_Pixel=187 The width, in pixels, the two-slit graphic can move.

Spectro.ini
[Spectro]
BB_Min = 10 The minimum wavelength, in nm, for the blackbody spectrum.
BB_Max = 5000 The maximum wavelength, in nm, for the blackbody spectrum.
Zoom_Min = 1 The maximum, full-scale zoom, in nm, for the blackbody experiment.
Graph_Resolution=300 The number of points to use to graph the blackbody curve.
Zoom_Min_PE=0.1 The maximum, full-scale zoom, in nm, for the photoemission experiment.
PE_Detail_Switch=5 The full-scale zoom, in nm, where a switch is made between the low-resolution
and high-resolution photoemission files.
Adsorb_Detail_Switch=10 The full-scale zoom, in nm, where a switch is made between the low-resolution
and high-resolution adsorption files.
Raman_Scale_Factor=1e4 The multiplication factor for the center Raman peak.
Raman_Broad_Factor=.10 The gaussian broadening parameter for the center Raman peak.
Raman_Sat_Scale_Factor=0.01 The multiplication factor for the satellite Raman peak.
Raman_Sat_Broad_Factor=.010 The gaussian broadening parameter for the satellite Raman peak.
Raman_Wave_Min_nm=110 The minimum laser wavelength where a Raman experiment will work.
Raman_Wave_Max_nm=999 The maximum laser wavelength where a Raman experiment will work.

Phosphor.ini
[Phosphor]
Spot_Diameter=10 The diameter, in pixels, for general spots that appear on the phosphor screen.
Spot_Remain_mSec=300 The time, in msec, spots persist on the phosphor screen when not in Persist
Mode.
Spot_R=108 The R-value for a full-intensity spot.
Spot_G=165 The G-value for a full-intensity spot.
Spot_B=78 The B-value for a full-intensity spot.
Base_Intensity=0.2 The intensity of each spot as they hit the screen in the single particle
experiments. Overlapping spots add intensity.

SpotPixel=2 The size of the spots for the two-slit single particle experiments.
PixelPerCM=50 The number of pixels per cm in the x direction on the phosphor screen for the
two-slit experiment. Essentially defines the size of the screen.
Phosphor_Slit_D=0.01 The distance of the screen from the slits in m.
SlitTopY=108 The top pixel position for the interference pattern.
SlitBottomY=221 The bottom pixel position for the interference pattern.
SpotSqueeze=0.9 Used to adjust a set of random numbers to give a gaussian distribution.

A-7

BaseIntensity=0.25 The intensity of each spot as they hit the screen in the single particle, two-slit
experiment. Overlapping spots add intensity.
Spot_Dis_mSec=750 The time, in msec, spots on the phosphor screen persist before disappearing
when not in Persist Mode.
BoxExtend=100 For some configurations, the outer fringes of an interference pattern can be very
long. This variable sets an upper bound on this size for certain situations.

Ruth_Diam=50 The base diameter, in pixels, for the forward scattering spot in the Rutherford
experiment. Spot size changes size based on nuclear cross section.
Eo=5.4 The energy of the alpha particles in MeV.
Ruth_Intensity=1e5 The intensity of the alpha-particle flux in particles per second.
T=0.001 The thickness of the metal foil in cm.
Area_cm2=144 The area of the phosphor screen in cm2.
DistB_cm=138.2 The distance from position 5 to position 1 in cm.
DistI_cm=81.3 The distance from position 5 to position 4 in cm.
DistE_cm=190.9 The distance from position 5 to position 8 in cm.
DistG_cm=172.7 The distance from position 5 to position 9 in cm.
Ruth_Spread=0.1 The fade parameter for the forward-scattering Rutherford spot.
Ruth_Dis=300 The time, in msec, the backscattering spots persist before disappearing when not
in Persist Mode.
Ruth_Spot_Size=6 The size of the backscattering spots in pixels.
Ruth_Spot_Fade=12 The fade parameter for the backscattering spots.
Ruth_Spot_Power=3 A second fade parameter for the backscattering spots.
Sigma=100 A second fade parameter for the forward scattering spot.

PB_Base_Intensity=.25 The intensity of a single particle spot as it hits the screen in the particle-bending
experiments. Overlapping spots add intensity.
PB_Spot_Dis_mSec=300 The time, in msec, spots on the phosphor screen persist before disappearing
when not in Persist Mode.

PB_ScreenW=12 The screen width, in cm, for the particle-bending experiment.
PB_SpotSize=10 The size of a particle-bending spot in pixels.
PB_Fade=15 The fade parameter for a particle-bending spot.

Grid_Red=100 The grid color R-value.
Grid_Green=100 The grid color G-value.
Grid_Blue=100 The grid color B-value.
Grid_Space_CM=1 The spacing between major grid lines.

KE.ini
PE_Min = 0 The minimum energy, in eV, for graphing on the bolometer.
PE_Max = 60 The maximum energy, in eV, for graphing on the bolometer.
PE_Zoom_Min = 2 The maximum, full-scale zoom, in eV, for the blackbody experiment.
PE_R=0 The graphing line color R-value.
PE_G=200 The graphing line color G-value.
PE_B=0 The graphing line color B-value.
Time_Interval_mSec=1000 The time interval between measurements in the integrated mode.
Time_Scale_Sec=60 The full-scale time in the integrated mode.

A-8

Diode.ini
[Diode]
Time_Interval_mSec=1000 The time interval between measurements.
Time_Scale_Sec=60 The full-scale time.
Line_R=25 The graphing line color R-value.
Line_G=25 The graphing line color G-value.
Line_B=25 The graphing line color B-value.
BB_Min=100 The wavelength to starting integrating the blackbody intensity.
BB_Max=5000 The wavelength to stop integrating the blackbody intensity.
BB_Resolution=3000 The number of points to use to perform the integration.

Preset Experiments
Located on the clipboard in the quantum stockroom is a set of 15 preset experiments listed by
title. If allowed by the instructor, students can select one of these experiments and, upon
returning to the laboratory, the selected experiment will be automatically set up and running. A
preset experiment can also be used for assignments so a student can accept an assignment with
the experiment already set up for them. Preset experiments are intended to provide flexibility for
the instructor so the quantum simulation can be adapted to the level of the class or the individual
teaching style of the instructor. Several experiments have already been defined and are installed
with the software. This section describes how these files can be modified.

Each preset experiment is defined using an INI file. For the preset experiments on the clipboard,
these files have the name Experimentn.ini, where n is a number between 1 and 15 and represents
experiments 1 through 15 on the clipboard. These files are located in the Presets directory in the
ChemLabQ directory. For the preset experiments used in assignments, these files must be located
in the Assignments/Quantum directory and can have any name, but must have the extension
“.ini”. Information on how to use preset experiments in assignments is given in the “Quantum
Assignments” section. Note that in client installations, any modified preset experiments for the
clipboard must be modified for each client installation.

Given subsequently is a description of a preset experiment INI file and the variables that are used
to define an experiment. Before reviewing the INI file information, here are some important
points to keep in mind: (a) All of the variables described have default values, so variables may be
left blank or not used at all. An experiment can be set up or defined to any degree desired by the
instructor. (b) Some variables are mutually exclusive; that is, the use of one variable may mean
another variable cannot be used. Some error checking exists for such situations, but the error
checking is not comprehensive. (c) The LCD control boxes for various pieces of equipment use
three different INI variables to define their initial settings: one for the numeric value on the LCD
box, one to define the location of the decimal place, and the other to define the units. Not all of
these need to be used to define the initial settings. (d) Positions on the table are defined using
numbers from 1 to 10 as indicated in the following figure:

A-9

1 4 8

2 5 7 9

3 6 10

Positions 1, 2, and 3 are for sources, position 5 is for samples, position 5 is also for electric or
magnetic field modifiers or heat, position 7 is for electric or magnetic field modifiers, and
positions 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10 are for detectors.

The following two tables show the INI variables used in preset experiments. The first lists all the
variables that can be used and their allowed values. Default values are given in red. The second
is an example of a preset experiment for the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment to show how the
variables can be used.

Complete Preset Experiment INI Variable List
[Title]
Title=Experiment Title Defines the title of the experiment as shown on the clipboard. Not used for preset
assignments.

[Source]
Source=none, alpha, bulb, egun, laser Defines the source for the experiment. The allowed values are shown.
Position=1, 2, 3 (Default = stockroom counter) Defines the position for the source.
On_Off=on, off Sets the source initially on or initially off.
Intensity= (Default = lowest intensity) Sets the source intensity. See Lab.ini file for allowed values.
Setting=nnn (Default = lowest value) Sets the three digits on the LCD source control box.
Setting_Units= (Default = smallest units) Sets the units on the LCD source control box. See Lab.ini file for allowed values.
Setting_Decimal_Position=1, 2, 3 Sets the decimal place on the LCD source control box. 1 is after the first digit, 2
the second digit, and 3 is after the right-most digit.

[Sample]
Holder=none, oil mist, liquid, metal, gas, Defines the sample holder that will be used in the experiment. The allowed
two slit values are shown.
Sample= (Default = empty) Defines the liquid, metal, or gas sample to be used. Allowed values are given in
the Liquid, Metal, or Gas Tables found in the QuantumDB directory.
Position=5 (Default = stockroom counter) Defines the position for the sample. 5 is the only allowed position.
Spacing=nnn (Default = lowest value) Sets the three digits on the LCD spacing control box for the two-slit sample.

A-10

Spacing_Units=nm, um, mm Sets the units on the LCD spacing control box. The allowed values are shown.
Spacing_Decimal_Position=1, 2, 3 Sets the decimal place on the LCD spacing control box. 1 is after the first digit, 2
is after the second digit, and 3 is after the right-most digit.

[Detector]
Detector=none, phosphor, spectro, video, Defines the detector that will be used in the experiment. The allowed values are
diode, bolometer shown.
Position=1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 (Default = Puts the detector in the specified position. The allowed values are shown.
stockroom counter)
On_Off=on, off Turns the detector initially on or initially off.

[Modifiers]
Modifier=none, heat, E_field, B_field, Defines the modifiers that will be used in the experiment. The allowed values are
E_B_field shown. To use an electric and magnetic field combination, utilize the E_B_field
value. Heat cannot be used in combination with another modifier.
Position=5, 7 (Default = stockroom counter) Puts the modifiers in position 5 or 7. Heat can only be in position 5. The electric
and magnetic fields must be in the same position.
E_Setting=nnn (Default = lowest value) Sets the three digits on the LCD electric field control box.
E_Setting_Units=V, kV Sets the units on the LCD electric field control box. The allowed values are
shown.
E_Setting_Decimal_Position=1, 2, 3 Sets the decimal place on the LCD electric field control box. 1 is after the first
digit, 2 is after the second digit, and 3 is after the right-most digit.
B_Setting=nnn (Default = lowest value) Sets the three digits on the LCD magnetic field control box.
B_Setting_Units=uT, mT, T Sets the units on the LCD magnetic field control box. The allowed values are
shown.
B_Setting_Decimal_Position=1, 2, 3 Sets the decimal place on the LCD magnetic field control box. 1 is after the first
digit, 2 is after the second digit, and 3 is after the right-most digit.
H_Setting=nnn (Default = lowest value) Sets the temperature on the heat modifier. The units of the specified temperature
must be in Kelvin and the ones digit must be 0 (zero).

An Example of a Millikan Oil Drop Preset Experiment
[Title]
Title=Millikan Oil Drop Experiment Defines the title of the experiment shown on the clipboard. Not used for preset
assignments.

[Source]
Source=eGun Defines the source as the electron gun.
Position=2 Puts the source at position 2.
On_Off=on Turns the source on initially.
Intensity=1 nA Sets the source intensity to 1 nA.
Setting=100 Sets the electron gun energy to 100 on the LCD box.
Setting_Units=me Sets the electron gun energy units to meV.
Setting_Decimal_Position=3 Puts the electron gun energy decimal place to the right-most position.

[Sample]
Holder=oil mist Defines the holder as the oil mist.
Position=5 Puts the oil mist in position 5.

[Detector]

A-11

Detector=video Defines the detector as the video camera.
Position=9 Puts the video camera in position 9.
On_Off=on Turns the video camera on.

[Modifiers]
Modifier=E_field Defines the modifier as the electric field.
Position=5 Puts the modifier in position 5.
E_Setting=0 Sets the electric field initially to zero.
E_Setting_Units=V Sets the units on the electric field LCD box to volts (V).
E_Setting_Decimal_Position=3 Puts the decimal place to the right-most position.

Gases INI Files
The gases laboratory consists of a set of simulated physical chemistry experiments that
demonstrate the behavior of ideal, real, and van der Waals gases under varying experimental
conditions. Much of the operation of the laboratory and the parameters defining the experiments
is controlled using INI variables located in the two files Gases.ini and Units.ini located in the
GasINI directory in the ChemLabG directory. The variables in Gases.ini generally control
aspects of the four different gas experiments, and the variables in Units.ini control the operation
of the LCD controllers, unit conversions, and significant figures. There is one additional set of
INI files and these define the preset experiments located on the stockroom clipboard and used in
the gases assignments. Described in each of the following sections are the INI variables
instructors the ability to change or adjust the gases simulation to suit their own needs.

Gases.ini
[General]
Slider_Delay_mSec=500 The time in milliseconds that the slider remains stationary before changing the
digits on the LCD.
Slider_Change_Rate_mSec=500 The time in milliseconds between the changing of digits of the LCD when the
slider is dragged up or down.
Labbook_Save_Method=Any_Change This specifies when data will be saved to the lab book. “Any_Change” saves
the data after every change. “Slider” saves the data only after the slider is
released.
Labbook_Data_Line_Limit = 1000 The limit of lines that the lab book will save before it automatically starts a new
page.
Limit_Error_Per=.1 When iterating the solutions for real gases, this variable specifies how close (in
percent) the iterations have to be before the algorithm says it is done.
Auto_Min_Max=0 Defines whether the LCD’s go automatically to the max or min when a number
higher or lower than that amount is selected. Zero is off.

[Experiment_1] (The following apply only to the Balloon Experiment.)
Volume_Init_m^3=0 The initial volume of experiment in units of m3.
Volume_Unit=m^3 The initial units of volume.
Balloon_Max_Vol_m^3=0.012 The maximum allowed volume of the balloon in m3 before it pops.

Pressure_Init_Pa=100000 The initial pressure in units of Pascals.
Pressure_H2O_Init_Pa=100000 The initial pressure in units of Pascals if the gas chosen is H2O.
Pressure_Max_Pa=1e9 The maximum pressure allowed in the experiment in units of Pascals.

A-12

Pressure_Min_Pa=0 The minimum pressure of the experiment.
Pressure_Unit=Pa The initial units of pressure.

Temp_Init_K=298 The initial temperature in Kelvin.
Temp_H2O_Init_K=400 The initial temperature, in Kelvin, if the gas chosen is H2O.
Temp_Max_K=3000 The maximum temperature allowed in the experiment in Kelvin.
Temp_Min_K=0 The minimum temperature of the experiment.
Temp_Unit=K The initial unit of temperature.

n_Init=0 The initial number of moles.
n_max=50.0 The maximum number of moles allowed in the experiment.

Flow_Rate_1=0.01 The number of moles per second that are released from the gas regulator at
Flow_Rate_2=0.02 the different flow rates selected on the regulator.
Flow_Rate_3=0.04
Flow_Rate_4=0.06
Flow_Rate_5=0.08
Flow_Rate_6=0.1
Flow_Rate_7=0.15
Flow_Rate_8=0.2
Flow_Rate_9=0.25
Flow_Rate_10=.3

Regulator_Pressure_1_Pa=138000 The pressure setting for the regulator at the various needle positions.
Regulator_Pressure_2_Pa=276000

P_Atmosphere_Pa=101010 The pressure settings on the regulator are actually relative to atmospheric
pressure. This variable specifies what is atmospheric pressure in the lab.

Wide_Update_Time_mSec = 333 Time in milliseconds for the experiment to be updated in the zoomed out mode
when gas is being added.

Temp_1_K=50 The temperature, in Kelvin, where the bath liquid changes color to indicate
changes in temperature (sea green to light blue).
Temp_2_K=150 The temperature where the cord changes color from light blue to dark blue.
Temp_3_K=250 The temperature where the cord changes color from dark blue to forest green.
Temp_4_K=350 The temperature where the cord changes color from forest green to yellow.
Temp_5_K=450 The temperature where the cord changes color from yellow to goldenrod.
Temp_6_K=550 The temperature where the cord changes color from goldenrod to red.

Real_Approx_Error_Per=0.0001 The error limit for iterating real gas solutions in per cent.

[Experiment_2] (The following apply only to the Pressure Experiment.)
Volume_Init_m^3=0.004 The initial volume of experiment in units of m3.
Volume_H2O_Init_m^3=0.004 The initial volume of experiment in units of m3 if the gas chosen is H2O.
Vol_Max_m^3=0.004 The maximum allowed volume of the experiment in units of m3.
Vol_Min_m^3=0.0 The minimum allowed volume of the experiment in units of m3.

A-13

Pressure_Max_Pa=1e9 The maximum pressure, in units of Pascals, allowed in the experiment.

Temp_Max_K=3000 The maximum temperature, in Kelvin, allowed in the experiment.

n_Init=0 The initial number of moles.

Flow_Rate_Pa_1=10000.0 The rate the pressure is increased in the experiment (Pa/sec) for the different
Flow_Rate_Pa_2=20000.0 regulator settings.
Flow_Rate_Pa_3=30000.0






[Experiment_3] (The following apply only to the Temperature Experiment.)
Volume_Init_m^3=0.004 The initial volume of experiment in units of m3.

A-14

Volume_H2O_Init_m^3=0.004 The initial volume of experiment in units of m3 if the gas chosen is H2O.
Vol_Max_m^3=0.004 The maximum allowed volume of the experiment in units of m3.
Vol_Min_m^3=0 The minimum allowed volume of the experiment in units of m3.



n_Init=0.0 The initial number of moles.

Flow_Rate_Pa_1=10000.0 The rate the pressure is increased in the experiment (Pa/sec) for the different
Flow_Rate_Pa_2=20000.0 regulator settings.




Real_Approx_Error_Per=0.0001

[Experiment_4] (The following apply only to the Cylinder Experiment.)
Volume_Unit=m^3 The initial unit of volume.
Vol_Min_m^3=0 The minimum volume allowed in units of m3.


A-15


Internal_Pressure_Max_Pa=1e9 The maximum pressure, in Pascals, allowed inside the cylinder.
Internal_Pressure_Min_Pa=0 The minimum pressure inside the cylinder.
Internal_Pressure_Unit=Pa The initial units of the pressure inside the cylinder.


n_Init=0.0 The initial number of moles.
n_max=50.0 The maximum moles allowed in the experiment.

Mass_Init_g=0 The initial mass on the piston.
Mass_Max_g=5000000000 The maximum mass allowed on the piston in grams.
Mass_Min_g=0 The minimum mass allowed on the piston in grams.
Mass_Unit=g The initial unit of mass.

Mass_1_Max_g=20000 The masses at which the size of the weight on the piston is changed to a
Mass_2_Max_g=50000 larger or smaller image (in grams).
Mass_3_Max_g=100000
Mass_4_Max_g=500000
Mass_5_Max_g=1000000
Mass_8_Max_g=10000000
Mass_9_Max_g=20000000

Cylinder_Height_m=0.40 The height of the cylinder used in the calculations (in m).
Cylinder_Diameter_m=0.150 The diameter of the cylinder used in the calculations (in m).

Explode_Speed=10 Speed in which the piston moves during an explosion.
Oscillation_Damp=6 A constant in the piston dampening equation.
Oscillation_Angle_Multiplier=1 A constant in the piston dampening equation.




Osc_Cutoff_Per=10.0 The maximum number of oscillations in the piston dampening equation.

A-16

Units.ini
[Pressure]
Units=Pa,atm,psi,Torr,bar The different units that can be used for pressure.
Labbook_Sig_Fig=7 The number of significant figures that will be saved in the lab book for
pressure.
Labbook_Header=P The header used in the lab book for pressure when saving data.

Pa_Prefix=1,k,M The prefixes that are possible when pressure is in units of Pascals.
Pa_Prefix_factor=1,1e-3,1e-6 The multipliers that are used when the different prefixes are used.
Pa_Prefix_Switch=1e3,1e6 The point at which the different prefixes are changed.
Pa_Sig_Fig_Max=4,4,4 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD for each prefix when units
of Pascals are used.
Pa_Sig_Fig_Decimal=2,3,4 The maximum number of places after the decimal point for each prefix when
units of Pascals are used.

atm_Prefix=1,k,M The prefixes that are possible when pressure is in units of atmospheres.
atm_Prefix_factor=1,1e-3,1e-6 The multipliers that are used when the different prefixes are used.
atm_Prefix_Switch=1e3,1e6 The point at which the different prefixes are changed.
atm_Sig_Fig_Max=4,4,4 The maximum significant figures for each prefix shown in the LCD when units
of atmospheres are used.
atm_Sig_Fig_Decimal=3,3,4 The maximum number of places after the decimal point for each prefix when
units of atmospheres are used.

psi_Prefix=1 The prefix that is possible when pressure is in units of pounds per square inch.
psi_Prefix_factor=1 The multiplier that is used.
psi_Prefix_Switch=1 If more than one prefix were possible, the point at which the different prefixes
would be changed.
psi_Sig_Fig_Max=4 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD when units of pounds per
square inch is used.
psi_Sig_Fig_Decimal=3 The maximum number of places after the decimal point for each prefix when
units of pounds per square inch are used.

torr_Prefix=m,1,k The prefixes that are possible when pressure is in units of torr.
torr_Prefix_factor=1e3,1,1e-3 The multipliers that are used when the different prefixes are used.
torr_Prefix_Switch=.99999,1e3 The point at which the different prefixes are changed.
torr_Sig_Fig_Max=3,4,4 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD for each prefix when units
of torr are used.
torr_Sig_Fig_Decimal=2,3,3 The maximum number of places after the decimal point for each prefix when
units of torr inch are used.

bar_Prefix=m,1,k,M The prefixes that are possible when pressure is in bars.
bar_Prefix_factor=1e3,1,1e-3,1e-6 The multipliers that are used when the different prefixes are used.
bar_Prefix_Switch=.99999,1e3,1e6 The point at which the different prefixes are changed.
bar_Sig_Fig_Max=4,4,4,4 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD for each prefix when units
of bars are used.
bar_Sig_Fig_Decimal=2,3,3,4 The maximum number of places after the decimal point for each prefix when
units of bars are used.

[Volume]
Units=m^3,L,cm^3,in^3,ft^3 The different units that can be used for volume.
Labbook_Sig_Fig=7 The number of significant figures that will be saved in the lab book for volume.
Labbook_Header=V The header used in the lab book for volume when saving data.

m^3_Prefix=1 The prefix that is possible when volume is in units of m3.

A-17

m^3_Prefix_factor=1 The multiplier that is used.
m^3_Prefix_Switch=1 If more than one prefix were possible, the point at which the different prefixes
are changed.
m^3_Sig_Fig_Max=4 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD when units of m 3 are used.
m^3_Sig_Fig_Decimal=4 The maximum number of places after the decimal point when units of m 3 are
used.

L_Prefix=m,1 The prefixes that are possible when volume is in units of Liters.
L_Prefix_factor=1e3,1 The multipliers that are used when the different prefixes are used.
L_Prefix_Switch=1 The point at which the different prefixes are changed.
L_Sig_Fig_Max=4,4 The maximum significant figures for each prefix shown in the LCD when units
of Liters are used.
L_Sig_Fig_Decimal=4,4 The maximum number of places after the decimal point when units of Liters
are used.

cm^3_Prefix=1 The prefix that is possible when volume is in units of cm3.
cm^3_Prefix_factor=1 The multiplier that is used.
cm^3_Prefix_Switch=1 If more than one prefix were possible, the point at which the different prefixes
are changed.
cm^3_Sig_Fig_Max=4 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD when units of cm3 are
used.
cm^3_Sig_Fig_Decimal=4 The maximum number of places after the decimal point when units of cm3 are
used.

in^3_Prefix=1 The prefix that is possible when volume is in units of in 3.
in^3_Prefix_factor=1 The multiplier that is used.
in^3_Prefix_Switch=1 If more than one prefix were possible, the point at which the different prefixes
are changed.
in^3_Sig_Fig_Max=4 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD when units of in 3 are used.
in^3_Sig_Fig_Decimal=4 The maximum number of places after the decimal point when units of in3 are
used.

ft^3_Prefix=1 The prefix that is possible when volume is in units of ft3.
ft^3_Prefix_factor=1 The multiplier that is used.
ft^3_Prefix_Switch=1 If more than one prefix were possible, the point at which the different prefixes
are changed.
ft^3_Sig_Fig_Max=4 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD when units of ft3 are used.
ft^3_Sig_Fig_Decimal=4 The maximum number of places after the decimal point when units of ft3 are
used.

[Temperature]
Units=K,C,F,R The different units that can be used for temperature.
Labbook_Sig_Fig=7 The number of significant figures that will be saved in the lab book for
temperature.
Labbook_Header=T The header used in the lab book for temperature when saving data.

K_Prefix=1 The prefix that is possible when temperature is in units of Kelvin.
K_Prefix_Factor=1 The multiplier that is used.
K_Prefix_Switch= If more than one prefix were possible, the point at which the different prefixes
are changed.
K_Sig_Fig_Max=5 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD when Kelvin is used.
K_Sig_Fig_Decimal=2 The number of significant figures after the decimal point.

c_Prefix=1 The prefix that is possible when temperature is in units of Celsius.
c_Prefix_Factor=1 The multiplier that is used.
c_Prefix_Switch= If more than one prefix were possible, the point at which the different prefixes

A-18

are used.
c_Sig_Fig_Max=5 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD when Celsius is used.
c_Sig_Fig_Decimal=2 The number of significant figures after the decimal point.

f_Prefix=1 The prefix that is possible when temperature is in units of Fahrenheit.
f_Prefix_Factor=1 The multiplier that is used.
f_Prefix_Switch= If more than one prefix were possible, the point at which the different prefixes
are changed.
f_Sig_Fig_Max=5 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD when Fahrenheit is used.
f_Sig_Fig_Decimal=2 The number of significant figures after the decimal point.

r_Prefix=1 The prefix that is possible when temperature is in units of Rankin.
r_Prefix_Factor=1 The multiplier that is used.
r_Prefix_Switch= If more than one prefix were possible, the point at which the different prefixes
are changed.
r_Sig_Fig_Max=5 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD when Rankin is used.
r_Sig_Fig_Decimal=2 The number of significant figures after the decimal point.

[mass] (This section applies to the Cylinder Experiment.)
Units=g,lbs,Tons The different units that can be used for mass.
Labbook_Sig_Fig=5 The number of significant figures that will be saved in the lab book for mass.
Labbook_Header=m The header used in the lab book for mass when saving data.

g_Prefix=k,M The prefixes that are possible when the mass is in units of grams.
g_Prefix_Factor=1e-3,1e-6 The multipliers that are used when the different prefixes are used.
g_Prefix_Switch=1e6 The point at which the different prefixes are changed.
g_Sig_Fig_Max=3 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD for each prefix when grams
are used.
g_Sig_Fig_Decimal=1 The number of significant figures after the decimal point.

lbs_Prefix=1,k The prefixes that are possible when mass is in units of lbs.
lbs_Prefix_Factor=1,1e-3 The multipliers that are used when the different prefixes are used.
lbs_Prefix_Switch=1e3 The point at which the different prefixes are changed.
lbs_Sig_Fig_Max=4 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD for each prefix when lbs
are used.
lbs_Sig_Fig_Decimal=2 The number of significant figures after the decimal point.

Tons_Prefix=1 The prefix that is possible when mass is in units of tons.
Tons_Prefix_Factor=1 The multiplier that is used.
Tons_Prefix_Switch= If more than one prefix were possible, the point at which the different prefixes
are used.
Tons_Sig_Fig_Max=4 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD when tons are used.
Tons_Sig_Fig_Decimal=2 The number of significant figures after the decimal point.

[moles]
Units=moles The unit used for moles.
Labbook_Sig_Fig=4 The number of significant figures that will be saved in the lab book for moles.
Labbook_Header=n The header used in the lab book for moles when saving data.

moles_Prefix=1 The prefixes that are possible for moles.
moles_Prefix_Factor=1 The multipliers that are used when the different prefixes are used.
moles_Prefix_Switch= The point at which the different prefixes are changed.
moles_Sig_Fig_Max=4 The maximum significant figures shown in the LCD for each prefix when moles
are used.
moles_Sig_Fig_Decimal=4 The number of significant figures after the decimal point.

A-19

[Conversion_Factors]
Pa_to_Torr=7.5006e-3 The conversion factors between different units of pressure. The numbers are
Pa_to_psi=1.45038e-4 converted by multiplying the number in the first unit by the conversion factor.
Pa_to_atm=9.86923e-6
Pa_to_bar=1e-5

m^3_to_L=1e3 The conversion factors between different units of volume. The numbers are
m^3_to_cm^3=1e6 converted by multiplying the number in the first unit by the conversion factor.
m^3_to_ft^3=35.3147
m^3_to_in^3=61023.74

g_to_lbs=0.00220462 The conversion factors between different units of mass. The numbers are
g_to_Tons=0.00000110231 converted by multiplying the number in the first unit by the conversion factor.

Preset Experiments
Located on the clipboard in the gases stockroom is a set of 15 preset experiments listed by title.
If allowed by the instructor, students can select one of these experiments and, upon returning to
the laboratory, the selected experiment will be automatically set up and running. A preset
experiment can also be used for assignments so a student can accept an assignment with the
experiment already set up for them. Preset experiments are intended to provide flexibility for the
instructor so the gases simulation can be adapted to the level of the class or the individual
teaching style of the instructor. Several experiments have already been defined and are installed
with the software. This section describes how these files can be modified.

ChemLabG directory. For the preset experiments used in assignments, these files must be located
in the Assignments/Gases directory and can have any name, but must have the extension “.ini”.
Information on how to use preset experiments in assignments is given in the “Gases

checking is not comprehensive.

is an example of a preset experiment for a pressure experiment using water as a gas to show how
the variables can be used.

A-20

[Title]
Title=Cylinder Experiment Ideal Sets the title of the experiment as shown on the clipboard. Not used for preset
electronic assignments.

[Experiment]
Experiment_Num=0,1,2,3,4 Defines which experiment will be used.

Gas=N2, CO2, CH4, H2O, NH3, He, vdw, Defines which gas will be used. If an ideal gas mixture is used, use a comma
Ideal1, Ideal2, Ideal3, Ideal4, Ideal5, Ideal6, to separate the gases.
Ideal7, Ideal8

VDWa= Sets the a and b parameters for a van der Waals gas. These only need to be
VDWb= present if a van der Waals gas is selected.

Temperature_K= (Default = 298) Sets the temperature of the experiment in Kelvin if temperature is not the
dependent variable.
Pressure_Pa= (Default =100000 for Balloon Sets the pressure of the experiment in Pascals if pressure is not the
Experiment, 0 for Temperature and Cylinder dependent variable. For the Cylinder Experiment, this sets the external
Experiment.) pressure.
moles= Sets the number of moles in the experiment. If an ideal gas mixture is used,
separate each amount by a comma and the moles will be matched with the
corresponding gas.
Volume_m^3= (Default = 0.004 for Sets the volume of the experiment if volume is not the dependent variable.
Pressure and Temperature Experiments)
mass_kg= (Default =0) Sets the mass on the piston for the Cylinder Experiment.

prePiston_Temp_K= (Default = 273) Used for pre piston calculations if the piston is turned on in the Cylinder
Experiment.
prePiston_Pressure_Pa= (Default = Sets the internal pressure in the Cylinder Experiment.
506.625e3)

Temperature_Unit= K,C,F,R (Default = K) Sets the starting unit for temperature.
Pressure_Unit= Pa,atm,psi,Torr,bar Sets the starting unit for pressure.
(Default = Pa)
Volume_Unit= m^3,L,cm^3,in^3,ft^3 Sets the starting unit for volume.
(Default = m^3)
mass_Unit= g,lbs,Tons (Default = g) Sets the starting unit for mass in the Cylinder Experiment.
Internal_Pressure_Unit= Pa,atm,psi,Torr, Sets the starting unit for the internal pressure in the Cylinder Experiment.

GasAttached=1, yes, 0, no (Default = no) Defines whether the gas is already attached to the experiment.
AttachedGas= Used only if a mixture is selected. It defines which gas is attached.
RegulatorPosition=0-10 (Default = 6) Defines the position of the regulator needle if the gas is attached.

PistonOn=1, yes, 0, no (Default = no) Sets the piston as on or off in the Cylinder Experiment.

Ideal_Real=Ideal, Real (Default = Real) Sets the gas tanks to show either the real gases or the ideal gases.

Zoom=yes, no (Default = no) Sets the initial view of the experiment as zoomed in (yes) or zoomed out (no).

A-21

An Example Pressure Preset Experiment

[Title]
Title=Pressure Experiment H2O Defines the title of the experiment as shown on the clipboard. Not used for
preset assignments.

[Experiment]
Experiment_Num=2 Defines the experiment as the Pressure Experiment.

Gas=H2O Defines the gas to be used as H2O

Temperature_K=400 Sets the initial temperature to 400 Kelvin.
Pressure_Pa= Pressure is the dependent variable in this experiment.
moles=.1 Sets the number of moles in the experiment to 0.1.

Volume_m^3=0.004 Sets the volume of the experiment to 0.004 m3.

Temperature_Unit=K Sets the starting temperature unit as Kelvin.
Pressure_Unit=atm Sets the starting pressure unit as atm.
Volume_Unit=L Sets the starting volume unit as L.

GasAttached=Yes Attaches the gas to the experiment.
AttachedGas=H2O Sets the attached gas as H2O.
RegulatorPosition=6 Sets the gas needle on the regulator to position 6.

Ideal_Real=Real Sets the gases in the lab to be the real gases.

Titration INI Files
The titration laboratory allows students to perform precise, quantitative titrations involving acid-
base and electrochemical reactions. Much of the operation of the laboratory and the parameters
defining the experiments is controlled using INI variables located in the files Lab Variables.ini,
Acidn.ini or Basen.ini, Indicators.ini, Oxidantn.ini, Reductantn.ini, and Saltn.ini located in the
Reagents directory in the ChemLabT directory. The variables in LabVariables.ini generally
control aspects of the laboratory as a whole, and the Indicators.ini file defines the indicators that
can be used for acid-base titrations. Each acid, base, oxidant, reductant, or salt file defines a
bottle in the titration stockroom where n designates the bottle position on the shelf. There is one
additional set of INI files and these define the preset experiments located on the stockroom.
Described in each of the following sections are the INI variables contained in each of these INI
files. The purpose for providing this information is to grant instructors the ability to change or
adjust the titration simulation to suit their own needs.

Lab Variables.ini
[General]
Base_Lab_pressure=760 Every day a new random pressure is calculated that will be the same for each
member in a class. This the initial base pressure for the lab in Torr.
Plus_Minus_pressure=15 The min/max spread in pressure.
%Humidity=50 The percent humidity in the lab.
Labbook_Data_Line_Limit=1000 The maximum number of lines of titration data saved in one link before a new

A-22

link is automatically started.
Labbook_Plot_Point_Limit = 100 The maximum number of points that will be plotted on the graph.

[pH Meter]
pH_Slope_%dev=200 The amount of deviation in the slope of an uncalibrated pH meter.
pH_Intercept_Max=4 The maximum intercept for an uncalibrated pH meter.
pH_Flicker_Time=4 The amount of time between flicker calculations for the pH meter display.
pH_Flicker_Max=.01 The maximum amount the pH meter can flicker above or below the true value.
pH_Min=0 The minimum pH possible.
pH_Max=14 The maximum pH possible.

[Voltmeter]
Volt_Max_Flicker=0 The maximum amount the voltmeter can flicker above or below the true value.
Volt_Flicker_Time=4 The amount of time between flicker calculations for the voltmeter display.
Volt_Graph_Min=-5 The minimum voltage possible on a voltage graph.
Volt_Graph_Max=5 The maximum voltage possible on a voltage graph.
Volt_Calc_Min=-5 The minimum voltage possible for the EMF calculation.
Volt_Calc_Max=5 The maximum voltage possible for the EMF calculation.

[Conductivity Meter]
Conductivity_Max_Flicker=.01 The maximum amount the conductivity meter can flicker above or below the
true value.
Conductivity_Flicker_Time=3 The amount of time between flicker calculations for the conductivity display.

[Graph Tool]
Plot_View_Coords=70,8,329,179 The coordinates for the graph in the plot window.
ph_color=55,75,255 The RGB values for the color of the pH line on the graph.
conductivity_color=255,55,55 The RGB values for the color of the conductivity line on the graph.
tick_line_color=55,55,55 The RGB values for the color of the tick marks on the graph.
Label_Text_Size=6 The font size for the graph labels.

[Balance]
Weights_Density=8 The density of the calibration weights.
Balance_Flicker_Max=.0001 The maximum amount the balance can flicker above or below the true value.
Balance_Flicker_Time=2.5 The amount of time between flicker calculations for the balance display.
Weigh_paper_mass=.225 The average mass of the weigh paper.
Weigh_paper_mass_%dev=5 The maximum percent deviation for each weigh paper from the average mass.
Level1=0.01 The masses of solid added for each scoop size on the side of the bottle.
Level2=0.05
Level3=0.1
Level4=0.2
Level5=0.5
Solid_%dev=5 The maximum percent deviation for each scoop size when solid is added onto
the balance.
Weigh_paper_amount_1=.01 The mass of solid represented by the graphic for each pile of solid.
Weigh_paper_amount_2=.1
Weigh_paper_amount_4=1

[Glassware]

A-23

Beaker_mass=100 The average mass of each beaker.
Beaker_mass_%dev=5 The maximum percent deviation of each beaker from the average mass.
Beaker_vol=.250 The average volume of each beaker.
Beaker_vol_%dev=.7 The maximum percent deviation of each beaker from the average volume.
Beaker_overflow_vol=.300 The volume at which the beaker overflow animation will be played.
BuretRandom_%dev=.16 The maximum percent deviation from true volume.
Buret_%dev=.1 The applied error to the true buret volumes.
PipetRandom_%dev=.32 The maximum percent deviation from true volume for the pipets.
Pipet_%dev=.12 The maximum percent deviation from the true volume for the pipets
Grad_vol1=.005 The average volume of the graduated cylinders.
Grad_vol2=.010
Grad_vol3=.025
Grad_vol4=.050
Grad_%dev=.5 The maximum percent deviation from the actual volume for the graduated
cylinders.
WaterBottle_vol=.001 The average volume delivered by the water bottle.
WaterBottle_%dev=10 The maximum percent deviation from the average volume delivered by the
water bottle.

[Stir plate]
Rate_On=1 The time that it takes in seconds, with the stir plate on, for the meters to
display the newly calculated values after something is added from the buret
into the beaker.
Rate_Off=5 The time that it takes in seconds, with the stir plate off, for the meters to
display the newly calculated values after something is added from the buret
into the beaker.

[Buret flow rate]
Position2=0.5 drops/sec The rate at which the buret solution is delivered to the beaker when the
stopcock is at position 2. Specified in drops/sec or mL/sec.
Position3=2.0 drops/sec The rate at position 3.
Position4=0.5 mL/sec The rate at position 4.
Position5=1 mL/sec The rate at position 5.
Drop_vol_mL= 0.0544 The average volume of each drop.
Vol_%dev=5 The maximum percent deviation from the average drop size.

[Other flow rates]
bottle_flow=20 mL/sec The rate at which liquids flow from the bottle in mL/sec.
sink_flow=30 mL/sec The rate at which water is delivered from the sink in mL/sec.
flow_delay_sec=0.5 The time in seconds after a bottle is positioned over the buret or a beaker
under the sink or a graduated cylinder over a beaker, etc. before the volume
starts to be delivered.

[Iterations]
Allowed_dev_charge=.0000001 The maximum percent deviation of the initial possible minimum and maximum
pH’s.
Allowed%dev_VolT=.001 The maximum percent deviation of the final iteration from the preceding
iteration in acid-base titration calculations.
Allowed%dev_VolR=.01 The maximum percent deviation of the final iteration from the preceding
iteration in redox titration calculations.
Allowed%dev_IonicS=.000001 The maximum percent deviation of the final iteration from the preceding
iteration of the activity coefficients.

A-24

Acidn.ini or Basen.ini
[General]
Name= Long name that pops up when the bottle is moused over.
Short_name= Name that appears on the bottle.
Phase=solid, aqueous Phase of the substance.
Color=(clear, white, yellow, pink, orange, Color of the substance.
red, green, blue, purple, darkgreen,
darkred, darkblue, or darkpurple)
Unknown=yes,no Defines whether or not the reagent can be made into an unknown.

[Solids] This section applies only to reagents that are solids.
MW= The molecular weight of the reagent.
Density= The density of the reagent.
Max_Conc= The maximum concentration allowed for the reagent when mixed with water.
%Weight= The weight percent (impurity) for the reagent on the stockroom shelf.
%Weight_Min= The minimum weight percent allowed when making unknowns.
%Weight_Max= The maximum weight percent allowed when making unknowns.
%Wt_Init_Min= The initial minimum weight percent when creating an unknown.
%Wt_Init_Max= The initial maximum weight percent when creating an unknown.
Impurity= Defines what the impurity is in solids that are not 100% pure. The impurity is
defined by specifying the name of the INI file representing the impurity (usually
NaCl).

[Aqueous Solutions] This section applies only to aqueous solutions.
Conc= The concentration given in mol/L or ‘random’. If a concentration is given, then
that concentration is fixed at startup. If ‘random’ is given, then a random
concentration between the minimum and maximum is used at startup.
Conc_Min= The minimum concentration allowed when making unknowns.
Conc_Max= The maximum concentration allowed when making unknowns.
Conc_Init_Min= The initial minimum concentration when creating unknowns.
Conc_Init_Max= The initial maximum concentration when creating unknowns.

[Initial species]
1=HP,1- The initial species of acid or base after it has dissociated in water and its
charge.
M_1=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of initial species.
Z1=-1 The charge of initial species.
Inert_ion=K,1+ The charge of inert ion.
M_inert_ion=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of inert ion.
Z_inert_ion=1 The charge of inert ion

[Reaction species]
2=P,2- The species in solution and its charge after the first species dissociates. 2-4
3= are acidic species (3-4 are for the species of polyprotic acids) and 5-7 are
4= basic species (6-7 are for the species of polybasic bases).
5=H2P
6=
7=

[Equilibrium constants]
Ka1=3.908E-06 The equilibrium constants for the acid and conjugate base or base and
Ka2=0 conjugate acid. More than one set of equilibrium constants is defined for
Ka3=0 polyprotic acids or polybasic bases.
Kb1=8.995E-12

A-25

Kb2=0
Kb3=0

[Activity coefficients]
HR1=700 The hydrated radius of each species.
HR2=700
HR3=
HR4=
HR5=0
HR6=
HR7=
HR_inert_ion=300

[Conductivity]
1ec=30 The conductance ( o
) of the species.
2ec=45
3ec=
4ec=
5ec=0
6ec=
7ec=
Inert_ion_ec=73.48

[Partial Molal Volume]
V1=83.0 The partial molal volume of each species in cm3/mol.
V2=106.3
V3=
V4=
V5=115
V6=
V7=
V_inert_ion=9.02

[Molecular Weight]
MW1=165.124 The molecular weight of each dissociated species.
MW2=164.115
MW3=
MW4=
MW5=166.132
MW6=
MW7=
MW_inert_ion=39.098

Indicators.ini
[General]
Acid_Start=1.8 The following variables define the pH chart in the lab view and popup view
Base_End=1.8

[Popup]
Vertical_Pos=-2
Bar_Height=11
Label_Font_Size=12.5
Transistion_Range=5

A-26

[TitrationLab]
Vertical_Pos=0
Bar_Height=2
Label_Font_Size=3
Transistion_Range=1

[Color]
Yellow=254,254,7 The RGB values to use for each color.
Red=214,49,63
Purple=211,164,218
Pink=255,164,188
Blue=132,214,250
Clear=230,231,231
DarkBlue=53,51,143
DarkGreen=60,83,55
DarkPurple=73,42,79
DarkRed=99,51,65
Green=91,182,138
Orange=246,114,23

[Bottle 1]
Name=Methyl violet The name of the indicator in the first bottle.
Short_name=Met V The name that appears on the bottle label.
Transition1_Start=0.1 The pH at which the color begins to change for the first transition.
Transition1_End=1.6 The pH at which the color change is complete for the first transition.
Acid_color=Yellow The color of the indicator on the acid side of the transition.
Mix1_color=blue The color of the indicator in between the beginning and ending pH of the first
transition.
Base1_color=purple The color of the indicator after the first transition.
Transition2_Start= The pH at which the color begins to change for the second transition.
Transition2_End= The pH at which the color change is complete for the second transition.
Mix2_color= The color of the indicator in between the beginning and ending pH of the second
transition.
Base2_color= The color of the indicator after the second transition.
This is duplicated for bottles 2 through 8.

Oxidantn.ini
[General]
Name=Permanganate - Acid Long name that pops up when the bottle is moused over.
Short_name=KMnO4 Name that appears on the bottle.
Solution=Acid Defines the oxidant as being in acidic, neutral, or basic solution.
Phase=aqueous Phase of the substance.
Color=darkpurple Color of the substance. (See Acid/Base file for list of colors.)
Unknown=yes Defines whether or not the reagent can be made into an unknown.

MW= The molecular weight of the reagent.
Density= The density of the reagent.
Max_Conc= The maximum concentration allowed for the reagent when mixed with water.
%Weight= The weight percent (impurity) for the reagent on the stockroom shelf.
%Weight_Min= The minimum weight percent allowed when making unknowns.
%Weight_Max= The maximum weight percent allowed when making unknowns.
%Wt_Init_Min= The initial minimum weight percent when creating an unknown.
%Wt_Init_Max= The initial maximum weight percent when creating an unknown.

A-27

Impurity= Defines what the impurity is in solids that are not 100% pure. The impurity is
NaCl).

[Aqueous Solutions] This section applies only to reagents that are aqueous.
Conc=0.02 The concentration given in mol/L or ‘random’. If a concentration is given, then
Conc_Min=0.005 The minimum concentration allowed when making unknowns.
Conc_Max=0.08 The maximum concentration allowed when making unknowns.
Conc_Init_Min=.001 The initial concentration percent when creating an unknown.
Conc_Init_Max=.01 The initial concentration percent when creating an unknown.
Water_EMF=1.368 The EMF when the oxidant is in water by itself.

[Acid_Base]
Acid_Base_Conc=2.0 The concentration of the acid or base in the solution.
Cat=H,1+ The cationic species and charge.
M_Cat=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of cation.
Z_Cat=1 The charge of cation.
Ani=Cl,1- The anionic species and charge.
M_Ani=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of anion.
Z_Ani=-1 The charge of anion.

[Inert ion]
Inert_ion=K,1+ Identification and charge of inert species.
M_inert_ion=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of inert species.
Z_inert_ion=1 The charge of inert species.
HR_inert_ion=300 The hydrated radius of inert species.
Inert_ion_ec=73.48 The equivalent conductance ( o) of inert ion.
V_Inert_ion=9.02 The partial molal volume of the inert ion in cm 3/mol.
MW_Inert_ion=39.098 The molecular weight of the inert species.

[Half reaction] The half reaction for each oxidizing agent is cR2+fX+oH++nRe - aR1+eW+mOH-.
If a part is not applicable, then it will be left blank. R1 is the oxidizing agent, R2 is
the reducing agent produced, and X and W are other species involved in the half
reaction.
SEP=1.507 The standard reduction potential in volts.
R1=MnO4,1- The species that is reduced and its charge.
M_R1=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of the species that is reduced.
Z_R1=-1 The charge of the species that is reduced.
R1_color=darkpurple The color of the species that is reduced.
R1_phase=aqueous The phase of species that is reduced.
a=1 The stoichiometric coefficient for R1
W= The species for W
Z_W= The charge for W
W_phase= The phase for W
e= The stoichiometric coefficient for W
m=8 The stoichiometric coefficient for OH
nR=5 The stoichiometric coefficient for e -
R2=Mn,2+ The species after it has been reduced and its charge.
Z_R2=2 The charge of the reduced species.
R2_color=clear The color of the reduced species.
R2_phase=aqueous The phase of the reduced species.
c=1 The stoichiometric coefficient for R2
X=H2O The species for X.
Z_X=0 The charge for X.

A-28

X_phase=liquid The phase for X.
f=4 The stoichiometric coefficient for X.
o= The stoichiometric coefficient for H+

HR_R1=350 The hydrated radius of R1.
HR_W= The hydrated radius of W.
HR_R2=600 The hydrated radius of R2.
HR_X=0 The hydrated radius of X.
HR_Cat=900 The hydrated radius of the cation of the acid or base.
HR_Ani=300 The hydrated radius of the anion of the acid or base.

[Conductivity]
R1_ec=67 The equivalent conductance ( o
) of R1.
W_ec= The equivalent conductance ( o
) of W.
R2_ec=110 The equivalent conductance ( o
) of R2.
X_ec= The equivalent conductance ( o
) of X.
Cat_ec=349.65 The equivalent conductance ( o
) of the cation of the acid or base.
Ani_ec=76.31 The equivalent conductance ( o
) of the anion of the acid or base.

V_R1=42.5 The partial molal volume of R1 in cm3/mol.
V_W= The partial molal volume of W in cm3/mol.
V_R2=-17.7 The partial molal volume of R2 in cm3/mol.
V_X= The partial molal volume of X in cm3/mol.
V_Cat=0 The partial molal volume of the cation of the acid or base in cm3/mol.
V_Ani=17.83 The partial molal volume of the anion of the acid or base in cm3/mol.

[Molecular Weight]
MW_R1=118.934 The molecular weight of R1.
MW_W= The molecular weight of W.
MW_R2=54.938 The molecular weight of R2.
MW_X=18.015 The molecular weight of X.
MW_cat=1.008 The molecular weight of the cation of the acid or base.
MW_ani=35.453 The molecular weight of the anion of the acid or base.

Reductantn.ini
[General]
Name=Iron(II) Chloride Long name that pops up when the bottle is moused over.
Short_name=FeCl2 Name that appears on the bottle.
Phase=solid (or liquid or aqueous) Phase of the substance.
Color=green Color of the substance in water. (See Acid/Base file for list of colors.)
Unknown=yes Defines whether or not the reagent can be made into an unknown.

MW=151.909 The molecular weight of the reagent.
Density=3.16 The density of the reagent.
Max_Conc=5.1 The maximum concentration allowed for the reagent when mixed with water.
%Weight=90 The weight percent (impurity) for the reagent on the stockroom shelf.
%Weight_Min=50 The minimum weight percent allowed when making unknowns.
%Weight_Max=100 The maximum weight percent allowed when making unknowns.
%Wt_Init_Min=80 The initial minimum weight percent when creating an unknown.
%Wt_Init_Min=90 The initial maximum weight percent when creating an unknown.
Impurity=NaCl Defines what the impurity is in solids that are not 100% pure. The impurity is

A-29

NaCl).

[Aqueous Solutions] This section applies only to reagents that are aqueous.
Conc= The concentration given in mol/L or ‘random’. If a concentration is given, then
Conc_Min= The minimum concentration allowed when making unknowns.
Conc_Max= The maximum concentration allowed when making unknowns.
Conc_Init_Min= The initial concentration percent when creating an unknown.
Conc_Init_Max= The initial concentration percent when creating an unknown.
Water_EMF=1.368 The EMF when the reductant is in water by itself.

[Neutral species] Species present in neutral solution (not an acidic or basic solution).
O1=Fe,2+ The species that is reduced and its charge.
M_O1=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of the species that is reduced.
Z_O1=2 The charge of the species that is reduced.
O1_color=clear The color of species that is reduced.
O1_phase=aqueous The phase of species that is reduced.

[Inert ion]
Inert_ion=Cl,1- Identification and charge of inert species.
M_inert_ion=2 The stoichiometric coefficient of inert species.
Z_inert_ion=-1 The charge of inert species.
HR_inert_ion=300 The hydrated radius of inert species.
Inert_ion_ec=76.31 The equivalent conductance ( o) of the inert ion.
V_Inert_ion=17.83 The partial molal volume of the inert ion in cm 3/mol.
MW_Inert_ion=35.453 The molecular weight of inert species.

[Half reaction(acid)] The half reaction for each reducing agent is dO2+hZ+nH++nOe- bO1+gY+pOH-.
If a part is not applicable, then it will be left blank. O1 is the reducing agent, O2 is
the oxidizing agent produced, and Z and Y are other species involved in the half
reaction. The following section applies to reactions in acidic solution.
SEP=0.732 The standard reduction potential in volts.
O1=Fe,2+ The species that is reduced and its charge.
M_O1=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of the species that is reduced.
Z_O1=2 The charge of the species that is reduced.
O1_color=clear The color of the species that is reduced.
O1_phase=aqueous The phase of the species that is reduced.
b=1 The stoichiometric coefficient for O1.
Y= The species for Y.
Z_Y= The charge for Y.
Y_phase= The phase for Y.
g= The stoichiometric coefficient for Y.
p= The stoichiometric coefficient for OH-.
nO=1 The stoichiometric coefficient for e -.
O2=Fe,3+ The species after it has been reduced and its charge.
Z_O2=3 The charge of reduced species.
O2_color=clear The color of reduced species.
O2_phase=aqueous The phase of reduced species.
d=1 The stoichiometric coefficient for O2.
Z= The species for Z.
Z_Z= The charge for Z.
Z_phase= The phase for Z
h= The stoichiometric coefficient for Z.
n= The stoichiometric coefficient for H+.

A-30

[Activity coefficients(acid)]
HR_O1=600 The hydrated radius of O1.
HR_Y= The hydrated radius of Y.
HR_O2=900 The hydrated radius of O2.
HR_Z= The hydrated radius of Z.

[Conductivity(acid)]
O1_ec=108 The equivalent conductance ( o
) of O1.
Y_ec= The equivalent conductance ( o
) of Y.
O2_ec=204 The equivalent conductance ( o
) of O2.
Z_ec= The equivalent conductance ( o
) of Z.

[Partial Molal Volume(acid)]
V_O1=-24.7 The partial molal volume of O1 in cm3/mol.
V_Y= The partial molal volume of Y in cm3/mol.
V_O2=-43.7 The partial molal volume of O2 in cm3/mol.
V_Z= The partial molal volume of Z in cm3/mol.

[Molecular Weight(acid)]
MW_O1=55.847 The molecular weight of O1.
MW_Y= The molecular weight of Y.
MW_O2=55.847 The molecular weight of O2.
MW_Z= The molecular weight of Z.

[Half reaction(base)] Repeat for basic half reaction.
SEP=-0.86
O1=Fe(OH)2
M_O1=1
Z_O1=0
O1_color=green
O1_phase=solid
b=2
Y=
Z_Y=
Y_phase=
g=
p=2
nO=1
O2=Fe2O3
Z_O2=0
O2_color=red
O2_phase=solid
d=1
Z=H2O
Z_Z=0
Z_phase=liquid
h=3
n=

[Activity coefficients(base)]
HR_O1=
HR_Y=
HR_O2=
HR_Z=

[Conductivity(base)]

A-31

O1_ec=0
Y_ec=
O2_ec=0
Z_ec=0

[Partial Molal Volume(base)]
V_O1=
V_Y=
V_O2=
V_Z=

[Molecular Weight(base)]
MW_O1=89.861
MW_Y=
MW_O2=159.691
MW_Z=18.015

Saltn.ini
[General]
Name=Barium Chloride Long name that pops up when the bottle is moused over.
Short_name=BaCl2 Name that appears on the bottle.
Phase=solid Phase of the substance.
Color=white Color of the substance in water. (See Acid/Base file for list of colors.)

[Solids] These are assumed to be pure.
MW=208.233 The molecular weight of substance.
Density=3.856 The density of substance.
Max_Conc=1.8 The maximum concentration when dissolved in water.

[Aqueous Solutions]
Conc= The concentration of substance.

[Species]
Cat=Ba,2+ The species from the compound that becomes the cation and its charge.
M_Cat=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of the cation.
Z_Cat=2 The charge of the cation.
Ani=Cl,1- The species from the compound that becomes the anion and its charge.
M_Ani=2 The stoichiometric coefficient of the anion.
Z_Ani=-1 The charge of the anion.

HR_Cat=500 The hydrated radius of the cation.
HR_Ani=300 The hydrated radius of the anion.

[Conductivity]
Cat_ec=130 The equivalent conductance ( o
) of the cation.
Ani_ec=76.31 The equivalent conductance ( o
) of the anion.

V_Cat=-12.47 The partial molal volume of the cation in cm3/mol.
V_Ani=17.83 The partial molal volume of the anion in cm3/mol.

[Molecular Weight]
MW_cat=137.327 The molecular weight of the cation.
MW_ani=35.453 The molecular weight of the anion.

A-32

Preset Experiments
Located on the clipboard in the titration stockroom is a set of 15 preset experiments listed by
returning to the laboratory, the selected experiment will be automatically set up and running.
Preset experiments are intended to provide flexibility for the instructor so the titration simulation
can be adapted to the level of the class or the individual teaching style of the instructor. Several
experiments have already been defined and are installed with the software. This section describes
how these files can be modified.

ChemLabT directory. Note that in client installations, any modified preset experiments for the


is an example of a preset experiment for a strong acid vs. polyprotic acid titration to show how
the variables can be used.

Complete Titration Preset Experiment INI Variable List
[Title]
Title=Polyprotic Acid Strong Base The title of the preset experiment.
Unknown

[General]
ActivityCoefficient=0,1 (Default = 1) Sets whether the activity coefficients are on or off. On is 1.
IndicatorUsed=0-8 (Default = 0) Sets which indicator is used based on the number of each indicator in the
indicator.ini file. Zero is none.

[pH Volt Meter]
Calibrated=0,1 (Default = 1) Sets whether the pH/voltmeter is already calibrated. 1 is calibrated.
Window_Open=0,1 (Default = 1 if the Sets whether the pH/voltmeter window is open. Zero is closed.
probe is in the beaker)
In_Beaker=0,1 (Default = 1) Sets whether the pH/voltmeter probe is in the beaker or in the rack. Zero is in the
rack.

In_Beaker=0,1 (Default = 1) Sets whether the conductivity meter is in the beaker or in the rack. Zero is in the
rack.
Window_Open=0,1 (Default = 1 if the Sets whether the conductivity meter window is open. Zero is closed.
probe is in the beaker)

A-33

[Unknowns]
Bottle=1,2,3 Defines which bottle is the unknown. 1-3 are possible. The numbers refer to the
bottle numbers below.
Unknown1= s1 Sets the random concentration or percent weight seed (sn) for unknown
Unknown2= s2 concentrations. The actual concentration assigned to each unknown is
Unknown3= s3 determined using the first set of equations for solutions and the second for solids:
Unknown4= s4
Unknown5= s5 15sin / 3 + 2.5si2 + 30.9si4
xi = si n+
3+ si + n
Unknown6= s6 (
[M] = xi 1000 ) ([M] )
[M] min + [M] min
max
Unknown7= s7
Unknown8= s8
sin / 4 + 342.5si2 + 0.9si3
yi = n +
3 + si + 10n
Unknown9= s9 (
wt% = yi 1000 ) (wt% )
wt% min + wt% min
max
Unknown10= 10s
Unknown11= s11 where si is the seed for unknown i and n is the unknown number.
Unknown12= s12
Unknown13= s13
Unknown14= s14
Unknown15= s15

[Bottle 1]
Filename= Defines which reagent will be used for bottle 1. Given by INI file name.
Conc= Sets the concentration if the reagent is a solution. If it is an unknown,
concentration is calculated using seed above. If it is blank but not an unknown, it
uses the default value, defined in the INI file for the reagent.
%Weight= Sets the percentage weight if the reagent is a solid. If it is an unknown,
Position=1,2,3, or 4 for a solid Defines the position of the bottle in the lab.

[Bottle 2]

[Bottle 3]

A-34

[Buret]
Bottle=1,2,3 Defines which reagent is in the buret. Numbers correspond to bottles 1, 2, and 3
above. No salts are allowed in buret. Only one bottle is possible.
Amount= Sets the volume of above bottle to put in the buret. Use “full” to fill buret.
Water_mL= (Default = 0) Sets the volume of water to put in the buret.
Window_Open=0,1 (Default = 1) Sets whether the buret window will be open. Zero is closed.
Graph_Window_Open=0,1 (Default = 0) Sets whether graph window will be open. Zero is closed. If buret window is
closed, graph window will also be closed.

[Stir Plate]
Active=0,1 (Default = 1) Sets whether beaker is on the stir plate. Zero means the beaker is not there.
Bottle_1=1,2,3 Sets which reagent is in the beaker. Numbers correspond to bottles 1, 2, and 3
above.
Amount_1= Sets how much of first bottle is in the beaker. Given in mL or in grams depending
on whether it is a liquid or a solid.
Bottle_2= Sets which reagent is in the beaker. Numbers correspond to bottles 1, 2, and 3
above. Bottle 2 can only be a salt.
Amount_2= Sets how much of second bottle is in the beaker. Given in mL or in grams
depending on whether it is a liquid or a solid.
Water_mL= Sets how much water is in the beaker.
On=0,1 (Default = 1) Sets whether the stir plate is on. Zero means the stir plate is off.

Example Titration Preset Experiment
[Title]
Title=Strong Acid Polybasic Base The title of the preset experiment.
Unknown

[General]
ActivityCoefficient=1 Sets the activity coefficients as on.
IndicatorUsed=3 Sets the indicator as Thymol blue.

[pH Volt Meter]
Calibrated=1 Sets the pH meter as calibrated.
Window_Open=1 Sets the pH meter window to be open.
In_Beaker=1 Sets the pH probe to be in the beaker

In_Beaker=1 Sets the conductivity probe to be in the beaker.
Window_Open=1 Sets the conductivity window as open.

[Unknowns]
Bottle=2 Defines bottle 2 to be the unknown.
Unknown1=75 Sets the percent weight seed for unknown concentrations as 75.
Unknown2=75
Unknown3=75
Unknown4=75
Unknown5=75
Unknown6=75
Unknown7=75
Unknown8=75
Unknown9=75
Unknown10=75
Unknown11=75
Unknown12=75
Unknown13=75

A-35

Unknown14=75
Unknown15=75

[Bottle 1]
Filename=Acid5.ini Defines bottle 1 as Acid5.
Conc=.2463 Sets the concentration of the reagent.
Position=1 Puts the bottle at position 1.

[Bottle 2]
Filename=Base6.ini Defines bottle 2 as Base6.
%Weight= This is the unknown – no percentage weight is set.
Conc=
Position=2 Puts the bottle at position 2.

[Bottle 3] There are no inert salts in this experiment.

[Buret]
Bottle=1 Defines bottle 1 as the reagent in the buret.
Amount=Full Fills the buret.
Water_mL=0 Puts 0 mL water in the buret.
Window_Open=1 Sets the buret window as open.
Graph_Window_Open=1 Sets the graph window as open.

[Stir Plate]
Active=1 Sets the beaker on the stir plate.
Bottle_1=2 Sets bottle 2 as the reagent in the beaker on the stir plate.
Amount_1=1.300 Sets the amount in the beaker as 1.3 g.
Bottle_2= There are no salts in this experiment.
Amount_2=
Water_mL=25 Sets the amount of water in the beaker as 25 mL.
On=1 Sets the stir plate as on.

Calorimetry INI Files
The calorimetry laboratory allows students to perform calorimetric experiments involving heats
of combustion, heats of solution, heats of reaction, the heat capacity of metals, plus many others.
Much of the operation of the laboratory and the parameters defining the experiments is
controlled using INI variables located in the files Lab Variables.ini, Metals.ini, Organicn.ini,
Reactionn.ini, and Saltn.ini located in the Reagents directory in the ChemLabC directory. The
variables in LabVariables.ini generally control aspects of the laboratory as a whole, and the
Organic, Reaction, and Salt INI files define the respective bottles in the calorimetry stockroom
where n designates the bottle position on the shelf. The Metals.ini file defines the metals
contained in the metals cabinet in the stockroom. There is one additional set of INI files and
these define the preset experiments located on the stockroom. Described in each of the following
sections are the INI variables contained in each of these INI files. The purpose for providing this
information is to grant instructors the ability to change or adjust the calorimetry simulation to
suit their own needs.

A-36

Lab Variables.ini
[General]
Base_Lab_pressure=760 Every day a new random pressure is calculated that will be the same for each
member in a class. This the initial base pressure for the lab in Torr.
Plus_Minus_pressure=15 The min/max spread in pressure.
%Humidity=50 The percent humidity in the lab.
Labbook_Data_Line_Limit=1000 The maximum number of lines of titration data saved in one link before a new
link is automatically started.
Labbook_Plot_Point_Limit=100 The maximum number of points that will be plotted on the graph.
Calculation_Update_Interval_sec=1 The time interval used in updating the calculations.
Max_Heater_Concentration=4.0 The maximum solution concentration at which the heater burns out.
Clock_Accel_Factor=5 The factor at which time increases when the acceleration button is pressed.

[Graph Tool]
Plot_View_Coords=76,8,355,178 The coordinates for the graph in the plot window.
plot_color=55,75,255 The RGB values for the color of the line on the graph.
tick_line_color=55,55,55 The RGB values for the color of the tick marks on the graph.
Label_Text_Size=9 The font size for the graph labels.
t_Range_min=5 The range of the X-axis in minutes.

[Balance]
Weights_Density=8 The density of the calibration weights.
Balance_Flicker_Max=.0001 The maximum amount the balance can flicker above or below the true value.
Balance_Flicker_Time=2.5 The amount of time between flicker calculations for the balance display.
Weigh_paper_mass=.225 The average mass of the weigh paper.
Weigh_paper_mass_%dev=5 The maximum percent deviation for each weigh paper from the average mass.
Level1=0.05 The masses of solid added for each scoop size on the side of the bottle.
Level2=0.1
Level3=0.2
Level4=0.5
Level5=1.0
Solid_%dev=5 The maximum percent deviation for each scoop size when solid is added onto
the balance.
Weigh_paper_amount_1=.01 The mass of solid represented by the graphic for each pile of solid.
Pipet_Level1=0.00010 The volume of liquid represented by the graphic for each pipet fill-level (L).
Pipet_Level2=0.00025
Pipet_Level5=0.001
Liquid_%dev=5 The maximum percent deviation for each pipet size when liquid is added onto
the balance.

[Thermometer]
Flicker_Max=.01 The maximum amount the thermometer can flicker above or below the true

A-37

value.
Flicker_Time=2.5 The amount of time between flicker calculations for the thermometer display

[Glassware]
Beaker_mass=100 The average mass of each beaker.
Beaker_mass_%dev=5 The maximum percent deviation of each beaker from the average mass.
Beaker_vol=.250 The average volume of each beaker.
Beaker_vol_%dev=.7 The maximum percent deviation of each beaker from the average volume.
Beaker_overflow_vol=.300 The volume at which the beaker overflow animation will be played.
Grad_vol4=.010 The average volume of the graduated cylinders.
Grad_vol3=.025
Grad_vol2=.050
Grad_vol1=.100
Grad_%dev=.5 The maximum percent deviation from the actual volume for the graduated
cylinders.
GlassError=1 Sets whether glassware errors are on or off.

[Metals]
Metal_Mass_%dev=5 The maximum percent deviation in the mass of the metals.

[Dewar]
Cup_Vol=.5 The maximum volume of the dewar (L).
Cup_Vol_%dev=2 The maximum percent deviation of each the volume of each dewar (set once
for each student).
K1=0.095 The cooling constant used in the cooling equations.
K1_LO=0.327 The cooling constant used in the cooling equations when the lid is removed.
Tao2=1 The heating constant used in heating equations.
C_Cal=52 The absolute heat capacity of the dewar (J/K).
Resistance=2000 The maximum resistance of the heater in the dewar ( ).
Min_Heater_Vol=.02 The minimum voltage allowed for the heater (V).
Temp_Sig_Fig=2 The number of decimal places displayed on the thermometer display.

[Coffee]
Cup_Vol=.513 The maximum volume of the coffee cups (L).
Cup_Vol_%dev=1 The maximum percent deviation of each the volume of each coffee cup
calorimeter (set once for each student).
K1_LO=0.52 The cooling constant used in the cooling equations when the lid is removed.
Tao2=1 The heating constant used in heating equations.
C_Cal=8.5 The absolute heat capacity of the coffee cups (J/K).
Resistance=2000 The maximum resistance of the heater in the coffee cups ( ).
Min_Heater_Vol=.02 The minimum voltage allowed for the heater (V).

[Bomb]
Cup_Vol=.01 The maximum volume of the bomb sample cup (L).
Cup_Vol_%dev=1 The maximum percent deviation of each the volume of each sample cup (set
once for each student).
Cup_Mass=12 The mass of the sample cup (g).
Cup_Mass_%dev=1 The maximum percent deviation of the sample cup mass.
K1_LO=0.1 The cooling constant used in the cooling equations when the lid open.
Tao2=0.1 The heating constant used in heating equations.
C_Cal=1949.985 The absolute heat capacity of the bomb calorimeter (J/K).
O2_Pressure=30 The starting pressure of Oxygen gas (atm).
O2_Pressure_%dev=2 The maximum percent deviation in the starting O2 pressure.

A-38

wire_length=4 The length of ignition wire (cm).
Wire_length_%dev=5 The maximum percent deviation in the length of ignition wire.
wire_J_cm=10.75 The energy given off by the ignition wire (J/cm).
Water_Vol=2000 The volume of water in the bath in the calorimeter (mL).
HC_CO2=37.11 The heat capacity of CO2 gas (J/molK).
HC_O2=29.36 The heat capacity of O2 gas (J/molK).
HC_N2=29.12 The heat capacity of N2 gas (J/molK).

[Beaker]
K1=1.0 The cooling constant of a beaker on the counter (used when ice melts and hot
metals cool).
Tao2=0.1 The heating constant of a beaker on the counter.
C_Cal=45 The heat capacity of a glass beaker.
Ice_Melt_Delay=120 The time delay before ice in a beaker on the counter begins to melt (s).

[Reaction Constants]
Kr_Organic=0.02 The reaction constant of combusting organics.
te_Organic=300 The time for a combustion reaction to give off its heat (s).
Kr_Salt=0.08 The reaction constant for dissolving salts with stirring on.
te_Salt=60 The time for a dissolving salt to give off its heat with stirring on (s).
Kr_Salt_NS=0.045 The reaction constant for dissolving salts with stirring off.
te_Salt_NS=120 The time for a dissolving salt to give off its heat with stirring off (s).
Kr_Reaction=0.22 The reaction constant for reactions with stirring on.
te_Reaction=30 The time for reactions to give off their heat with stirring on (s).
Kr_Reaction_NS=0.095 The reaction constant for reactions with stirring off.
te_Reaction_NS=60 The time for reactions to give off their heat with stirring off (s).
Kr_Metal=0.25 The reaction constant for adding metals with stirring on.
te_Metal=20 The time for metals to give off their heat with stirring on (s).
Kr_Metal_NS=0.08 The reaction constant for adding metals with stirring off.
te_Metal_NS=40 The time for metals to give off their heat with stirring off (s).
Kr_Combo=4 The reaction constant for combining liquids with stirring on.
te_Combo=10 The time for combining liquids to give off their heat with stirring on (s).
Kr_Combo_NS=0.3 The reaction constant for combining liquids with stirring off.
te_Combo_NS=20 The time for combining liquids to give off their heat with stirring off (s).

[Ice]
Mass=25.0 The mass of ice in one scoop (g).
Mass_%dev=10 The maximum deviation of mass of ice in one scoop.
K_Ice_Stir_On=25 The cooling constant for ice melting with stirring on.
K_Ice_Stir_Off=10 The cooling constant for ice melting with stirring off.
c_ice=37.466 The heat capacity of ice (J/molK).

[Oven]
Base_Temp_C=100 The initial temperature of the oven (°C).
Min_Temp_C=25 The minimum temperature of the oven (°C).
Max_Temp_C=200 The maximum temperature of the oven (°C).

[Control Box]
Current_Max_mA=500 The maximum current in the heater (mA).

[Other flow rates]
bottle_flow=30 mL/sec The rate at which liquids flow from the bottle in mL/sec.
sink_flow=30 mL/sec The rate at which water is delivered from the sink in mL/sec.
flow_delay_sec=0.5 The time in seconds after a bottle is positioned over the buret or a beaker
under the sink or a graduated cylinder over a beaker, etc. before the volume

A-39

starts to be delivered.

[Conversion_Factors]
atm_to_Pa=101325.0 The conversion factors between different units of pressure.
atm_to_bar=1.01325

L_to_cm^3=1e3 The conversion factors between different units of volume.
L_to_Gal=.264172052358

cm_to_in=.393700787402 The conversion factors between different units of length.

Metals.ini
[General]

[1 A1] Position of the metal in the Drawers [Drawer ColumnRow]
Name=Silver The long name that pops up when metal is moused over.
Short_name=Ag Name that appears on the label in the drawer.
Color=silver Color of the metal (silver, gold, copper, dull)
Unknown=yes If the metal can be assigned as an unknown.
Mass=27.96 The average mass of the metal.
Melting_Point_C=961.78 The melting point of the metal.
Heat_Capacity=0.235 The heat capacity of the metal (J/gK).
MW=107.868 The molecular weight of the metal.
Density=9.32 The density of the metal.
BlowUp=No If the metal is explosively reactive with water (Yes or No).

[1 A2]
Name=Aluminum
Short_name=Al
Color=silver
Unknown=yes
Mass=7.125
Melting_Point_C=660.32
Heat_Capacity=0.897
MW=26.982
Density=2.375
BlowUp=No

[1 A3]
Name=Gold
Short_name=Au
Color=gold
Unknown=yes
Mass=51.93
Melting_Point_C=1064
Heat_Capacity=0.129
MW=196.97
Density=17.31
BlowUp=no

[1 A4]
Name=Beryllium

A-40

Short_name=Be
Color=dull
Unknown=yes
Mass=5.07
Melting_Point_C=1287
Heat_Capacity=1.825
MW=9.012
Density=1.69
BlowUp=no

Organicn.ini
[General]
Name=Benzoic acid The long name that pops up when bottle is moused over.
Short_name=C7H6O2 The name that appears on the bottle.
Phase=solid The phase of the Organic compound (solid or liquid).
Color=white The color of the compound.
Unknown=yes If the compound may be assigned as an unknown (yes or no).

[Physical Data]
dHo=3226.9E3 The standard state heat of combustion of the compound (J/mol).
MW=122.13 The molecular weight of the compound.
Density=1.2659 The density of the compound.
Packing_Density_Solid=2.5318 The density used to calculate how much volume the scooped solid takes up.
a=7 The number of carbons in the molecule.
b=6 The number of hydrogens.
c=2 The number of oxygens.
d=0 The number of nitrogens.

Reactionn.ini
[General1] 1 contains the information for bottle 1 of the pair (the left one).
Name=Hydrochloric Acid The long name that pops up when bottle is moused over.
Short_name=HCl The name that appears on the bottle.
Phase=aqueous The phase of the compound (solid or aqueous).
Color=clear The color of the compound.

[General2] 2 contains the information for bottle 2 of the pair (the right one).
Name=Sodium Hydroxide
Short_name=NaOH
Phase=aqueous
Color=clear
Unknown=yes

[Solids1] If the phase for the bottle is solid:
MW= The molecular weight of the solid.
Density= The density of the solid.
dHs= The heat of solution of the solid.
Max_Conc= The maximum concentration the solid may dissolve in solution.
%Weight= This is not used for the Calorimetry lab.

A-41

%Weight_Min= This is not used for the Calorimetry lab.
%Weight_Max= This is not used for the Calorimetry lab.
%Wt_Init_Min= This is not used for the Calorimetry lab.
%Wt_Init_Max= This is not used for the Calorimetry lab.
Impurity= This is not used for the Calorimetry lab.

[Aqueous Solutions1] If the phase of the bottle is aqueous:
Conc=1.0000 The concentration of the solution.
Conc_Min=0.010 This is not used for the Calorimetry lab.
Conc_Max=4.0000 This is not used for the Calorimetry lab.
Conc_Init_Min=0.1000 This is not used for the Calorimetry lab.
Conc_Init_Max=0.1200 This is not used for the Calorimetry lab.

[Solids2]
MW=
Density=
dHs=
Max_Conc=
%Weight=
%Weight_Min=
%Weight_Max=
%Wt_Init_Min=
%Wt_Init_Max=
Impurity=

[Aqueous Solutions2]
Conc=1.0000
Conc_Min=0.010
Conc_Max=4.0000
Conc_Init_Min=0.1000
Conc_Init_Max=0.1200

[Reaction]
dHr=5.58e4 The standard state heat of reaction per mole of the limiting reactant.

[Reactants]
R1=HCl The reactant in bottle 1
M_R1=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of this reactant in the reaction.
Ph_R1=aqueous The phase of R1 in solution
R1_cat=H,1+ The cation if R1 dissociates.
M_R1_cat=1 The stoichiometric coefficient for the cation.
Z_R1_cat=1 The charge of this cation.
MW_R1_Cat=1.008 The molecular weight of this cation.
R1_ani=Cl,1- The anion if R1 dissociates.
M_R1_ani=1 The stoichiometric coefficient for the anion.
Z_R1_ani=-1 The charge of this anion.
MW_R1_Ani=35.453 The molecular weight of this anion.

R2=NaOH The reactant in bottle 2
M_R2=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of this reactant in the reaction.
Ph_R2=aqueous The phase of R2 in solution
R2_cat=Na,1+ The cation if R2 dissociates.
M_R2_cat=1 The stoichiometric coefficient for the cation.
Z_R2_cat=1 The charge of this cation.
MW_R2_cat=22.990 The molecular weight of this cation.
R2_ani=OH,1- The anion if R2 dissociates.

A-42

M_R2_ani=1 The stoichiometric coefficient for the anion.
Z_R2_ani=-1 The charge of this anion.
MW_R2_ani=17.007 The molecular weight of this anion.

R3= Another possible reactant in bottle 1.
M_R3=
Ph_R3=
R3_cat=
M_R3_cat=
Z_R3_cat=
MW_R3_cat=
R3_ani=
M_R3_ani=
Z_R3_ani=
MW_R3_ani=

R4= Another possible reactant in bottle 2.
M_R4=
Ph_R4=
R4_cat=
M_R4_cat=
Z_R4_cat=
MW_R4_cat=
R4_ani=
M_R4_ani=
Z_R4_ani=
MW_R4_ani=

[Products]
P1=H2O The first product of the reaction.
M_P1=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of this product in the reaction.
Ph_P1=liquid The phase of P1 in solution
P1_cat= The cation if P1 dissociates.
M_P1_cat= The stoichiometric coefficient for the cation.
Z_P1_cat= The charge of this cation.
MW_P1_cat= The molecular weight of this cation.
P1_ani= The anion if P1 dissociates.
M_P1_ani= The stoichiometric coefficient for the anion.
Z_P1_ani= The charge of this anion.
MW_P1_ani= The molecular weight of this anion.

P2=NaCl The second product of the reaction.
M_P2=1
Ph_P2=aqueous
P2_cat=Na,1+
M_P2_cat=1
Z_P2_cat=1
MW_P2_cat=22.990
P2_ani=Cl,1-
M_P2_ani=1
Z_P2_ani=-1
MW_P2_ani=35.453

P3= A third product of the reaction.
M_P3=
Ph_P3=

A-43

P3_cat=
M_P3_cat=
Z_P3_cat=
MW_P3_cat=
P3_ani=
M_P3_ani=
Z_P3_ani=
MW_P3_ani=

P4=
M_P4=
Ph_P4=
P4_cat=
M_P4_cat=
Z_P4_cat=
MW_P4_cat=
P4_ani=
M_P4_ani=
Z_P4_ani=
MW_P4_ani=

R1density= The density of R1 if it does not dissolve in solution.
R1_catV=0 The partial molal volume of the cation of R1 if it dissolves in solution.
R1_aniV=17.83 The partial molal volume of the anion of R1 if it dissolves in solution.
R2density=
R2_catV=-1.21
R2_aniV=-4.04
R3density=
R3_catV=
R3_aniV=
R4density=
R4_catV=
R4_aniV=
P1density=
P1_catV=
P1_aniV=
P2density=
P2_catV=-1.21
P2_aniV=17.83
P3density=
P3_catV=
P3_aniV=
P4density=
P4_catV=
P4_aniV=

[Heat Capacity]
R1_HC= The heat capacity of R1 if it does not dissolve in solution.
R1_catHC=0 The partial molar heat capacity of the cation of R1 if it dissolves in solution.
R1_aniHC=-124.7 The partial molar heat capacity of the anion of R1 if it dissolves in solution.
R2_HC=
R2_catHC=38.60
R2_aniHC=-141.5
R3_HC=
R3_catHC=

A-44

R3_aniHC=
R4_HC=
R4_catHC=
R4_aniHC=
P1_HC=
P1_catHC=
P1_aniHC=
P2_HC=
P2_catHC=38.60
P2_aniHC=-124.7
P3_HC=
P3_catHC=
P3_aniHC=
P4_HC=
P4_catHC=
P4_aniHC=

[Molecular Weight]
R1_MW=36.461 The molecular weight of R1.
R2_MW=39.997
R3_MW=
R4_MW=
P1_MW=18.015
P2_MW=58.443
P3_MW=
P4_MW=

Saltn.ini
[General]
Name=Sodium Flouride The long name that pops up when bottle is moused over.
Short_name=NaF The name that appears on the bottle.
Phase=solid The phase of the salt (always solid for salts).
Color=white The color of the salt.

[Physical Data]
dH=-0.91e3 The standard state heat of solution of the salt (J/molK)
MW=41.988 The molecular weight of the salt.
Density=2.78 The density of the salt.
Max_Conc=6.1 The maximum concentration that the salt may dissolve to.

[Species]
Cat=Na,1+ The cation of the dissolved salt.
M_Cat=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of the cation.
Z_Cat=1 The charge of the cation.
Ani=F,-1 The anion of the dissolved salt.
M_Ani=1 The stoichiometric coefficient of the anion.
Z_Ani=-1 The charge of the anion.

[Molar Heat Capacity]
HC=46.9 The heat capacity of the solid salt.
HC_Cat=46.4 The partial molar heat capacity of the cation.

A-45

HC_Ani=-106.7 The partial molar heat capacity of the anion.

V_Cat=-1.21 The partial molal volume of the cation.
V_Ani=-1.6 The partial molal volume of the anion.

[Molecular Weight]
MW_cat=22.990 The molecular weight of the cation.
MW_ani=18.998 The molecular weight of the anion.

Preset Experiments
Located on the clipboard in the calorimetry stockroom is a set of 15 preset experiments listed by
returning to the laboratory, the selected experiment will be automatically set up and running.
Preset experiments are intended to provide flexibility for the instructor so the calorimetry
simulation can be adapted to the level of the class or the individual teaching style of the
instructor. Several experiments have already been defined and are installed with the software.
This section describes how these files can be modified.

ChemLabC directory. Note that in client installations, any modified preset experiments for the


is an example of a preset experiment for a heat of reaction experiment to show how the variables
can be used. Provided below the tables is a small graphic showing the position labels used for the
various INI position variables.

Complete Calorimetry Preset Experiment INI Variable List
[Title]
Title=Freezing Point Depression The title of the preset experiment.

[General]
Timer=On,Off (Default = Off) Sets the timer (the timer window) to be open or closed.

[Calorimeter] These are variables for the calorimeters in general.

A-46

Lid=On,Off (Default = Off) Specifies if the lid to the calorimeter is on or off.
Calorimeter=Bomb,Coffee,Dewar,None Specifies which calorimeter is selected.
(Default = None)
Position=Counter,Table (Default = Table) Specifies the position of the calorimeter in the laboratory. Position labels are
case sensitive.
Temperature_K=298.15 (Default = 298.15) Sets the initial temperature of any water that may be in the calorimeter.
Position must be set to Table.
Graph_Window=On,Off (Default = Off) Sets the graph window to open or closed.

###Coffee/Dewar Variables### These variables are only for the coffee cup or dewar.
Thermometer=On,Off (Default = Off) Sets the thermometer to be on or off.
Bottle=Bottle,Bottle 2 (Or Blank) Specifies which solution or solid from the available bottles that will be in the
calorimeter.
Bottle_Amount=Random,Volume,Mass Specifies the volume or mass from the bottle. Volume should be a number in
mL for liquids; Mass is a number in grams for solids.
Bottle_Min= Specifies minimum amount (mL or g) for Random amounts.
Bottle_Max= Specifies maximum amount (mL or g) for Random amounts.
Metal=Yes,No (Default = No) Specifies if a metal is already in the calorimeter. If yes, then position in Metals
section below specifies position of dish.
Ice=Random,Mass (Default = 0.0) Specifies the mass of ice that will be in the calorimeter.
Ice_Min= Specifies the minimum mass of ice for Random amounts.
Ice_Max= Specifies the maximum mass of ice for Random amounts.
Water=Random,Volume (Default = 0.0) Specifies the volume of water that will be in the calorimeter.
Water_Min= Specifies the minimum volume of water for Random amounts.
Water_Max= Specifies the maximum volume of water for Random amounts.
Current= (Default = 0) Sets the initial current setting for the electrical heater.
Stirring=On,Off (Default = Off) Sets stirring on or off.
Heater=On,Off (Default = Off) Sets the electrical heater on or off. If the lid is off, then the heater is set off.

###Bomb Variables### These variables are only for the bomb calorimeter.
Thermometer=On,Off (Default = Off) Sets the thermometer to be on or off. This is the bomb control panel.
Bomb=In,Out (Default = Out) Specifies if the bomb is in or out of the calorimeter.
Screw_Cap=On,Off (Default = Off) Sets the screw cap to be on or off of the bomb.
bomb_Head=On,Off (Default = Off) Puts the bomb head in or out of the bomb.
Cup=In,Out (Default = In) Puts the bomb cup in or out of the bomb head.
Cup_Position=TableE,TableF If the bomb cup is out, places the cup on the indicated table position.
(Default =TableE)
Bottle=Bottle (Or Blank) Specifies that the liquid or solid from the selected bottle is in the bomb cup.
Bottle_Amount=Random,Volume,Mass Specifies the volume or mass from the bottle. Volume should be a number in
Bottle_Min= Specifies minimum amount (mL or g) for Random amounts.
Bottle_Max= Specifies maximum amount (mL or g) for Random amounts.

[Bottle] These variables define what chemical is represented by Bottle or Bottle 2.
Filename=Salt1.ini The name of the organic, salt, or reaction INI file.
Position=CounterA,CounterB,CounterC,Tab Position for the bottle in the laboratory.
leA,TableB,TableC,TableG
(Default =TableG for organics & solids,
TableA for aqueous reactants)
Bottle2_Position=CounterA,CounterB,Count Position for the second bottle for reaction experiments.
erC,TableA,TableB,TableC,TableG
(Default =TableG for solids, TableA for
aqueous reactants.)
Unknown=Yes,No (Default = No) Specifies if the bottle should be labeled as an unknown.

[Metal]

A-47

Metal=1 A1 Specifies the metal by specifying the metal location. [Drawer ColumnRow]
Position=CounterA,CounterB,CounterC,Tab Position of the metal and dish in the laboratory.
leD,TableE,TableF,Oven (Default = TableD)

[Oven] Not used if bomb experiment is out.
On_Off=On,Off (Default = Off) Turns oven on and off.
Open_Closed=Open,Closed Sets the oven door as open or closed.
(Default = Closed)
Temperature= (Default = min temp limit) Sets the temperature of the oven in C.

[Balance]
On_Off=On,Off (Default = On) Sets the balance to be on or off.
Tare_container=Yes,No (Default = No) Specifies if the weigh paper or beaker mass will be subtracted from balance
reading.

[Beaker1] Not used if bomb experiment is out.
Position=TableA,TableB,TableC,TableD,Ta Position of the beaker on the table. The default position starts with the first
bleE,TableF available position.
Bottle=Bottle,Bottle 2 Assigns what is in the beaker. This must be specified.
Amount=Random,Volume,Mass Specifies the volume or mass in the beaker. Volume should be a number in
Min= Specifies minimum amount (mL or g) for Random amounts.
Max= Specifies maximum amount (mL or g) for Random amounts.

[Beaker2] Not used if bomb experiment is out. Used only for reaction experiments.
Position=TableA,TableB,TableC,TableD,Ta Position of the beaker on the table. The default position starts with the first
bleE,TableF available position.
Bottle=Bottle,Bottle 2 Assigns what is in the beaker. This must be specified.
Amount=Random,Volume,Mass Specifies the volume or mass in the beaker. Volume should be a number in
Min= Specifies minimum amount (mL or g) for Random amounts.
Max= Specifies maximum amount (mL or g) for Random amounts.

[Paper]
Position=Paper,TableF,None Position of the weigh paper in the laboratory.
(Default=None)
Bottle=Bottle,Bottle 2 What is on the paper. This must be assigned to a solid.
Amount=Random,Mass Specifies the mass on the paper in grams. If a metal has been selected, then
this is ignored.
Min= Specifies minimum amount for Random amounts.
Max= Specifies maximum amount for Random amounts.

Example Calorimetry Preset Experiment
[Title]
Title=Heat of Reaction: HCl (aq) + NaOH Title of experiment.
(s)

[General]
Timer=Off Stopwatch window is not open.

[Calorimeter]
Calorimeter=Dewar Selected the dewar as the calorimeter.
Thermometer=On Thermometer is on and thermometer window is open.
Temperature_K=298.15 Temperature of anything inside calorimeter is set to 25 C.

A-48

Graph_Window=On Graph window is open.
Lid=On The lid to the calorimeter is on.
Stirring=On Stirring is turned on.
Position=Table The calorimeter is placed on the table.
Water=.100 There is 100 mL of water in the calorimeter.

[Bottle]
Filename=Reaction2.ini Reaction postion 2 is used for reactants.
Position=CounterA Position of bottle 1 is on the counter.
Bottle2_Position=TableG Position of bottle 2 is on the Table in position G.

[Beaker1]
Position=TableB A beaker is placed on the table in location B.
Bottle=Bottle The beaker is filled with bottle 1.
Amount=0.100 The amount is 100 mL.

[Balance]
On_Off=On The balance is turned on.
Tare_container=Yes The weigh paper is tared.

[Paper]
Position=TableF The weigh paper is on the balance.
Bottle=Bottle 2 The solid from bottle 2 is on the weigh paper.
Amount=Random A random amount is selected.
Amount_Min=3.999 The minimum value.
Amount_Max=4.000 The maximum value.

Figure A1. Position labels for calorimetry INI variables.

A-49

Mechanics INI File
The mechanics laboratory allows students the ability to perform realistic mechanical experiments
in a controlled environment of their pleasing. Much of the experiments are controlled using the
laboratory INI file however, there are presets that will be determined by their own preset INI
files. These presets INI are described below. The variables contained in the laboratory INI file
are explained below. Note that each variable has its own default and max/min values. The
purpose for providing this information is to grant instructors the ability to change or adjust the
mechanics simulation to suit their own needs.

Mechanics.ini
[General]
DisplaySigFig=3 The significant digits that will be displayed in the work area display boxes.
AccelerationValues=0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, The acceleration factor which time will be multiplied by to increase the speed
5, 10, 50, 100, 500 of the experiment. The time acceleration display will rotate through in this
order.
AccelerationDefault=1 The starting value for lab time acceleration. Must correspond with one of the
defined acceleration values.
LabbookSigFig=4 The number of significant digits to be stored in the labbook.
PlanetAccelerationValues=pa1d, pa10d, The time acceleration values used in planetary simulations. d = day, y = year.
pa30d, pa100d, pa1y, pa10y, pa100y

pa1d_Label=1 Day The label that will be displayed for 1 Day increments.
pa1d_sec=84600 The number of seconds per chosen acceleration value.

pa10d_Label=10 Days The label that will be displayed for 10 Day increments.



pa1y_Label=1 Year The label that will be displayed for 1 Year increments.
pa1y_sec=31557600 The number of seconds per chosen acceleration value.

pa10y_Label=10 Years The label that will be displayed for 10 Year increments.

pa100y_Label=100 Years The label that will be displayed for 100 Year increments.

Planet_Auto_Increment_Time=5 The number of seconds that pass between auto time increment.

[Grid]
Red=100 Color of grid lines.
Green=100 Color of grid lines.
Blue=100 Color of grid lines.
Transparency=50 The transparency of the grid lines on the screen.
Label_Red=25 Grid label colors.
Label_Green=25 Grid label colors.

A-50

Label_Blue=25 Grid label colors.
Label_Transparency=50 Transparency label colors.
P_Red=200 Planet grid line color.
P_Green=100 Planet grid line color.
P_Blue=100 Planet grid line color.
P_Transparency=15 Planet grid lines transparency.
P_Label_Red=200 Label for planet grid line colors.
P_Label_Green=100 Label for planet grid line colors.
P_Label_Blue=100 Label for planet grid line colors.
P_Label_Transparency=100 Planet transparency grid label color.

Startx1=-10 The initial coordinates for the grid (Y-axis calculated from the x-axis).
Startx2=10 The initial coordinates for the grid (Y-axis calculated from the x-axis).
AutoScaleFactor=4 The multiplication factor for auto scaling the grid size.

[Materials]
materials=wood,plastic,metal,cement,rubber The materials available in the lab.
wood_label=Wood The label shown for this material.
plastic_label=Plastic The label shown for this material.
metal_label=Metal The label shown for this material.
rubber_label=Rubber The label shown for this material.

[Ball]
m=10 The mass of the ball.
m_min=0.0001 The minimum mass of the ball.
m_max=1000000 The maximum mass of the ball.
r=0.5 The radius of the ball.
r_min=0.001 The minimum radius of the ball.
r_max=100 The maximum radius of the ball.
v0=0.0 The initial velocity of the ball.
Beta=0.0 The initial angle of velocity. A 0 radian angle is with respect to the positive x-
axis, moving counterclockwise through the quadrants from 0-2Pi radians.
material=metal The default material for the ball.
sphere=solid The type of sphere the ball is. It can either be a solid sphere or a shell, with all
the mass distribution on the shell. The options are either solid or thin.
min_pixel_r=8 The minimum pixel radius the ball can be when at the minimum radius.
AllowsideAV=1 The angular velocity graphic is on or off. This shows the ball rotating when the
ball is moving on the ramp, but not in the point of perfect rolling without
slipping yet. 1=on, 2=off.

[MultipleBalls]
mn=10 The mass of each ball in the multiple ball simulation.
mn_min=0.001 The minimum mass of each ball.
mn_max=1000000 The maximum mass of each ball.
rn=0.5 The radius of each ball.
rn_min=0.001 The minimum radius of each ball.
rn_mx=1000 The maximum radius of each ball.

[Forces]
Fi=1000000 The default force if not specified in the individual experiment sections.
Fi_min=0 The minimum magnitude of force (newtons).
Fi_max=1000000 The maximum magnitude of force (newtons).
Fi_rocket=100 The magnitude of the rocket force.
Fi_plunger=3000 The magnitude of the plunger force.
phi=0 The angle of applied force. A 0 radian angle is with respect to the positive x-

A-51

phi_min=0 The minimum angle of applied force.
phi_max=6.28318531 The maximum angle of applied force.
rocketTime=1 The number of seconds the rocket force is applied per click, or fire.
plungerTime=0.05 The number of seconds the plunger force is applied.

[Frictions]
wood_wood=0.55 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
wood_plastic=0.33 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
wood_cement=0.62 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
wood_rubber=0.96 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.

plastic_wood=0.33 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
plastic_plastic=0.15 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
plastic_metal=0.45 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
plastic_cement=0.25 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
plastic_rubber=0.85 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.

metal_wood=0.38 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
metal_plastic=0.45 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
metal_metal=0.52 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
metal_cement=0.30 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
metal_rubber=0.90 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.

cement_wood=0.62 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
cement_plastic=0.25 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
cement_metal=0.30 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
cement_cement=0.55 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
cement_rubber=0.89 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.

rubber_wood=0.96 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
rubber_plastic=0.85 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
rubber_metal=0.90 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
rubber_cement=0.89 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.
rubber_rubber=1.00 The coefficient of friction between the two materials.

P=101325 The default pressure (Pa) at sea level.
P_min=0 The minimum pressure allowed (Pa). This pressure would correspond to an
altitude of below sea level, but we just leave the altitude at 0 for all low
pressures.
P_max=10132500 The maximum pressure allowed.
Z=0 The altitude of the experiment (m) above sea level.
Z_min=0 The minimum altitude of the experiments (m).
Z_mx=44642 The maximum altitude of the experiments.

[Gravity]
gx=9.80665 The magnitude of gravity in the direction of the (+) x-axis (m/s^2).
gx_min=-300 The minimum magnitude of x axis gravity.
gx_max=300 The maximum magnitude of x axis gravity.
gy=9.80665 The magnitude of gravity in the direction of the (-) y-axis.
gy_min=-300 The minimum magnitude of y axis gravity.
gy_max=300 The maximum magnitude of y axis gravity.
gr=9.80665 The magnitude of gravity in the radial direction.
gr_min=-300 The minimum magnitude of radial gravity.
gr_max=300 The maximum magnitude of radial gravity.
g_multiplier=0.101971621298 The multiplier to set the number of g’s per chosen gravity value.
planetList=Sun,Mercury,Venus,Earth,Mars, The list of names to show in the parameters palette for gravities.

A-52

Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus,Neptune,Pluto
gravityList= 274.13,3.59,8.87,9.80665,1.62, The list of corresponding gravities to the planetList. Must be in same order as
3.77,25.95,11.08,10.67,14.07,0.42 the planetList.

[Ramp]
theta=0.78539816339745 The default angle of the ramp (radians).
theta_min=0 The minimum angle of the ramp.
theta_mx=1.57079633 The maximum angle of the ramp.
L=50 The length of the ramp (m).
L_min=1 The minimum length of the ramp.
L_max=10000 The maximum length of the ramp.
Material=wood The material of the ramp. Choices in material section above.
YAxisPlacement=1.3 The angle (radians) above which the object placement is controlled by the y
location of the mouse.
[Rod]
theta=0.005 The starting angle of the rod from the positive y axis (radians).
theta_min=0 The minimum angle of the rod.
theta_mx=1.57079633 The maximum angle of the rod.
r=1.5 The radius of the rod (m).
r_min=0.1 The minimum radius of the rod.
r_max=1000 The maximum radius of the rod.
l=20 The length of the rod.
l_min=1 The minimum length of the rod.
l_max=100000 The maximum length of the rod.
material=brickmortar The initial material of the rod. Options below.
materials=wood, cement, glass, titanium, The options for material of the rod.
aluminum, castiron, brickmortar

wood_label=Wood The label for the wood material.
wood_tensile=35200000 The tensile strength for wood material (Pa).
wood_density=518 The density of the wood material (kg/m^3).

cement_label= Cement The label for the material.
cement _tensile=3500000 The tensile strength for material.
cement _density=2320 The density of the material.

glass_label= Glass The label for the material.
glass _tensile=3600000000 The tensile strength for material.
glass _density=2530 The density of the material.

titanium_label= Titanium The label for the material.
titanium _tensile=830000000 The tensile strength for material.
titanium_density=4510 The density of the material.

aluminum_label= Aluminum The label for the material.
aluminum _tensile=180000000 The tensile strength for material.
aluminum _density=2700 The density of the material.

castiron_label= Cast Iron The label for the material.
castrion _tensile=200000000 The tensile strength for material.
castiron _density=6800 The density of the material.

Brickmortar_label= Brick and Mortar The label for the material.
Brickmortar _tensile=689000 The tensile strength for material.
Brickmortar _density=1840 The density of the material.

A-53

[Sled]
m=10 The mass of the sled (kg).
m_min=0.001 The minimum mass of the sled.
m_max=1000000 The maximum mass of the sled.
Ls=2 The length of the sled (m).
Ls_min=0.1 The minimum length of the sled.
Ls_max=100 The maximum length of the sled.
h=1 The height of the sled (m).
h_min=0.1 The minimum height of the sled.
h_max=100 The maximum height of the sled.
w=0.5 The width of the sled (m).
w_min=0.1 The minimum width of the sled.
w_max=100 The maximum width of the sled.
v0=0.0 The initial velocity of the sled (m/s).
Beta=0.0 The initial angle of velocity (rad).
material=metal The material of the sled.
min_pixel_h=8 The minimum pixel height the sled can be.

[UnitTime]
s=1 The base unit is in seconds.
min=60 The number of seconds in a minute.
hr=3600 The number of seconds in an hour.
day=86400 The number of seconds in a day.
yr=31557600 The number of seconds in a year.

[UnitTimeLabel]
s=s The label shown for seconds is “s”.
min=min The label shown for minute is “min”.
hr=hr The label for hour.
day=day The label for day.
yr=yr The label for year.

[UnitPosition]
m=1 The base unit is in meters.
cm=100 The number of centimeters in a meter.
km=0.001 The number of kilometers in a meter.
in=39.37007 The number of inches in a meter.
ft=3.28083 The number of feet in a meter.
yd=1.09361 The number of yards in a meter.
mi=0.0006213711 The number of miles in a meter.
AU=0.0000000000066845871226706 The number of astronomical units in a meter.
Lyr=0.00000000000000010570008340 The number of light-years in a meter.

[UnitPositionLabel]
m=m The label for meters.
cm=cm The label for centimeters.
km=km The label for kilometers.
in=in The label for inches.
ft=ft The label for feet.
yd=yd The label for yards.
mi=mi The label for miles.
AU=AU The label for astronomical units.
Lyr=Lyr The label for light-years.

[UnitMass]
kg=1 The base unit is in kilograms

A-54

g=1000 The number of grams in a kilogram.
Mg=.001 The number of megagrams in a kilogram.
oz=35.274 The number of ounces in a kilogram.
lbs=2.20462262 The number of pounds in a kilogram.
T=.001102 The number of tons in a kilogram.
slg=.068522 The number of slugs in a kilogram.

[UnitMassLabel]
kg=kg The label for kilogram.
g=g The label for grams.
Mg=Mg The label for megagrams.
oz=oz The label for ounces.
lbs=lbs The label for pounds.
T=Tons The label for tons.
slg=slugs The label for slugs.

[UnitForce]
N=1 The base unit is in newtons.
dyn=100000 The number of dynes in a newton.
PF=.22480 The number of pounds-force in a newton.
TF=.0001124 The number of tons-force in a newton.

[UnitForceLabel]
N=N The label for newtons.
dyn=dyn The label for dynes.
PF=lbs-F The label for pounds-force.
TF=Tons-F The label for tons-force.

[UnitVelocity]
m_s=1 The base unit is meters per second.
Km_s=.001 The number of kilometers per second in a meter per second.
Km_hr=3.60 The number of kilometers per hour in a meter per second.
ft_s=3.28083 The number of feet per second in a meter per second.
mi_s=.0006214 The number of miles per second in a meter per second.
mi_hr=2.2369363 The number of miles per hour in a meter per second.
AU_yr=4743.739 The number of astronomical units per year in a meter per second.

[UnitVelocityLabel]
m_s=m/s The label for meter per second.
Km_s=km/s The label for kilometer per second.
Km_hr=km/hr The label for kilometer per hour.
ft_s=ft/s The label for feet per second.
mi_s=mi/s The label for miles per second.
mi_hr=mi/hr The label for miles per hour.
AU_yr=AU/yr The label for astronomical units per year.

[UnitAirPressure]
atm=0.00000986923169314269 The number of atmosphere per pascal.
Pa=1 The base unit is pascals.

[UnitAirPressureLabel]
atm=atm The label for atmospheres.
Pa=Pa The label for pascals.

[UnitTemperatureLabel]
C=C The label for Celsius.

A-55

F=F The label for Fahrenheit.
K=K The label for Kelvin.

[UnitAngles]
R=1 The base unit is radians.
D=57.297 The number of degrees in a radian.

[UnitAnglesLabel]
R=rad The label for radians.
D=Degrees The label for degrees.

[ProjectileMotionBallExperiment]
X0=0 The initial x coordinate of the object.
X0_min=-1000000 The minimum x coordinate allowed.
X0_max=1000000 The maximum x coordinate allowed.
Y0=0 The initial y coordinate of the object.
Y0_min=-1000000 The minimum y coordinate allowed.
Y0_max=1000000 The maximum y coordinate allowed.

V0=0.0 The initial velocity of the object (m/s).
V0_min=0 The minimum velocity of the object.
V0_max=300000000 The maximum velocity of the object.

Beta=0.78539816 The initial angle of velocity of the object (rad). Counter-clockwise from + x axis.
Beta_min=0 The minimum angle for velocity.
Beta_max=6.28318531 The maximum angle for velocity.

Fi=0 The initial force applied to object.
Fi_min=0 The minimum force allowed.
Fi_max=1000 The maximum force allowed.

phi=0.0 The angle of applied force (rad). Counter-clockwise from + x axis.

P=101325 The initial pressure of air (Pa).
P_min=0 The minimum pressure of air.
P_max=10132500 The maximum pressure of air.

Z=0 The initial altitude of experiment (m).
Z_min=0 The minimum altitude.
Z_max=44642 The maximum altitude.

gx=9.80665 The gravitational acceleration along the x axis (m/s^2).
gx_min=0 The minimum gravitational acceleration.
gx_max=300 The maximum gravitational acceleration.

gy=9.80665 The gravitational acceleration along the y axis (m/s^2).
gy_min=0 The minimum gravitational acceleration.
gy_max=300 The maximum gravitational acceleration.

gr=9.80665 The gravitational acceleration radially towards the center of the screen, the
origin (m/s^2).
gr_min=0 The minimum gravitational acceleration.
gr_max=300 The maximum gravitational acceleration.

A-56

[RampMotionExperiment]
X0=0 The initial x coordinate of the object.
X0_min=-1000000 The minimum x coordinate allowed.
X0_max=1000000 The maximum x coordinate allowed.
Y0=0 The initial y coordinate of the object.
Y0_min=-1000000 The minimum y coordinate allowed.
Y0_max=1000000 The maximum y coordinate allowed.

V0=0 The initial velocity of the object along the ramp (m/s^2).
V0_min=-300000000 The minimum velocity of the object.
V0_max=300000000 The maximum velocity of the object.

theta=0.0 The default angle of the ramp (rad).
theta_min=0 The minimum angle of the ramp.
theta_max=6.28318531 The maximum angle of the ramp.

Fi=0 The force applied to the object (N).

P=101325 The default pressure of air (Pa).
P_min=0 The minimum pressure allowed.
P_max=10132500 The maximum pressure allowed.

Z=0 The default altitude-sea level (m).
Z_min=0 The minimum altitude allowed.
Z_max=44642 The maximum altitude allowed.



gr=9.80665 The gravitational acceleration radially towards the center (m/s^2).
gr_min=0 The minimum gravitational acceleration.
gr_max=300 The maximum gravitational acceleration.

d=1 The distance below the surface of the ramp the radial sink is located-projected
perpendicular to the ramp surface (m)
d_min=0 The minimum distance radial sink is located.
d_max=10 The maximum distance the radial sink is located.

uk=0.38 The default coefficient of friction.
uk_min=0 The minimum coefficient of friction.
uk_max=1 The maximum coefficient of friction.

phi=0 The angle the ball is rotated with respect to zero point-since the ball is
symmetrical this is not evident (rad).
phi_min=0 The minimum angle allowed.
phi_max=6.28318531 The maximum angle allowed.

AVO = 0.0 The initial angular velocity of ball (rad/s).
dAV0 = 0.0 The initial angular acceleration of the ball (rad/s^2).

A-57

ball_radial_factor=1.0 Coefficients in the equations of motion. Do not change.
sled_radial_factor=1.0 Coefficients in the equations of motion. Do not change.

[BucketBallsExperiment]
MaxBalls=15 The Maximum number of balls allowed.
X0=0 The initial x position of a ball (m).
X0_min=-1000000 The minimum x coordinate allowed. Must be inside the walls.
X0_max=1000000 The maximum x corrdinate allowe. Must be inside the walls.
Y0=0 The initial y coordinate of the ball (m).
Y0_min=-1000000 The minimum y coordinate allowed. Must be inside the walls.
Y0_max=1000000 The maximum y coordinate allowed. Must be inside the walls.

V0=0 The initial velocity of ball (m/s).
V0_min=-300000000 The minimum velocity of ball.
V0_max=300000000 The maximum velocity of ball.

vmin=0.000001 The minimum velocity allowed for the ball.

Beta=0 The initial angle of velocity. A 0 radian angle is with respect to the positive x-
Beta_min=0 The minimum angle of velocity.
Beta_max=6.28318531 The maximum angle of velocity.

Width=20 The width of the table area bordered by the walls (m). Must be greater than
zero.
Width_min=1 The minimum width of the work area.
Width_max=10000 The maximum width of the work area.
Height=20 The height of the table area bordered by the walls (m). Must be greater than
zero.
Height_min=1 The minimum height of the work area.
Height_max=10000 The maximum height of the work area.

Fi=0 The initial force applied to ball (N).

phi=0.0 The initial angle of applied force. A 0 radian angle is with respect to the
positive x-axis, moving counterclockwise through the quadrants from 0-2Pi
radians.

surface_material=wood The material of the surface. Must be one listed in materials section.
ball_material=metal The material of the balls. Must be one listed in the materials section.

MaxBall1D=3 The maximum number of balls allowed for 1-d motion. Otherwise default 2-d.



A-58

g=9.80665 The gravitational acceleration into the screen (m/s^2). This is what is holding
the ball on the surface. Graphic is not shown.
g_min=0 The minimum value for gravitational acceleration into the screen.
g_max=300 The maximum value for gravitational acceleration into the screen.

uk=0.38 Default coefficient of friction.
uk_min=0 The minimum value for coefficient of friction.
uk_max=5 The maximum value for coefficient of friction.

k=1 The default coefficient of elasticity.
k_min=0 The minimum coefficient of elasticity. Totally inelastic.
k_max=1 The maximum coefficient of elasticity. Totally elastic.

b1_m=10 The mass for ball 1 (kg).
b1_r=0.5 The radius for ball 1 (m).
b1_x=0 The x coordinate for ball 1 (m).
b1_y=0 The y coordinate for ball 1.
b1_vx=0 The x velocity for ball 1 (m/s^2).
b1_vy=0 The y velocity for ball 1.
b1_F=0 Indicates if force is attached to ball 1. 1=yes. 0=no. Only one force can be
applied to one of the balls at a time.

b2_m=10 The mass for ball 2.
b2_r=0.5 The radius for ball 2.
b2_x=0 The x coordinate for ball 2.
b2_vx=0 The x velocity for ball 2.
b2_F=0 Indicates if force is attached to ball 2. 1=yes. 0=no. Only one force to one ball
at time.

at time.

at time.


A-59

at time.

at time.

at time.

at time.

at time.

at time.

at time.

A-60

at time.

at time.

at time.

at time.

[RodExperiment]
DividePoints=20 The number of sections to divide the rod into for calculations.
TestPoints = 10 The number of sections to test on the rod out of the total number of divided
sections.

g=9.80665 The value of the gravitational constant for rod experiment (m/s^2).
g_min=0 The minimum value for the gravitational constant.
g_max=300 The maximum value for the gravitational constant.

[PlanetExperiment]
sun_mass=1.98892e30 The mass of the sun (kg).
sun_mass_min=1e25 The minimum mass of sun.
sun_mass_max=1e45 The maximum mass of sun.
sun_spin=0.04 The amount of spin for the sun graphic.

time_min=0 The minimum date allowed in the planetary simulation. Year=0.
time_max=4000 The maximum date allowed in the planetary simulation. Year=4000.

CalculateAll=1 Calculate all of the data for each planet. 1=yes.0=no. Use 0 for slower
computers to speed up computations.

A-61

a=1e10 The semi-major axis default (m).
a_min=1e9 The minimum semi-major axis.
a_max=1e14 The maximum semi-major axis.

E=.1 The default eccentricity.
E_min=0 The minimum eccentricity.
E_max=1.0 The maximum eccentricity.

mass=1e6 The default mass of planet (kg).
mass_min=1e6 The minimum mass of planet.
mass_max=1e45 The maximum mass of planet.

inclination=0 The inclination of the orbit with respect to the Earth-Sun plane (degrees).
inclination_min=0 The minimum inclination.
inclination_max=180 The maximum inclination.

X0=0 The initial starting position x coordinate (m).
X0_min=-1e15 The minimum x coordinate.
X0_max=1e15 The maximum x coordinate.

Y0=0 The initial starting position y coordinate (m).
Y0_min=-1e15 The minimum y coordinate.
Y0_max=1e15 The maximum y coordinate.

[PlanetMercury]
mass=3.3022e23 The mass of Mercury (kg).
a=5.791e10 The semi-major axis of Mercury (m).
E=.20563 The eccentricity of the orbit of Mercury.
Inclination=7 The inclination of the orbit of Mercury.
X0=-0.27856 The initial x coordinate of Mercury-this is from the starting day of Jan 1, 2006
(AU).
Y0=-0.36032 The initial y coordinate of Mercury-this is from the starting day of Jan 1, 2006
(AU).
Y0_Hemi=- The check for initial position since a circle can have positive y values and
negative y values for the same x. The program only places the planet initially
according to the x value. = Above x axis. - = Below x axis.
spin=0.01705140316 The rotational period based off of 1 being the spin of the Earth.
moons= The moons associated with Mercury. None allowed.

[PlanetVenus] The mass of Venus (kg).
mass=4.869e24 The semi-major axis of Venus (m).
a=10.821e10 The eccentricity of the orbit of Venus.
E=.0067 The inclination of the orbit of Venus.
Inclination=3.39 The initial x coordinate of Venus- this is from the starting day of Jan 1, 2006
(AU).
X0=-0.03285 The initial y coordinate of Venus - this is from the starting day of Jan 1, 2006
(AU).
Y0=0.71867 The check for initial position since a circle can have positive y values and
negative y values. The program only places the planet initially according to the
x value. = Above x axis. - = Below x axis.
moons= The moons associated with Venus. None allowed.

[PlanetEarth]
mass=5.9742e24 The mass of Earth (kg).

A-62

a=14.96e10 The semi-major axis of Earth (m).
E=.0167 The eccentricity of the orbit of Earth.
Inclination=0 The inclination of the orbit of Earth.
X0=-0.17789 The x coordinate of Earth (AU).
Y0=0.96713 The y coordinate of Earth.
spin=1 The rotational period based off of 1 being the spin of the Earth.
moons=Moon The moons associated with Earth. Options: Moon

[PlanetMars]
mass=6.4191e23 The mass of Mars.
a=22.792e10 The semi-major axis of Mars.
E=.0935 The eccentricity of the orbit of Mars.
Inclination=1.85 The inclination of the orbit of Mars.
X0=0.40626 The initial x coordinate of Mars.
Y0=1.47623 The initial y coordinate of Mars.
moons=Deimos,Phobos The moons associated with Mars. Options: Deimos,Phobos

[PlanetJupiter]
mass=1.8988e27 The mass of Jupiter.
a=77.857e10 The semi-major axis of Jupiter.
E=.0489 The eccentricity of the orbit of Jupiter.
Inclination=1.3 The inclination of the orbit of Jupiter.
X0=-4.47847 The initial x coordinate of Jupiter.
Y0=-3.08624 The initial y coordinate of Jupiter.
moons=Callisto,Europa,Ganymede,Io The moons associated with Jupiter. Options: Callisto,Europa,Ganymede,Io

[PlanetSaturn] The mass of Saturn.
mass=5.685e26 The semi-major axis of Saturn.
a=143.353e10 The eccentricity of the orbit of Saturn.
E=.0565 The inclination of the orbit of Saturn.
Inclination=2.49 The initial x coordinate of Saturn.
X0=-5.46407 The initial y coordinate of Saturn.
Y0=7.2853 The check for initial position since a circle can have positive y values and
moons=Enceladus,Iapetus,Mimas,Titan The moons associated with Saturn. Options:Enceladus,Iapetus,Mimas,Titan

[PlanetUranus]
mass=8.6625e25 The mass of Uranus.
a=287.246e10 The semi-major axis of Uranus.
E=.0457 The eccentricity of the orbit of Uranus.
Inclination=.77 The inclination of the orbit of Uranus.
X0=18.8727 The initial x coordinate of Uranus.
Y0=-6.83659 The initial y coordinate of Uranus.
moons=Titania,Miranda,Oberon The moons associated with Uranus. Options:Titania,Miranda,Oberon

A-63

[PlanetNeptune]
mass=1.0278e26 The mass of Neptune.
a=449.506e10 The semi-major axis of Neptune.
E=.0113 The eccentricity of the orbit of Neptune.
Inclination=1.77 The inclination of the orbit of Neptune.
X0=22.0093 The initial x coordinate of Neptune.
Y0=-20.4713 The initial y coordinate of Neptune.
moons=Triton The moons associated with Neptune. Option: Triton

[PlanetPluto]
mass=1.314e22 The mass of Pluto.
a=590.638e10 The semi-major axis of Pluto.
E=.2488 The eccentricity of the orbit of Pluto.
Inclination=17.15 The inclination of the orbit of Pluto.
X0=-3.00077 The initial x coordinate of Pluto.
Y0=-30.6266 The initial y coordinate of Pluto.
moons=Charon The moons associated with Pluto. Option: Charon

[Planet]
mass=6e24 The mass of the Planet.
a=2 The semi-major axis of the Planet.
E=.15 The eccentricity of the Planet.
Inclination= The inclination of the orbit of the Planet.
X0=-3.00077 The x coordinate of the Planet .
moons= The moons associated the Planet. Option: none.

[PlanetHalleysComet]
mass=1.7e15 The mass of Halley’s Comet.
a=268.379E+10 The semi-major axis Halley’s Comet.
E=.9673 The eccentricity of the orbit of Halley’s Comet.
Inclination=162.24 The inclination of the orbit of Halley’s Comet.
X0=28.04863505 The x coordinate of Halley’s Comet.
moons= The moons associated with Halley’s Comet. None allowed.

[MoonMoon]
Mass=7.3349e22 The mass of the Moon (kg).
E=.0549 The eccentricity of the orbit of the Moon.
Inclination=5.145 The inclination of the orbit of the Moon.
R=1.74e6 The radius of the Moon (m)
a=3.844e8 The semi-major axis of the orbit of the Moon.
X0=-.17697 The initial x coordinate of the Moon (AU).
Y0=.96490 The initial y coordinate of the Moon (AU).

[MoonDeimos]
Mass=5e11 The mass of Deimos (kg).
E=0.0 The eccentricity of the orbit of Deimos.
Inclination=1.8 The inclination of the orbit of Deimos.
R=4e3 The radius of Deimos (m).

A-64

a=2.3495e7 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Deimos.
X0=.40626 The initial x coordinate of Deimos (AU).
Y0=1.47607 The initial y coordinate of the Deimos (AU).
OrbitReset=.05 The number of years to elapse before the orbit resets to the original initial
position due to the multi-body interactions.

[MoonPhobos]
Mass=1.05e16 The mass of Phobos (kg).
E=.01 The eccentricity of Phobos.
Inclination=1 The inclination of the orbit of Phobos.
R=6e3 The radius of Phobos (m)
a=9.378e6 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Phobos.
X0=.40620 The initial x coordinate of Phobos (AU).
Y0=1.47622 The initial y coordinate of Phobos (AU).
OrbitReset=.05 The number of years to elapse before the orbit resets to the original initial

[MoonCallisto]
Mass=1.076e23 The mass of Callisto (kg).
E=.007 The eccentricity of Callisto.
Inclination=.51 The inclination of the orbit of Callisto.
R=2.4e6 The radius of Callisto (m)
a=1.883e9 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Callisto.
X0=-4.49089 The initial x coordinate of Callisto (AU).
Y0=-3.08874 The initial y coordinate of Callisto (AU).
negative y values. + = Above x axis. - = Below x axis.
OrbitReset=10 The number of years to elapse before the orbit resets to the original initial

[MoonEuropa]
Mass=4.8e22 The mass of Europa (kg).
E=.009 The eccentricity of Europa.
Inclination=.47 The inclination of the orbit of Europa.
R=1.569e6 The radius of Europa (m)
a=6.709e8 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Europa.
X0=-4.47986 The initial x coordinate of Europa (AU).
Y0=-3.09054 The initial y coordinate of Europa (AU).

[MoonGanymede]
Mass=1.482e23 The mass of Ganymede (kg).
E=.0015 The eccentricity of Ganymede.
Inclination=.21 The inclination of the orbit of Ganymede.
R=2.631e6 The radius of Ganymede (m)
a=1.07e9 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Ganymede.
X0=-4.47229 The initial x coordinate of Ganymede (AU).
Y0=-3.08984 The initial y coordinate of Ganymede (AU).

A-65

[MoonIo]
Mass=8.93e22 The mass of Io (kg).
E=.004 The eccentricity of Io.
Inclination=.04 The inclination of the orbit of Io.
R=1.818e6 The radius of Io (m)
a=4.216e8 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Io.
X0=-4.47805 The initial x coordinate of Io (AU).
Y0=-3.08902 The initial y coordinate of Io (AU).

[MoonEnceladus]
Mass=8.4e19 The mass of Enceladus (kg).
E=.00452 The eccentricity of Enceladus.
Inclination=0 The inclination of the orbit of Enceladus.
R=2.5e5 The radius of Enceladus (m)
a=2.3804e8 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Enceladus.
X0=-5.46372 The initial x coordinate of Enceladus (AU).
Y0=7.28666 The initial y coordinate of Enceladus (AU).

[MoonIapetus]
Mass=1.88e21 The mass of Iapetus (kg).
E=.028 The eccentricity of Iapetus.
Inclination=7.52 The inclination of the orbit of Iapetus.
R=7.30e5 The radius of Iapetus (m)
a=3.5608e9 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Iapetus.
X0=-5.46279 The initial x coordinate of Iapetus (AU).
Y0=7.30821 The initial y coordinate of Iapetus (AU).

[MoonMimas]
Mass=3.8e19 The mass of Mimas (kg).
E=.0202 The eccentricity of Mimas.
Inclination=1.53 The inclination of the orbit of Mimas.
R=1.96e5 The radius of Mimas (m)
a=1.8554e8 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Mimas.
X0=-5.46410 The initial x coordinate of Mimas (AU).
Y0=7.28642 The initial y coordinate of Mimas (AU).

[MoonTitan]
Mass=1.35e23 The mass of Titan (kg).
E=.0292 The eccentricity of Titan.
Inclination=.33 The inclination of the orbit of Titan.
R=2.575e6 The radius of Titan (m)
a=1.22186e9 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Titan.
X0=-5.46105 The initial x coordinate of Titan (AU).
Y0=7.27859 The initial y coordinate of Titan (AU).

A-66

[MoonTitania]
Mass=3.52e21 The mass of Titania (kg).
E=.0022 The eccentricity of Titania.
Inclination=.14 The inclination of the orbit of Titania.
R=7.9e5 The radius of Titania (m)
a=4.38e8 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Titania.
X0=18.8755 The initial x coordinate of Titania (AU).
Y0=-6.83724 The initial y coordinate of Titania (AU).

[MoonMiranda]
Mass=6.33e19 The mass of Miranda (kg).
E=.003 The eccentricity of Miranda.
Inclination=4.22 The inclination of the orbit of Miranda.
R=2.36e5 The radius of Miranda (m)
a=1.3e8 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Miranda.
X0=18.8729 The initial x coordinate of Miranda (AU).
Y0=-6.83648 The initial y coordinate of Miranda (AU).

[MoonOberon]
Mass=3.01e21 The mass of Oberon (kg).
E=.0008 The eccentricity of Oberon.
Inclination=.1 The inclination of the orbit of Oberon.
R=7.63e5 The radius of Oberon (m)
a=5.834e8 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Oberon.
X0=18.8721 The initial x coordinate of Oberon (AU).
Y0=-6.83700 The initial y coordinate of Oberon (AU).

[MoonTriton]
Mass=2.14e22 The mass of Triton (kg).
E=.000016 The eccentricity of Triton.
Inclination=157.345 The inclination of the orbit of Triton.
R=1.352e6 The radius of Triton (m)
a=3.55e8 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Triton.
X0=22.0071 The initial x coordinate of Triton (AU).
Y0=-20.4712 The initial y coordinate of Triton (AU).

[MoonCharon]
Mass=1.62e21 The mass of Charon (kg).
E=.0003 The eccentricity of Charon.

A-67

Inclination=96.16 The inclination of the orbit of Charon.
R=5.93e5 The radius of Charon (m)
a=1.9571e8 The semi-major axis of the orbit of Charon.
X0=-3.00089 The initial x coordinate of Charon (AU).
Y0=-30.6267 The initial y coordinate of Charon (AU).

[FreeMotionUniformGravityBall]
h=.01 The Runge Kutta step size for free motion uniform gravity experiments with
ball.
hmin=.00001 The minimum step size allowed.
equationTimer_mSec=100 .
TOL=.00001 The accuracy of the values being approximated in Runge Kutta.

[FreeMotionUniformGravitySled]
h=.01 The Runge Kutta step size for free motion uniform gravity experiments with
sled.
equationTimer_mSec=100

[FreeMotionRadialGravityBall]
h=.01 The Runge Kutta step size for free motion radial gravity experiments with ball.

[FreeMotionRadialGravitySled]
h=.01 The Runge Kutta step size for free motion radial gravity experiments with sled.
TOl=.00001 The accuracy of the values being approximated in Runge Kutta.

[RampUniformGravityBall]
h=.01 The Runge Kutta step size for ramp motion uniform gravity experiments with
ball.
TOLMax=1 The maximum allowed TOL value before it just accepts the value.

[RampUniformGravitySled]
h=.01 The Runge Kutta step size for ramp motion uniform gravity experiments with
sled.
TOLMax=.75 The maximum allowed TOL value before it just accepts the value.

[RampRadialGravityBall]
h=.01 The Runge Kutta step size for ramp motion radial gravity experiments with
ball.

A-68

TOLMax=1 The maximum allowed TOL value before it just accepts the value.

[RampRadialGravitySled]
h=.01 The Runge Kutta step size for ramp motion radial gravity experiments with
sled.
TOLMax=.1 The maximum allowed TOL value before it just accepts the value.

[BucketBalls]
h=.001 The step size for the Bucket of Balls experiment.
TOL=.00001 Not used.

[FallingRod]
h=.01 The Runge Kutta step size for the falling rod experiment.

[Planets]
h=86400 The maximum step size for Runge Kutta to use in planetary motion.
hmin=.000001 The minimum step sized allowed in Runge Kutta.
TOL=1.0 The accuracy of the values being approximated in Runge Kutta.
X0_Diff=.01 The accuracy of finding the initial position.

[Administrator]
Phi0=0 The initial angular velocity of the ball in ramp experiment.
Phi0_min=0 The minimum initial angular velocity.
Phi0_max=10 The maximum initial angular velocity.

[Misc]
Cp_ball=.5 The drag coefficient for a generic ball.
Cp_sled=1 The drag coefficient for a generic block.
alpha=.000155 The linear air resistance constant.
row=1.2250 The default air density.

Preset Experiments
Located on the clipboard in the mechanics stockroom is a set of 15 preset experiments listed by
returning to the laboratory, the selected experiment will be automatically set up and running. A
preset experiment can also be used for assignments so a student can accept an assignment with
the experiment already set up for them. Preset experiments are intended to provide flexibility for
the instructor so the mechanics simulation can be adapted to the level of the class or the
individual teaching style of the instructor. Several experiments have already been defined and are
installed with the software. This section describes how these files can be modified.

A-69

PhysicsM directory. For the preset experiments used in assignments, these files must be located
in the Assignments/Mechanics directory and can have any name but must have the extension
“.ini”. Information on how to use preset experiments in assignments is given in the “Mechanics


is an example of a preset experiment for a balanced force experiment to show how the variables
can be used.

Complete Mechanics Preset Experiment INI Variable List
[Title]
title=Free Motion Radial Gravity – Ball The title for the lab.

[General]
tray= bucketballs,ramp,air,sliding, rolling, Sets which items are in the tray. (Case sensitive). Remember some are
gUp, gDown, gRight, gLeft, gRadial, rocket, mutually exclusive. They must be placed in this order.
plunger, mercury, venus, earth, mars,
juptier, saturn, uranus, neptune, pluto,
comet
motion= ramp,air,sliding, rolling, gUp, Sets which items are in the motion experiment area. (Case sensitive). Items
gDown, gRight, gLeft, gRadial, rocket, must be placed in order as they appear in the options.
plunger, mercury, venus, earth, mars,
juptier, saturn, uranus, neptune, pluto,
comet
startLoc=motion (or stock, lab) Starting location for the preset.

gridx1=-12 The initial coordinates for the grid. X1 is for the negative x values.
gridx2=12 x2 on the positive x values.
gridy1=-7 Grid y coordinates will be ignored unless we are in free motion (they will
always be scaled to match the x coordinates). y1 is the negative y values.
gridy2=7 y2 is the positive y values.

coordinate=polar (or Cartesian, The current coordinate system displayed.
cartesianTotal, polarTotal)
labbook=1 The labbook is open or closed. 1=open, 0=closed
acceleration=1 (or 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, The time acceleration factor to use. Must equal one of the options in the INI file
10, above.
50, 100, 500)

A-70

recordData=a1, b1, a2, b2, a3, b3, a4, b4, The list of cells from the data output table to record in the labbook. The rows
a5, b5 are labeled a and b from top to bottom and the columns are numbered 1-5
from left to right.

[Units]
time=s (or min,hr, day, yr) The time units used.
position=m (or cm, km, in, ft, yrd, mi, AU, The position units used.
lya)
mass=kg (or g, Mg, oz, lbs, T, slg) The mass units used.
force=N (or dyn, PF, TF) The force units used.

[planet]
view=0 (or 1, 2, 3) The view to go to. Options 0 (solar system top), 1 (solar system parallel view),
2 (planet top), 3 (planet inside)
size=0 (or 1) Sets the size of the planets. 1=big (enlarged), 0=small (to scale)
planet=earth (or any planet) Selected Planet.
trackMoon=moon Moon to track. Used ONLY if view = 2 or 3 AND it's planet is specified
angle=0 ( between 0 – 360) Angle of view for inside view.
date=0 Tells how many days from day 0 year 2006. It can be positive or negative.
sun_mass=1.9819e30 Mass of the sun.

[ball]
vx=-5 The velocity in x-direction (ignored for ramp).
vy=.2 The velocity in y-direction (ignored for ramp).
v=-2 The total velocity - used only for when ball is placed DIRECTLY in motion area
on ramp (ie not on tray)
x=-1 The initial x coordinate.
y=2 The initial y coordinate.
s=10 The position from the bottom of the ramp (x and y coordinates are ignored).
material=rubber The material of ball. Must match materials list in INI file.
sphere=thin The type of sphere to use. Options: solid or thin. This only makes a difference
for ramp motion for the rotational inertia.

[sled]
m=100 The mass of the sled.
l=10 The length of the sled.
h=25 The height of the sled.
w=30 The width of the sled.
vx=-5 The velocity of the sled in the x direction.
vy=.2 The velocity of the sled in the y direction.
v=-2 The velocity of the sled along the ramp.
x=1 The initial x coordinante of the sled.
y=2 The initial y coordinante of the sled.
s=10 The initial position along the ramp from the bottom.
material=rubber The material of the sled. Must be one of the options in INI file.

[rod]
theta=.00314 The initial angle of the rod. Angle from 0-1.57079633
r=10 The radius of the rod.
l=20 The length of the rod.
tensile=689000 The tensile strength of the rod. Units in pascals.
density=1000 The density of the material of the rod.
material=aluminum This will set tensile and density, if tensile and density variables are missing
from the preset. Must match material in INI file.

A-71

[bucketballs]
surface_material=metal The surface material of the table. Must match a material in the INI file.
ball_material=plastic The material of the ball. Must match material in the INI file.
k=1 The elasticity coefficient. Between 0-1.
type=1D The type of experiment being performed. Options: 1D or 2D.

# is a number between 1-15. Each ball will have the following information if you want to specify it in a preset.
b#_m=10 The mass of ball #.
b#_r=0.5 The radius of ball #.
b#_x=0 The initial x coordinante of ball #. Ignored if not in motion area.
b#_y=0 The initial y coordinante of ball #. Ignored if not in motion area.
b#_vx=0 The initial velcosity in the x direction of ball #.
b#_vy=0 The initial velocity in the y direction of ball #.
b#_motion=1 This indicates if ball is in the motion area. 0=no 1=yes
b#_F=1 This indicates if the force is attached to this ball. Can only be attached to one
ball at a time. Ball must be in motion area. 0=no 1=attached
b#_Selected=0 Sets if this ball is currently being tracked for display. 0=No. 1=Tracked.

[ramp]
theta = .33 The angle of the ramp from the x-axis. Options between 0 – 1.570796 rad.
L=100 The length of the ramp.
material=wood The material of the ramp.

[air]
P=101325 The pressure of the location of experiment (Pa). This sets the air resistance.
Z=5 The altitude of location of experiment (m).

[sliding]
uk=.23 The coefficient of friction for sliding and rolling with slipping.

[rolling]
uk=.23 The coefficient of friction for pure rolling without slipping.

[gUp]
g=9.8 The gravitational acceleration in the up direction (m/s^2).

[gDown]
g=9.8 The gravitational acceleration in the down direction.

[gLeft]
g=9.8 The gravitational acceleration in the left direction.

[gRight]
g=9.8 The gravitational acceleration in the right direction.

[gRadial]
g=9.8 The gravitational acceleration in the radial direction.
d=.5 The distance below the surface of the ramp the radial sink is located-projected
perpendicular to the ramp surface (m)

[rocket]
Fi=1000 The magnitude of force.
time=-1 The time of applied force. -1=continuous. Positive values set the number of
seconds the rocket is applied.
angle=.78 The angle of applied force. Overwrittien if there is a ramp chosen at a defined

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angle. The force will be applied at that angle. The sled can only be hit at
angles of 0, pi/2, pi, 3*pi/2.

[plunger]
Fi=10000 The magnitude of force.
angle=.78 The angle of the applied force. Overwritten with sled or ramp.

[mercury]
hideMoon= Sets which moons to NOT display. Options: none.
[venus]
hideMoon= Sets which moons to NOT display. Options: none.
[earth]
hideMoon= Sets which moons to NOT display. Options: moon.
[mars]
hideMoon= Sets which moons to NOT display. Options: Deimos, Phobos.
[jupiter]
hideMoon=io,europa Sets which moons to NOT display. Options: Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Io.
[saturn]
hideMoon= Sets which moons to NOT display. Options: Enceladus, Iapetus, Mimas, Titan.
[uranus]
hideMoon= Sets which moons to NOT display. Options: Titania, Miranda, Oberon.
[neptune]
hideMoon= Sets which moons to NOT display. Options: Triton.
[pluto]
hideMoon= Sets which moons to NOT display. Options: Charon.
[comet]

Example Mechanics Preset Experiment
[Title]
title=Balanced Forces The title for the experiment.

[General]
tray=rolling The items in the tray.
motion=ramp, ball, gDown, rocket The items in the motion area.
startLoc=motion The current viewing location.

gridx1=10 The setup for the grid axis.
gridx2=0
gridy1=-7
gridy2=7

coordinate=Polar The current coordinates.
labbook=1 The labbook is opened.
acceleration=1 The time acceleration value.
recordData=a1, b1, a2, b2, a3 The data to record in the labbook.

[Units] The current units.
time=sec
position=m
mass=kg
force=N

[ball]
vx=0 The initial x velocity of the ball.

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vy=0 The initial y velocity of the ball.
v=0 The initial total velocity of the ball.
x=0 The initial x coordinate.
y=0 The initial y coordinate.
s=50 The initial position on the ramp from the bottom.
material=wood The material of the ball.
sphere=solid The type of ball.

[ramp]
theta = 1.570796 The angle of the ramp.
l=100 The length of the ramp.
material=cement The material of the ramp.

[rolling]
k=.38 The coefficient of friction.

[gDown]
g=9.80665 The gravitational acceleration down.

[rocket]
Fi=849.3 The magnitude of force.
time=-1 The time of applied force.
angle=3.141592654 The angle of applied force.

Density INI File
The density laboratory allows students the ability to perform realistic density and buoyancy
experiments in a controlled environment of their pleasing. Much of the experiments are
controlled using the laboratory INI file however, there are presets that will be determined by
their own preset INI files. The presets INI are described bleow. The variables contained in the
laboratory INI file are explained below. Note that each variable has its own default max/min
values. The purpose of providing this information is to grant instructors the ability to change or
adjust the density simulation to suit their own needs.

Density.ini
[Balance] Required header line.
BalDigits=3 The number of decimal places available on the balance.
MaxBalance=4.0 The maximum mass that can be weighed on the balance in kg.
Balance_Flicker_Max=.000001 The maximum amount that the balance flickers between readings.
Balance_Flicker_Time=2.5 The time between each flicker in seconds.

[Beaker] Required header line.
Beaker_mass_%dev=5 The percent deviation in weight from the set beaker mass.
MaxBeakerVol=250 The maximum amount of volume a beaker can hold in mL.
Beaker_mass=.100 The set mass for each beaker in g.

[Solids] Required header line.
Object_mass_%dev=0.1 The percent deviation in weight from the set object mass.
radius_min=.015 The minimum radius of the object in meters.

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radius_max=.0172 The maximum radius of the object in meters.
VSolidmindensity=0.1 The minimum density of a random virtual solid (g/mL).
VSolidmaxdensity=25 The maximum density of a random virtual solid (g/mL).

[Fluids] Required header line.
VFluidmindensity=0.1 The minimum density of a random virtual fluid (g/mL).
VFluidmaxdensity=25 The maximum density of a random virtual fluid (g/mL).
VFluidminviscosity=0.000001 The minimum viscosity of a random virtual fluid.
VFluidmaxviscosity=25 The maximum viscosity of a random virtual fluid.

[Cylinder] Required header line.
MaxCylVol=230 The maximum volume fill for the cylinder in mL.
radius=.017841 The radius of the graduated cylinder in meters.
FillVariationMax=4.0 The maximum variation in volume of the filled cylinder in mL.
GlassError_%Dev=0.25 The percent deviation in glassware error.

[Timer] Required header line.
TimeDigits=2 Number of decimil places shown on the timer.

Solids.ini
[Aluminum] Required header line.
Solid=Aluminum The name of the solid.
Density=2.643 The density of the solid (g/mL).
Color=Aluminum The color of the solid.
Explodes= What liquids the solid explodes in.

[Brass] Required header line.
Solid=Brass The name of the solid.
Color=Brass The color of the solid.

[Brick] Required header line.
Solid=Brick The name of the solid.
Color=Brick The color of the solid.

[Bronze] Required header line.
Solid=Bronze The name of the solid.
Color=Bronze The color of the solid.

[Carbon] Required header line.

A-75

Solid=Carbon The name of the solid.
Color=Carbon The color of the solid.

[Cement] Required header line.
Solid=Cement The name of the solid.
Color=Cement The color of the solid.

[Cesium] Required header line.
Solid=Cesium The name of the solid.
Color=Cesium The color of the solid.
Explodes= Acetone, Alcohol, Ammonia, What liquids the solid explodes in.
Bromine, Ethanol, Glycerol, Maple Syrup, Milk,
Phenolphthalein, Salt Water, Soda, Water

[Cherry Wood] Required header line.
Solid=Cherry Wood The name of the solid.
Density=.433 The density of the solid (g/mL).
Color=Cherry Wood The color of the solid.

[Chocolate] Required header line.
Solid=Chocolate The name of the solid.
Color=Chocolate The color of the solid.

[Copper] Required header line.
Solid=Copper The name of the solid.
Color=Copper The color of the solid.

[Cork] Required header line.
Solid=Cork The name of the solid.
Color=Cork The color of the solid.

[Glass] Required header line.
Solid=Glass The name of the solid.
Density=2.579 The density of the solid.
Color=Glass The color of the solid.

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[Gold] Required header line.
Solid=Gold The name of the solid.
Color=gold The color of the solid.

[Granite] Required header line.
Solid=Granite The name of the solid.
Color=Granite The color of the solid.

[Ice] Required header line.
Solid=Ice The name of the solid.
Color=Ice The color of the solid.

[Iron] Required header line.
Solid=Iron The name of the solid.
Color=Iron The color of the solid.

[Ivory] Required header line.
Solid=Ivory The name of the solid.
Color=Ivory The color of the solid.

[Lead] Required header line.
Solid=Lead The name of the solid.
Color=Lead The color of the solid.

[Limestone] Required header line.
Solid=Limestone The name of the solid.
Color=Limestone The color of the solid.

[Mahogany] Required header line.
Solid=Mahogany The name of the solid.
Color=Mahogany The color of the solid.

A-77

[Nickel] Required header line.
Solid=Nickel The name of the solid.
Color=Nickel The color of the solid.

[Pine Wood] Required header line.
Solid=Pine Wood The name of the solid.
Color=Pine Wood The color of the solid.

[Plastic] Required header line.
Solid=Plastic The name of the solid.
Color=Plastic The color of the solid.

[Platinum] Required header line.
Solid=Platinum The name of the solid.
Color=Platinum The color of the solid.

[Red Oak Wood] Required header line.
Solid=Red Oak Wood The name of the solid.
Color=Red Oak Wood The color of the solid.

[Rubber] Required header line.
Solid=Rubber The name of the solid.
Color=Rubber The color of the solid.

[Sodium] Required header line.
Solid=Sodium The name of the solid.
Color=Silicon The color of the solid.
Explodes= Acetone, Alcohol, Ammonia, What liquids the solid explodes in.
Phenolphthalein, Salt Water, Soda, Water

[Silver] Required header line.
Solid=Silver The name of the solid.

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Color=silver The color of the solid.

[Steel] Required header line.
Solid=Steel The name of the solid.
Color=Steel The color of the solid.

[Sulfur] Required header line.
Solid=Sulfur The name of the solid.
Color=Sulfur The color of the solid.

[Tin] Required header line.
Solid=Tin The name of the solid.
Color=Tin The color of the solid.

[Titanium] Required header line.
Solid=Titanium The name of the solid.
Color=Titanium The color of the solid.

[Tungsten] Required header line.
Solid=Tungsten The name of the solid.
Color=Tungsten The color of the solid.

[Walnut Wood] Required header line.
Solid=Walnut Wood The name of the solid.
Color=Walnut Wood The color of the solid.

[Zinc] Required header line.
Solid=Zinc The name of the solid.
Color=Zinc The color of the solid.

[Virtual Solid A] Required header line.
Solid=Virtual Solid A The name of the solid.

A-79

Color=Virtual Yellow The color of the solid.

[Virtual Solid B] Required header line.
Solid=Virtual Solid B The name of the solid.
Color=Virtual Red The color of the solid.

[Virtual Solid C] Required header line.
Solid= Virtual Solid C The name of the solid.
Color=Virtual Blue The color of the solid.

[Virtual Solid D] Required header line.
Solid=Virtual Solid D The name of the solid.
Density=10 The density of the solid (g/mL).
Color=Virtual Black The color of the solid.

Colors.ini
[Red] Required header line.
color=Bromine The name for red in this program is Bromine.

[Clear] Required header line
color=clear The name for clear in this program is clear

[Dark Yellow] Required header line
color=CornSyrup The name for dark yellow in this program is CornSyrup.

[Purple] Required header line
color=GrapeSoda The name for purple in this program is GrapeSoda

[Brown] Required header line
Color=MapleSyrup The name for brown in this program is MapleSyrup.

[Honey] Required header line
Color=Honey The name for honey in this program is Honey.

[Silver] Required header line
Color=Mercury The name for silver in this program is Mercury.

[White] Required header line
Color=Milk The name for white in this program is Milk.

A-80

[Dark Brown] Required header line
Color=MotorOil The name for dark brown in this program is MotorOil.

[Yellow] Required header line
Color=OliveOil The name for yellow in this program is OliveOil.

[Black] Required header line
Color=Tar The name for black in this program is tar.

[ClearRed] Required header line
Mix=yes This color is a mix of 2 already listed colors.
Color=Bromine Color one from above in the mix.
Color2=Clear Color two from above in the mix
Color2Blend=20 Percent of the second color that makes up the mix.

[DarkBrownRed] Required header line
Color2=MotorOil Color two from above in the mix

[BrownRed] Required header line
Color2=MapleSyrup Color two from above in the mix

[RedWhite] Required header line
Color2=Milk Color two from above in the mix

[RedPurple] Required header line
Color2=GrapeSoda Color two from above in the mix

[ClearDarkBrown] Required header line
Color=MotorOil Color one from above in the mix.

[YellowDarkBrown] Required header line
Color=MotorOil Color one from above in the mix.

A-81

Color2=OliveOil Color two from above in the mix

[ClearBrown] Required header line
Color=MapleSyrup Color one from above in the mix.

[ClearWhite] Required header line
Color=Milk Color one from above in the mix.

[ClearYellow] Required header line
Color=OliveOil Color one from above in the mix.

[ClearPurple] Required header line
Color=GrapeSoda Color one from above in the mix.

[PurpleWhite] Required header line
Color=GrapeSoda Color one from above in the mix.
Color2=Milk Color two from above in the mix

[BrownPurple] Required header line
Color2=GrapeSoda Color two from above in the mix

[RedYellow] Required header line
Color2=OliveOil Color two from above in the mix

[BrownWhite] Required header line
Mix=Yes This color is a mix of 2 already listed colors.

A-82

color2=Milk Color two from above in the mix

[YellowBrown] Required header line
Color=CornSyrup Color one from above in the mix.
Color2=MotorOil Color two from above in the mix

Fluids.ini
[Acetone] Required header line.
Solid=Acetone The name of the fluid.
Density=0.78458 The density of the fluid (g/mL).
Viscosity=.000306 The viscosity of the fluid.
Miscible=Alcohol, Ammonia, Bromine, Car Oil, The fluids that the fluid in question is miscible with.
Ethanol, Gasoline, Glycerol, Jet Fuel, Maple
Syrup, Milk, Olive Oil, Phenolphthalein, Sea
Water, Soda, Turpentine, Water
Color=clear The color of the fluid.
MixColor= clear, clear, clearred, The color of the mixed fluid in the same order as miscibility.
cleardarkbrown, clear, clear, clear, clear,
clearbrown, clearwhite, clearyellow, clear,
clear, clearpurple, clear, clear

[Alcohol] Required header line.
Fluid= Alcohol The name of the fluid.
Density=.78651 The density of the fluid (g/mL).
Miscible= Acetone, Ammonia, Bromine, Car The fluids that the fluid in question is miscible with.
Oil, Ethanol, Gasoline, Glycerol, Jet Fuel,
Maple Syrup, Milk, Olive Oil, Phenolphthalein,
Sea Water, Soda, Turpentine, Water
clear, clearpurple, clear, clear

[Ammonia] Required header line.
Fluid= Ammonia The name of the fluid.
Bromine, Car Oil, Ethanol, Gasoline, Glycerol, The fluids that the fluid in question is miscible with.
Jet Fuel, Maple Syrup, Milk, Olive Oil,
Phenolphthalein, Sea Water, Soda,
Turpentine, Water
cleardarkbrown, clear,clear, clear, clear,

A-83

clear, clearbrown, clear, clear

[Bromine] Required header line.
Fluid= Bromine The name of the fluid.
Miscible= Acetone, Alcohol, Ammonia, Car Oil, The fluids that the fluid in question is miscible with.
Ethanol, Gasoline, Glycerol, Jet Fuel, Maple
Syrup, Milk, Olive Oil, Phenolphthalein, Sea
Water, Soda, Turpentine, Water
Color=Red The color of the fluid.
MixColor=clearred, clearred, clearred, The color of the mixed fluid in the same order as miscibility.
darkbrownred, clearred, clearred, clearred,
clearred, brownred, redwhite, redyellow,
clearred, clearred, redpurple, clearred,
clearred

[Car Oil] Required header line.
Fluid= Car Oil The name of the fluid.
Miscible= Acetone, Alcohol, Ammonia, The fluids that the fluid in question is miscible with.
Bromine, Ethanol, Gasoline, Glycerol, Jet
Fuel, Olive Oil, Phenolphthalein, Turpentine
Color=Dark Brown The color of the fluid.
MixColor=cleardarkbrown, cleardarkbrown, The color of the mixed fluid in the same order as miscibility.
cleardarkbrown, darkbrownred,
cleardarkbrown, cleardarkbrown,
cleardarkbrown, cleardarkbrown,
yellowdarkbrown, cleardarkbrown,
cleardarkbrown

[Corn Syrup] Required header line.
Fluid= Corn Syrup The name of the fluid.
Viscosity=7 The viscosity of the fluid.
Miscible= The fluids that the fluid in question is miscible with.
Color=Dark Yellow The color of the fluid.
MixColor= The color of the mixed fluid in the same order as miscibility.

[Ethanol] Required header line.
Fluid= Ethanol The name of the fluid.
Bromine, Car Oil, Gasoline, Glycerol, Jet Fuel,
Color= clear The color of the fluid.
MixColor= clear, clear, clear, clearred, The color of the mixed fluid in the same order as miscibility.

A-84

cleardarkbrown, clear, clear, clear, clearbrown,
clearwhite, clearyellow, clear, clear,
clearpurple, clear, clear

[Gasoline] Required header line.
Fluid= Gasoline The name of the fluid.
Bromine, Car Oil, Ethanol, Glycerol, Jet Fuel,
Olive Oil, Phenolphthalein, Turpentine
cleardarkbrown, clear, clear, clear,
clearyellow, clear, clear

[Glycerol] Required header line.
Fluid= Glycerol The name of the fluid.
Bromine, Car Oil, Ethanol, Gasoline, Jet Fuel,
cleardarkbrown, clear, clear, clear, clearbrown,
clearwhite, clearyellow, clear, clear,

[Honey] Required header line.
Fluid= Honey The name of the fluid.
Color=Honey The color of the fluid.

[Jet Fuel] Required header line.
Fluid= Jet Fuel The name of the fluid.
Bromine, Car Oil, Ethanol, Gasoline, Glycerol,
Olive Oil, Phenolphthalein, Turpentine
cleardarkbrown, clear, clear, clear,
clearyellow, clear, clear

[Maple Syrup] Required header line.

A-85

Fluid= Maple Syrup The name of the fluid.
Viscosity=3.2 The viscosity of the fluid.
Bromine, Ethanol, Glycerol, Milk,
Phenolphthalein, Sea Water, Soda, Water
Color=brown The color of the fluid.
MixColor= clearbrown, clearbrown, The color of the mixed fluid in the same order as miscibility.
clearbrown, brownred, clearbrown,
clearbrown, brownwhite, clearbrown,
clearbrown, brownpurple, clearbrown

[Mercury] Required header line.
Fluid= Mercury The name of the fluid.
Color=silver The color of the fluid.

[Milk] Required header line.
Fluid= Milk The name of the fluid.
Bromine, Ethanol, Glycerol, Maple Syrup,
Phenolphthalein, Sea Water, Soda, Water
Color=white The color of the fluid.
MixColor= clearwhite, clearwhite, clearwhite, The color of the mixed fluid in the same order as miscibility.
redwhite, clearwhite, clearwhite, brownwhite,
clearwhite, clearwhite, purplewhite, clearwhite

[Olive Oil] Required header line.
Fluid= Olive Oil The name of the fluid.
Jet Fuel, Phenolphthalein, Turpentine
Color=yellow The color of the fluid.
MixColor= clearyellow, clearyellow, The color of the mixed fluid in the same order as miscibility.
clearyellow, redyellow, yellowdarkbrown,
clearyellow, clearyellow, clearyellow,
clearyellow, clearyellow, clearyellow

[Phenolphthalein] Required header line.
Fluid= Phenolphthalein The name of the fluid.
Ammonia, Bromine, Car Oil, Ethanol, The fluids that the fluid in question is miscible with.
Gasoline, Glycerol, Jet Fuel, Maple Syrup,

A-86

Milk, Olive Oil, Sea Water, Soda, Turpentine,
Water

[Sea Water] Required header line.
Fluid=Sea Water The name of the fluid.
Phenolphthalein, Soda, Water
MixColor= clear,clear, clear, clearred, clear, The color of the mixed fluid in the same order as miscibility.
clear, clearbrown, clearwhite, clear,
clearpurple, clear

[Soda] Required header line.
Fluid= Soda The name of the fluid.
Phenolphthalein, Sea Water, Water
Color=Purple The color of the fluid.
MixColor= clearpurple, clearpurple, The color of the mixed fluid in the same order as miscibility.
clearpurple, redpurple, clearpurple,
clearpurple, brownpurple, purplewhite,
clearpurple, clearpurple, clearpurple

[Tar] Required header line.
Fluid= Tar The name of the fluid.
Color=black The color of the fluid.

[Turpentine] Required header line.
Fluid= Turpentine The name of the fluid.
Jet Fuel, Olive Oil, Phenolphthalein

A-87

clearyellow, clear

[Water] Required header line.
Fluid= Water The name of the fluid.
Phenolphthalein, Sea Water, Soda
MixColor= clear, clear, clear, clearred, clear, The color of the mixed fluid in the same order as miscibility.
clear, clearbrown, clearwhite, clear, clear,
clearpurple

[Virtual Fluid A] Required header line.
Fluid= Virtual Fluid A The name of the fluid.
Color=Red The color of the fluid.

[Virtual Fluid B] Required header line.
Fluid= Virtual Fluid B The name of the fluid.
Color=purple The color of the fluid.

[Virtual Fluid C] Required header line.
Fluid= Virtual Fluid C The name of the fluid.
Color=Dark Yellow The color of the fluid.

[Virtual Fluid D] Required header line.
Fluid= Virtual Fluid D The name of the fluid.
Color=Black The color of the fluid.

A-88

Preset Experiments
Located on the clipboard in the density laboratory is a set of 15 preset experiments listed by title.
the laboratory, the selected experiment will be automatically set up and running. Preset
experiments are intended to provide flexibility for the instructor so the density simulation can be
adapted to the level of the class or the individual teaching style of the instructor. Several

PhysicsD directory. Note that in client installations, any modified preset experiments for the


is an example of a preset experiment for a simple density experiment to show how the variables
can be used.

[Title]
Title=Test Preset Sets the title of the experiment as shown on the clipboard. Not used for preset
electronic assignments.

[Cylinder1]
BallType=Real, virtual (Default = no ball) Defines whether the ball in cylinder 1 will be Real or Virtual - this is a required
item for the ball to be used.
BallKnown=no, yes (Default = yes) Sets whether the student will know what the ball is.
BallRadius=.01 (Default=random size will Defines the radius of the ball in cylinder 1. It must be within the set max/min
be created) values for ball radius.
BallName=Aluminum Defines the name of the ball and will be shown if the ball is known, but even if
the ball is unknown this is a required item. If the ball is Real, the name must
match an already exiting ball in the solids.ini file. If the ball is Virtual, the name
can be whatever you want
BallDensity=.5 If the ball is virtual the ball density is required. This defines the density of the
virtual ball in g/mL.
BallColor=clear This defines the ball color of virtual balls. This value must match a color value
in the solids.ini.
Fluid1Type=Virtual, Real (Default = no This is a required field and defines whether or not the fluid is real or virtual.

A-89

fluid)

Fluid1Known=yes, no Sets whether the student will know what the fluid is.
(Default = yes)
Fluid1Amount=half, full Defines the amount of fluid 1 in cylinder 1. A random value around full or half
will be used.
Fluid1Name=Corn Syrup Defies the name of the fluid that will be shown if the fluid is known. If the fluid
is real it must be from the pre-existing fluids.ini file, but if it is virtual it can be
whatever you want.
Fliud1Density=1.1 Defines the density for virtual fluids in g/ml.
Fluid1Viscosity=.003 (Default = a random Defines the viscosity for virtual fluids.
value between the min/max will be
selected)
Fluid1Color=red Defines the color for virtual fluids, and the color must match a value color in
the colors.ini file.
Fluid2Type=Virtual, real (Default = no fluid) If fluid 1 if full, or there is no fluid 1 then fluid 2 is ignored. This defines
whether fluid 2 will be real or virtual.
Fluid2Name=Corn Syrup Defines the name of fluid 2 if it is real, real the name must match one from the
fluids.ini file.
Fluid2VName=Virtual Fluid If the fluid is virtual this defines the name of the virtual fluid.
Fliud2Density=1.1 This defines the density of the virtual fluid in g/ml.
selected)
Fluid2Color=clear Defines the color for virtual fluids, and the color must match a value color in

[Cylinder2] Uses all the same variables as outlined under [Cylinder1].


.

[Balance]
OnOff=on, off (Default=on) Sets whether or not the balance is on or not.
tare=0.0 (default = 0.0) Defines value to set the tare value to.
Object=ball, beaker (Default = no object) Defines what object is on the balance
BallType=Real Defines whether the ball in cylinder 1 will be Real or Virtual - this is a required
item for the ball to be used.
BallKnown=no, yes (Default = yes) Sets whether the student will know what the ball is.
BallRadius=.01 (Default=random size will Defines the radius of the ball in cylinder 1. It must be within the set max/min
be created) values for ball radius.
BallName=Aluminum Defines the name of the ball and will be shown if the ball is known, but even if
the ball is unknown this is a required item. If the ball is Real, the name must
match an already exiting ball in the solids.ini file. If the ball is Virtual, the name
can be whatever you want
BallDensity=.5 If the ball is virtual the ball density is required. This defines the density of the
virtual ball in g/mL.
BallColor=clear This defines the ball color of virtual balls. This value must match a color value
in the solids.ini.

[Beaker] The position of the beaker is set in the Balance section. If it is not put on the
balance it is put on the table.

A-90

Fluid1Type=Virtual, Real (Default = no This is a required field and defines whether or not the fluid is real or virtual.
fluid)

(Default = yes)
Fluid1Amount=half, full Defines the amount of fluid 1 in the beaker. A random value around full or half
will be used.
Fluid1Name=Corn Syrup Defies the name of the fluid that will be shown if the fluid is known. If the fluid
is real it must be from the pre-existing fluids.ini file, but if it is virtual it can be
whatever you want.
Fliud1Density=1.1 Defines the density for virtual fluids in g/ml.
selected)
Fluid1Color=red Defines the color for virtual fluids, and the color must match a value color in
Fluid2Type=Virtual, real (Default = no fluid) If fluid 1 if full, or there is no fluid 1 then fluid 2 is ignored. This defines
whether fluid 2 will be real or virtual.
Fluid2Name=Corn Syrup Defines the name of fluid 2 if it is real, real the name must match one from the
fluids.ini file.
Fluid2VName=Virtual Fluid If the fluid is virtual this defines the name of the virtual fluid.
Fliud2Density=1.1 This defines the density of the virtual fluid in g/ml.
selected)
Fluid2Color=clear Defines the color for virtual fluids, and the color must match a value color in

An Example Density Preset Experiment

[Title]
Title=Ice in Alcohol or Water Defines the title of the experiment as shown on the clipboard. Not used for
preset assignments.

[Cylinder1]
BallType=Real Defines the ball type as a real ball.
BallKnown=yes Allows the student to see the type of ball.
BallName=Ice Defines which real ball from the solid.ini file is used.

Fluid1Type=Real Defines the fluid as a real fluid.
Fluid1Known=yes Allows the student to see the type of fluid.
Fluid1Amount=full The cylinder will be full to a random value near full.
Fluid1Name=Alcohol Defines which real fluid from the fluid.ini file is used.

[Cylinder2]
BallType=Real Defines the ball type as a real ball.
BallKnown=yes Allows the student to see the type of ball.
BallName=Ice Defines which real ball from the solid.ini file is used.

Fluid1Type=Real Defines the fluid as a real fluid.
Fluid1Known=yes Allows the student to see the type of fluid.
Fluid1Amount=full The cylinder will be full to a random value near full.
Fluid1Name=Water Defines which real fluid from the fluid.ini file is used.

A-91

Circuits INI File
The circuits laboratory gives students the ability to build simple or complex circuits using
resistors, capacitors, inductors, and light bulbs and analyze these circuits using a Digital
Multimeter (DMM) or oscilloscope. A significant fraction of the simulation is controlled by the
Circuits.ini file where initial values for components are specified, variables affecting the Laplace
transformation are defined, as well as many other variables. There is also an additional set of INI
files and these define the preset experiments located on the clipboard and used in the circuits
assignments. Described in each of the following sections are the INI variables contained in each
of these INI files. The purpose for providing this information is to grant instructors the ability to
change or adjust the circuits simulation to suit their own needs.

Circuits.ini
[General]
AccelerationValues=0.001, 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, These are the allowed acceleration values for displaying data on the
0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10 oscilloscope.
AccelerationDefault=1 The default acceleration value the program will use.

MaxComponents=20 The maximum number of components that can be used in a circuit.

ShowErrors=no Solving a circuit using Laplace transforms is complex and occasionally
the algorithm fails. This variable specifies whether these errors should
be shown.

[Meters]
OscilloscopeRefresh_mSec=50 How often to update data on the oscilloscope.
MultiMeterRefresh_RMS_mSec=250 How often to update RMS measurements on the DMM.
MultiMeterRefresh_mSec=100 How often to update DC measurements on the DMM.
MultiMeterOhmMax=2000000 The maximum resistance before an overload is displayed on the DMM.

[RMS]
MultiMeter_RMS_SamplesPerPeriod=30 How many data points to use per period to calculate the RMS values.
MultiMeter_RMS_MaxPeriods=20 How many periods to use to calculate the RMS values.
Power_RMS_SamplesPerPeriod=30 Same for power measurements here and below.
Power_RMS_MaxPeriods=20
RMS_Threshold_Hz=3 The lowest frequency before RMS values are no longer calculated.

[PowerSources]
VoltagePeak=1.0 The initial default voltage amplitude for the function generator.
VoltagePeakMax=1000.0 The maximum amplitude that can be selected.
VoltagePeakMin=0.1 The minimum amplitude that can be selected.
Frequency=60 The initial default frequency.
FrequencyMax=1000000 The maximum frequency.
FrequencyMin=.001 The minimum frequency.
DC_Frequency=10000 DC experiments are really AC calculations. This is a dummy frequency
to use.
SquareWaveTerms=10 The powerseries terms to use for a square wave.
SawWaveTerms=10 The powerseries terms to use for a saw tooth wave form.

[Resistors]
Resistance=100 The initial resistance to use for a resistor.

A-92

ResistanceLarge=1000 The initial resistance to use for a large resistor on the breadboard.
ResistanceMin=1 The smallest resistance available.
ResistanceMax=1000000 The largest resistance available.
Tolerance=.0025 The initial tolerance or uncertainty in the assigned value for the
resistance. 0.0025 means 0.25%.
BurnOutCheck_mSec=500 How often to check to see if the power has exceeded the power rating.
P_BurnOut_Watts=5.0 The default resistor power rating.
p_BurnOut_Watts_Min=0.25 The minimum power rating.
P_BurnOut_Watts_Max=100 The maximum power rating.
BurnOutTime_Sec=5 The time in seconds the power rating must be exceeded before burning
out.

[Capacitors]
Capacitance=1e-6 The initial capacitance to use for a capacitor.
CapacitanceLarge=5e-2 The initial capacitance to use for a large capacitor on the breadboard.
CapacitanceMin=1e-10 The smallest capacitance available.
CapacitanceMax=10 The largest capacitance available.
capacitance. 0.0025 means 0.25%.

[Inductors]
Inductance=1e-3 The initial inductance to use for an inductor.
InductanceLarge=1.0 The initial inductance to use for a large inductor on the breadboard.
InductanceMin=1e-8 The smallest inductance available.
InductanceMax=10 The largest inductance available.
inductance. 0.0025 means 0.25%.

[Wires]
ResistanceMin=.000001 The minimum randomly assigned resistance for a wire.
ResistanceMax=.0001 The maximum randomly assigned resistance for a wire.

[Bulbs]
Watts=60 The initial wattage to use for a light bulb.
WattsMin=10 The smallest wattage light bulb available.
WattsMax=100 The largest wattage light bulb available.
IlluminationCheck_mSec=100 How often to check for a change in illumination of the light bulb.
BurnOutPowerPercentage=1.1 How far to exceed the specified wattage before the light bulb burns.
MaxBrightnessWatts=110 The wattage for the brightest light bulb graphic.
Voltage=84.78 The RMS voltage to convert the selected wattage into resistance.
BurnOutTime_Sec=5 The time in seconds the power rating must be exceeded before burning
out.
Brightness_Exponential=.75 The brightness exponential to make the illumination curve non-linear.

[Misc]
MultiplicityTolerance=.001 When the percent difference between two roots is smaller than this
value, then the roots are considered to have the same multiplicity.

Preset Experiments
Located on the clipboard in the circuits laboratory is a set of 15 preset experiments listed by title.
experiments are intended to provide flexibility for the instructor so the circuits simulation can be

A-93

how these preset files can be created.

PhysicsC directory. Note that in client installations, any modified preset experiments for the

Unlike the other simulations, creating preset experiments is relatively easy in the circuits
simulation. Instead of creating the preset files by hand, all that is needed is to create or setup the
experiment in the circuit laboratory and then save the experiment as a preset. A preset is saved
by right-clicking with the mouse on a hidden button located in the extreme upper left-hand
corner of the laboratory. These preset files can be modified by hand if needed and component
values can be changed to unknown as well. Once a preset file has been saved, the preset
language is largely self-explanatory.

Optics INI File
The optics laboratory gives students the ability explore and understand the concepts of lenses,
mirrors, prisms, and color inside an easy to use virtual laboratory. A significant fraction of the
simulation is controlled by the Optics.ini file where initial values for components are specified,
variables affecting the simulation are defined, as well as other variables. There is also an
additional set of INI files and these define the preset experiments located on the clipboard and
used in the optics assignments. Described in each of the following sections are the INI variables
instructors the ability to change or adjust the optics simulation to suit their own needs.

Optics.ini
[General]
MirrorLensHeight_cm=7.62 The lens height.
HoleSpacing_cm=5.08 The spacing between holes on the optics table (set at 2 inches).
MaxTheta = 1.0 The maximum angle in radians a lens or mirror can “see” the light x2.
MaxMirrorLensCount=15 The maximum number of mirrors or lenses that can be on the table.
MaxBounceCount=50 The maximum number of bounces off the mirrors.
ImageLines=on This turns the sight lines for the eye and objects on or off.

[Laser]
Wavelength=632 This sets the initial wavelength for the laser. (in nm)
WaveLengthMin=400 This sets the minimum wavelength for the laser.
WaveLengthMax=700 This sets the maximum wavelength for the laser.

[Light]
Light_Red=250 This sets the initial RGB values for the light bulb. A setting of 255 for
each color will make the line transparent.
Light_Green=250
Light_Bue=250

A-94

[Mirror]
Radius=71 Sets the initial radius of curvature for the mirror. Anything over the
maximum assumes a flat mirror. (in cm)
RadiusMin=4 Sets the minimum radius for the mirror.
RadiusMax=70 This sets the maximum radius for the mirror.

[Lens]
Radius1=20 Sets the initial radius of curvature for the lens for side 1. Anything over
the maximum assumes a flat lens. (in cm).
Radius1Min=4 Sets the minimum radius for the lens.
Radius1Max=70 Sets the maximum radius for the lens.
Radius2=-20 Sets the radius of curvature for side 2 of the lens. The negative sign
makes it convex compared to side 1.

IndexRefraction=1.5 Sets the index of refraction for the lens material.
IndexRefractionMin=0.1 Sets the minimum index of refraction.
IndexRefractionmax=10 Sets the maximum index of refraction.

DoubleThickness=0 Sets the initial thickness of the lens at the outside edge between face 1
and face2.
DoubleThicknessMin=0.0 Sets the minimum thickness of the lens (in cm).
DoublethicknessMax=1.0 Sets the maximum thickness of the lens (in cm).

[Eye]
AngleIncrement=5 The angle increment when rotating the eye in degrees.
LaserBeamRadius=20 The radius of the laser beam when hitting the eye in pixels.
LaserBeamTransparency=100 The transparency of the laser beam on the eye.
Height=7.62 The size of the eye aperture in cm.
BlurFudge=0.25 The degree of blurring for a maximally blurred image (0 to 1).
BallNormalFactor=.5 The size of the nominal ball graphic relative to its base size (0 to 1).
CandleNormalFactor=.5 The size of the nominal candle graphic relative to its base size (0 to 1).
GnomeNormalFactor=.5 The size of the nominal gnome graphic relative to its base size (0 to 1).
LaserNormalFactor=.5 The size of the nominal laser graphic relative to its base size (0 to 1).
LightNormalFactor=.5 The size of the nominal light graphic relative to its base size (0 to 1).
MaxTheta=0.5236 The widest angle (in radians) before an image will not enter the eye.

[Filter]
Red=0 Sets the red filter to be on or off (1=on, 0=off).
Green=0 Sets the green filter to be on or off (1=on, 0=off).
Blue=0 Sets the blue filter to be on or off (1=on, 0=off).

[Beach Ball]
Height=17.0 Sets the height of the beach ball in cm.

[Gnome]
Height = 7.62 Sets the height of the gnome in cm.

[Candle]
Height = 5.08 Sets the height of the candle in cm.

[Slits]
Increment_cm=.1 Sets the distance the slit curtain will move for each click of an arrow.

A-95

Preset Experiments
Located on the clipboard in the optics laboratory is a set of 15 preset experiments listed by title.
experiments are intended to provide flexibility for the instructor so the optics simulation can be

PhysicsO directory. Note that in client installations, any modified preset experiments for the

Unlike the other simulations, creating preset experiments is relatively easy in the optics
simulation. Instead of creating the preset files by hand, all that is needed is to create or setup the
experiment in the optics laboratory and then save the experiment as a preset. A preset is saved by
right-clicking with the mouse on a hidden button located in the extreme upper left-hand corner of
the laboratory. These preset files can be modified by hand if needed, and once a preset file has
been saved, the preset language is largely self-explanatory.

A-96

Appendix B
List of Organic Synthesis Assignments
A list of products that can be assigned for organic synthesis experiments for each named reaction.

Esterification 13. 2-Nitrobenzeneacetic acid
1. Methyl acetate

14. 2,4-Dinitrophenylacetic
2. Ethyl acetate acid

15. Formic acid
3. 3-Methylbutyl acetate

16. 3-Methyl butanoic acid
4. Methyl butanoate

17. Ethanal
5. Ethyl butanoate

18. 3-Methyl butanal
6. 3-Methylbutyl butanoate

19. 1-Chloro-3-methylbutane
7. Methyl phenylacetate

8. Ethyl-2-phenyl acetate

21. Diisopentyl ether
9. 3-Methylbutyl
phenylacetate
22. Benzoic acid
10. Butanol

23. Bromo-phenyl-acetic acid
11. 2-Phenyl ethanol

12. 4-Nitrobenzeneacetic acid Alcohol Halogenation
1. Chlorocyclohexane

B-1

2. Chlorophenylmethane 16. Benzyl ethyl ether

3. 2-Chloro-2-methyl
propane Alkyl Halide Solvolysis
1. Benzyl alcohol

2. 2-Methyl-2-propanol

3. exo-Bicyclo[2.2.1]
6. 3-Methyl butanoic acid heptane-2-ol

4. Tetrahydrofuran
7. 3-Methyl butanal

5. 1,4-Butanediol
8. Benzoic acid

6. 1-Chloromethyl-4-nitro-
9. Benzaldehyde benzene

10. Cyclohexanone benzene

8. 1-Chloromethyl-2,4-
11. Cyclohexene dinitro-benzene

9. 4-Nitro-benzyl alcohol
12. Diisopentyl ether

10. 2-Nitro-benzyl alcohol
13. Dibenzyl Ether

11. Benzyl ethyl ether
14. 1,1-Oxybis-cyclohexane

12. Benzyl methyl ether
15. Di-tert-butyl ether

13. 2-methyl-2-ethoxy-
propane

B-2

14. 1-Methoxy butane 2. 1-Phenylethanol

15. 5-Ethoxybicyclo[2.2.1] 3. 1-Methyl-cyclohexanol
heptane

16. Bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene 4. 2,3-Dimethyl-2-butanol

17. Benzoic acid 5. 1-Hexanol

18. Bicyclo[2.2.1] 6. 3,3-Dimethyl-1-butanol
heptan-2-one

19. 4-Chloro-butanoic acid 7. 2-Phenyl ethanol

20. 4-Chloro-butyraldehyde 8. trans-2-methyl-
cyclohexanol

21. 1,4-Dichlorobutane 9. Hexane-1,2-diol

22. Butanol 10. 3,3-Dimethyl-1,2-butane
diol

23. 2-Benzyl-benzyl chloride 11. 1-Phenyl-ethane-1,2-diol

24. 4-Benzyl-benzyl chloride 12. cis-1-Methyl-
cyclohexane-1,2-diol

25. Benzyldiisopropylamine 13. Ethyl 2-hexyl ether

26. Butyldiisopropylamine 14. 2-Ethoxy-2,3-dimethyl-
butane

15. Ethyl-(1-phenyl-ethyl)-
Alkene Hydration ether
1. 2-Hexanol

B-3

16. 1-Ethoxy-1-methyl- 30. Ethyl-(2-bromo-1-phenyl-
cyclohexane ethyl)-ether

17. 2-Chloro-hexane 31. Pentanoic acid

18. 2-chloro-2,3-dimethyl 32. 2,2-Dimethylpropanoic
butane acid

19. 1-Chloro-1-phenylethane 33. Benzoic acid

20. 1-Chloro-1-methyl- 34. 6-Oxo-heptanoic acid
cyclohexane

21. 1,2-Dibromo-hexane 35. Formic acid

22. 1,2-Dibromo-3,3- 36. 1,2-Epoxyhexane
dimethyl-butane

23. (1,2-Dibromoethyl)- 37. 3,3-Dimethyl-1,2-epoxy
benzene butane

24. 1,2-Dibromo-1-methyl- 38. 1,2-Epoxyethylbenzene
cyclohexane

25. 1-Bromo-2-hexanol 39. 1-Methyl-1,2-
epoxycyclohexane

26. 1-Bromo-3,3-dimethyl-2- 40. 4-Nitro-styrene
butanol

27. 2-Bromo-1-phenyl- 41. 2-Nitro-styrene
ethanol

28. 2-Bromo-2-methyl- 42. 1,3-Diphenyl-1-butene
cyclohexanol

29. 1-Bromo-2-ethoxy-
hexane Hydroboration
1. 2-Methyl-1-butanol

B-4

2. 2-Methyl-3-pentanol 16. 2-Chloro-hexane

3. 4-Methyl-2-pentanol 17. 1-Chloro-1-methyl-
cyclohexane

4. 1-Hexanol 18. 1,2-Dibromo-2-methyl-
butane

5. trans-2-methyl- 19. 2,3-Dibromo-4-methyl-
cyclohexanol pentane

6. 2-Methyl-2-butanol 20. 1,2-Dibromo-hexane

7. 2-Methyl-2-pentanol 21. trans-1,2-Dibromo-1-
methyl-cyclohexane

8. 2-Hexanol 22. 1-Bromo-2-methyl-
butan-2-ol

9. 1-Methyl-cyclohexanol 23. 1-Bromo-2-hexanol

10. 2-Ethoxy-2-methylbutane 24. trans-2-Bromo-2-methyl-
cyclohexanol

11. 3-Ethoxy-2-methyl- 25. 1-Bromo-2-ethoxy-2-
pentane methyl-butane

12. Ethyl 2-hexyl ether 26. 1-Bromo-2-ethoxy-
hexane

13. 1-Ethoxy-1-methyl- 27. 2-Methyl-butane-1,2-diol
cyclohexane

14. 2-Methyl-2-chlorobutane 28. syn-4-Methyl-pentane-
2,3-diol

15. 2-Chloro-2- 29. Hexane-1,2-diol
methylpentane

B-5

30. cis-1-Methyl- 3. 1,4-Dibromo-2-butene
cyclohexane-1,2-diol

31. 1,2-Epoxy-2-methyl- 4. trans-2,3-Dibromo-butane
butane

32. 2,3-Epoxy-4-methyl- 5. (1R)-trans-1,2-Dibromo-
pentane cyclohexane

33. 1,2-Epoxyhexane 6. 2-Hexanol

34. 1-Methyl-1,2- 7. 3-Buten-1-ol
epoxycyclohexane

35. 2-Butanone 8. 2-Butanol

36. 2-Methyl-propionic acid 9. 1-Cyclohexanol

37. Acetic acid 10. 1-Hexanol

38. Pentanoic acid 11. Ethyl 2-hexyl ether

39. 6-Oxo-heptanoic acid 12. 3-Ethoxy-1-butene

40. Formic acid 13. 1-Ethoxy-2-butene

41. 2-Methyl-2-pentene 14. 2-Ethoxy-butane

15. Ethoxy-cyclohexane
Alkene Bromination
1. 1,2-Dibromo-hexane
16. 2-Chloro-hexane

2. 3,4-Dibromo-1-butene

B-6

17. 3-Chloro-1-butene 31. cis-Cyclohexane-1,2-diol

18. 1-Chloro-2-butene 32. 1,2-Epoxyhexane

19. 2-Chloro-butane 33. 3,4-Epoxy-but-1-ene

20. Chlorocyclohexane 34. 2,3-Epoxy-butane

21. 1-Bromo-2-hexanol 35. 1,2-Epoxy-cyclohexane

22. anti-3-Bromo-butan-2-ol 36. Pentanoic acid

23. trans-2-Bromo- 37. 2-Propenoic acid
cyclohexanol

24. 1-Bromo-2-ethoxy- 38. Acetic acid
hexane

25. 4-Bromo-3-ethoxy-but-1- 39. Hexanedioic acid
ene

26. anti-2-Bromo-3-ethoxy- 40. Formic acid
butane

27. trans-1-Bromo-2-ethoxy-
cyclohexane Alkene Dihydroxylation
1. 2-Methyl-butane-1,2-diol
28. Hexane-1,2-diol

2. Hexane-1,2-diol
29. But-3-ene-1,2-diol

3. cis-Octahydro-
30. syn-Butane-2,3-diol naphthalene-4a,8a-diol

4. cis-Cyclohexane-1,2-diol

B-7

5. 2-Methyl-2-butanol 19. 1,2-Dibromo-2-methyl-
butane

6. 2-Hexanol 20. 1,2-Dibromo-hexane

7. Bicyclo[4.4.0]decane-1-ol 21. 4a,8a-Dibromo-
decahydro-naphthalene

8. 1-Cyclohexanol 22. (1R)-trans-1,2-Dibromo-
cyclohexane

9. 2-Methyl-1-butanol 23. 1-Bromo-2-methyl-
butan-2-ol

10. 1-Hexanol 24. 1-Bromo-2-hexanol

11. 2-Ethoxy-2-methylbutane 25. 9-Bromo-10-hydroxy-
trans-decalin

12. Ethyl 2-hexyl ether 26. trans-2-Bromo-
cyclohexanol

13. trans-9-Ethoxydecalin 27. 1-Bromo-2-ethoxy-2-
methyl-butane

14. Ethoxy-cyclohexane 28. 1-Bromo-2-ethoxy-
hexane

15. 2-Methyl-2-chlorobutane 29. trans-1-Bromo-2-ethoxy-
cyclohexane

16. 2-Chloro-hexane 30. 1,2-Epoxy-2-methyl-
butane

17. 4a-Chloro-decahydro- 31. 1,2-Epoxyhexane
naphthalene

18. Chlorocyclohexane 32. 4a,8a-Epoxy-decahydro-
napthalene

B-8

33. 1,2-Epoxy-cyclohexane 9. Ethoxy-cyclohexane

34. 2-Butanone 10. 3-Ethoxy-cyclohexene

35. Pentanoic acid 11. 2-Chloro-butane

36. Hexanedioic acid 12. Chlorocyclohexane

37. Cyclodecane-1,6-dione 13. 4-Chloro-1,2-dimethyl-
cyclohexene

38. Formic acid 14. 3-Chloro-cyclohexene

15. trans-2,3-Dibromo-butane
Epoxidation
1. 2,3-Epoxy-butane
16. (1R)-trans-1,2-Dibromo-
cyclohexane
2. 1,2-Epoxy-cyclohexane
17. 4,5-Dibromo-4,5-
dimethyl-cyclohexene
3. 1,2-Dimethyl-1,2-epoxy-
cyclohex-4-ene 18. 2,3-Dibromo-
cyclohexanol
4. 2,3-Epoxy-cyclohexanol
19. anti-3-Bromo-butan-2-ol

5. 2-Butanol
20. trans-2-Bromo-
cyclohexanol
6. 1-Cyclohexanol
21. 2-Bromo-cyclohexane-
1,3-diol
7. 3,4-Dimethyl-cyclohex-3-
enol 22. 3-Bromo-cyclohexane-
1,2-diol
8. 2-Ethoxy-butane

B-9

23. anti-2-Bromo-3-ethoxy- 4. Bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-
butane 2-carboxylic acid methyl
ester
24. trans-1-Bromo-2-ethoxy- 5. Bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-
cyclohexane diene-2,3-dicarboxylic
acid dimethyl ester
25. syn-Butane-2,3-diol 6. 1,4,4a,8a-Tetrahydro-1,4-
methano-naphthalene-5,8-
dione
26. cis-Cyclohexane-1,2-diol 7. 4-Oxo-cyclohex-2-ene
carboxylic acid methyl
ester
27. cis-4,5-Dimethyl- 8. 4-Hydroxy-phthalic acid
cyclohex-4-ene-1,2-diol dimethyl ester

28. Cyclohexane-1,2,3-triol 9. Naphthalene-1,4,6-triol

29. Acetic acid 10. 3a,4,7,7a-Tetrahydro-4,7-
methano-indene

30. Hexanedioic acid 11. 5-Vinylbicyclo[2.2.1]
hept-2-ene

31. Oct-4-ene-2,7-dione 12. Bicyclo[4.3.0]nona-3,7-
diene

32. 2-Cyclohexen-1-one 13. Cyclohex-3-enecarboxylic
acid ethyl ester

33. Cyclohexa-1,3-diene 14. Cyclohexa-1,4-diene-1,2-
dicarboxylic acid diethyl
ester
15. Cyclohex-1,4-diene-1,2-
Diels Alder dicarboxylic acid
1. Cyclohex-3-enecarboxylic
acid methyl ester 16. Cyclohex-3-enecarboxylic
acid
2. Cyclohexa-1,4-diene-1,2-
dicarboxylic acid 17. 2,3-Epoxy-2,3,4a,5,8,8a-
dimethyl ester hexahydro-[1,4]
3. 4a,5,8,8a-Tetrahydro- naphthoquinone
[1,4]naphthoquinone

B-10

18. 5,6-Epoxy-3a,4,5,6,7,7a- 32. Cyclopent-2-enyl ethyl
hexahydro-4,7-methano- ether
indene
19. 1,2-Epoxy-1,2,3a,4,7,7a- 33. 3-Chloro-1-butene
hexahydro-4,7-methano-
indene
20. 2-Bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5- 34. 1-Chloro-2-butene
en-2-yl-oxirane

21. 6-vinyl-3-oxa-tricyclo 35. 3-Chloro-cyclopentene
[3.2.1.02,4]octane

22. 2,2a,3,5a,6,6a-hexahydro- 36. 3,4-Dibromo-1-butene
1aH-1-oxa-cyclopropa
[f]indene
23. 7-Oxa-bicyclo[4.1.0]hept- 37. 1,4-Dibromo-2-butene
3-ene-3,4-dicarboxylic
acid dimethyl ester
24. 3,4-Epoxy-cyclohexane 38. trans-3,4-Dibrom-
carboxylic acid methyl cyclopentene
ester
25. 1,2,3,4,4a,8a-hexahydro- 39. 3,5-Dibromo-
1,4-methano-2,3-epoxy- cyclopentene
naphthalene-5,8-dione
26. 3-Oxa-tricyclo[3.2.1.02,4] 40. 2,3-Dibromo-propanoic
oct-6-ene-6,7-dicarboxylic acid methyl ester
acid dimethyl ester
27. 3-Oxa-tricyclo[3.2.1.02,4] 41. trans-5-Bromo-cyclopent-
octane-6-carboxylic acid 2-enol
methyl ester
28. 3-Buten-1-ol 42. 3-Bromo-2-hydroxy-
propionic acid methyl
ester
29. 2-Cyclopenten-1-ol 43. 4-Bromo-3-ethoxy-
but-1-ene

30. 3-Ethoxy-1-butene 44. Buta-3-ene-1,2-diol

31. 1-Ethoxy-2-butene 45. cis-Cyclopent-3-ene-
1,2-diol

B-11

46. 2,3-Dihydroxy-propionic 60. Hydroquinone
acid methyl ester

47. 3,4-Epoxy-but-1-ene 61. But-2-ynedioic acid

48. 3,4-Epoxy-cyclopentene 62. But-2-ynedioic acid
diethyl ester

49. Oxirane-2-carboxylic acid 63. 2-Propenoic acid, ethyl
methyl ester ester

50. 2-Propenoic acid
Aldol
1. 3-Hydroxybutanal
51. Pent-2-ene-1,5-dioic acid

2. 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-
52. Formic acid hexanal

3. 3-Hydroxy-3-phenyl-
53. 4-Methoxy-but-3-en-2- propanal
one
4. 2-Ethyl-hex-2-enal
54. Methoxy-trimethyl-silane

5. 5-Hydroxy-2,2,4-
55. Trimethylsilanol trimethyl-hexan-3-one

6. 3-Hydroxy-2-methyl-3-
56. Ethoxy-trimethyl-silane phenyl-propionic acid
2,6-dimethyl-phenyl ester
7. 1-hydroxy-2,4,4-
57. 4-Hydroxy-but-3-en-2-one
trimethyl-1-phenyl-
pentan-3-one
58. 4-Ethoxy-but-3-en-2-one 8. 5-Hydroxy-2,2,4-
trimethyl-octan-3-one

59. 1-Hydroxy-4-methoxy- 9. anti-3-Hydroxy-2-methyl-
but-3-en-2-one 3-phenyl-propionic acid
ethyl ester

B-12

10. 3-Hydroxy-2-methyl-3- 24. Propanoic acid, 1,1-
phenyl-propionic acid dimethylethyl ester
methyl ester

11. anti-3-Hydroxy-2-methyl- 25. 1,1-Diethoxy-ethane
3-phenyl-propionic acid

12. anti-3-hydroxy-2-methyl- 26. 1,1-Diethoxy-butane
hexanoic acid-2,6-
dimethyl-phenyl ester

13. But-2-enal 27. Benzaldehyde
diethylacetal

14. 3-Phenyl-propenal 28. Ethanol

15. 2,2,4-Trimethyl-hex-4-en- 29. Butanol
3-one

16. 2,4,4-Trimethyl-1-phenyl- 30. Benzyl alcohol
pent-1-en-3-one

17. 2-Methyl-3-phenyl- 31. 2,2-Dimethyl-pentan-3-ol
acrylic acid ethyl ester

18. 2-Methyl-3-phenyl- 32. Acetic acid
acrylic acid methyl ester

19. 2-Methyl-3-oxo-pentanoic 33. Butanoic acid
acid methyl ester

20. 2-Methyl-3-phenyl- 34. Benzoic acid
acrylic acid

21. Formic acid methyl ester 35. Bromo-acetaldehyde

22. Formic acid propyl ester 36. 2-Bromo-butanal

23. Formic acid phenyl ester 37. 4-Bromo-2,2-dimethyl-
pentan-3-one

B-13

38. Propionic acid-2,6- 6. Cyclohexyl-phenyl-
dimethyl-4-bromo-phenyl methanol
ester
39. 2-Bromo-propionic acid 7. Propionic acid
2,6-dimethyl-phenyl ester

40. 3-Nitro-benzaldehyde 8. Benzoic acid

41. Propionic acid-2,6- 9. Cyclohexane
dimethyl-4-nitro-phenyl carboxylic acid
ester
42. 3-Hydroxy-3-(4-nitro- 10. Ethanol
phenyl)-propanal
11. Propan-2-ol
43. 3-(4-Nitro-phenyl)-
propenal
12. Benzyl alcohol
44. Propionic acid

13. 1-Cyclohexanol
45. 2,6-Dimethyl-phenol

14. Phenol
46. Propionic acid ethyl ester

15. 2,2-Diethoxy-propane
Grignard Addition
16. Benzaldehyde
diethylacetal
2. 2-cyclohexyl-propan-2-ol
17. Ethyl bromide

3. 2-Phenyl-2-propanol
18. Bromobenzene

4. 1-Phenyl-1-propanol
19. Bromocyclohexane

5. Diphenyl-methanol

B-14

20. 1-Bromo-propan-2-one 6. Benzoic acid

21. nitro-Benzene 7. Benzaldehyde
diethylacetal

22. 1,3-Dinitrobenzene 8. Benzyl alcohol

23. 3-Nitro-benzaldehyde 9. Formic acid phenyl ester

24. Formic acid phenyl ester
Friedel-Crafts
1. 3-Isopropyl-benzaldehyde
25. 4-Methyl-pent-3-en-2-one

2. 3-Benzoyl-benzaldehyde
26. 4-Hydroxy-4-phenyl-
butan-2-one
3. 3-Acetyl-benzaldehyde
27. 4-Phenyl-but-3-en-2-one

4. 1-isopropyl-2-methyl-
28. Methyl acetate benzene

5. 1-Isopropyl-4-methyl-
benzene
Benzene Nitration
1. 1-Methyl-4-nitro-benzene 6. 4-Acetyltoluene

2. 1-Methyl-2-nitro-benzene 7. 2-Acetyltoluene

3. 1-Methyl-2,4-dinitro- 8. 2-Methyl-benzophenone
benzene

4. 3-Nitro-benzaldehyde 9. 4-Methyl-benzophenone

5. Bromomethyl-benzene 10. Ethyl acetate

B-15

11. Methyl acetate 25. 1-Methyl-2-nitro-benzene

12. Benzoic acid ethyl ester 26. 1-Methyl-2,4-dinitro-
benzene

13. Benzoic acid methyl ester 27. 3-Nitro-benzaldehyde

14. Bromoacetic acid ethyl 28. 3-Nitro-benzoic acid
ester

15. Acetic acid 29. Bromomethyl-benzene

16. Benzoic acid 30. Formic acid phenyl ester

17. Bromoacetic acid 31. 2-Ethoxy-propane

18. 2,2-Diethoxy-propane 32. 2-Propanone

19. Benzaldehyde
diethylacetal Acid Chloride
1. Acetyl chloride
20. Propan-2-ol

2. Benzoyl chloride
21. Benzyl alcohol

3. Heptanoyl chloride
22. N,N-Diisopropyl-
acetamide
4. Ethyl acetate
23. N,N-Diisopropyl-
benzamide
5. Benzoic acid ethyl ester
24. 1-Methyl-4-nitro-benzene

6. Ethyl heptanoate

B-16

7. Ethanol 11. 3-Oxo-butyric acid

8. Benzyl alcohol 12. 3-Oxo-butyric acid ethyl
ester

9. 1-Heptanol 13. 3-Nitro-benzaldehyde

10. 3-Nitro-benzoic acid 14. Bicyclohexyliden-2-one

15. 2-(Hydroxy-phenyl-
Carbonyl Reduction methyl)-cyclohexanone
1. Benzyl alcohol
16. 2-Benzylidene-
cyclohexanone
2. 1-Cyclohexanol
17. 2-Acetyl-3-phenyl-acrylic
acid
3. 3-Hydroxy-butyric acid
methyl ester 18. 4-Phenyl-but-3-en-2-one

4. Benzaldehyde
diethylacetal 19. 2-Acetyl-3-phenyl-acrylic
acid methyl ester
5. 1,1-Diethoxy-
cyclohexane 20. 2-Acetyl-3-phenyl-acrylic
acid ethyl ester
6. 2-Bromo-cyclohexanone
21. 2-Cyclohexylidene-
acetoacetic acid
7. 2-Bromo-3-oxo-butyric
acid methyl ester 22. 1-Cyclohexylidene-
propan-2-one
8. Benzoic acid
23. 2-Cyclohexylidene-3-oxo-
butyric acid methyl ester
9. Formic acid phenyl ester
24. 2-Cyclohexylidene-3-oxo-
butyric acid ethyl ester
10. Oxepan-2-one

B-17

Claisen Condensation 15. Propionic acid
1. 2-Oxo-cyclohexane
ester 16. Heptanedioic acid
2. 3-Oxo-butyric acid
methyl ester
17. Bromo-acetic acid methyl
3. 3-Oxo-pentanoic acid ester
methyl ester
18. 2-Bromo-propanoic acid
4. 2-Methyl-3-oxo-butyric methyl ester
acid methyl ester
19. 2-Bromo-heptanedioic
5. 2-Methyl-3-oxo-pentanoic acid dimethyl ester
acid methyl ester

6. 3-Oxo-butyric acid ethyl Alcohol Oxidation
ester 1. Benzoic acid

7. 2-Methyl-3-oxo-pentanoic
acid ethyl ester 2. Benzaldehyde

8. 2-Oxo-cyclohexane
carboxylic acid ethyl ester 3. Acetophenone

9. 3-Oxo-pentanoic acid
ethyl ester 4. 3-Methyl-cyclohex-2-
enone
10. 2-Methyl-3-oxo-butyric
acid ethyl ester 5. Chlorophenylmethane

11. Ethyl acetate
6. 1-Chloro-1-phenylethane

12. Ethyl propionate
7. 3-Chloro-1-methyl-
cyclohexene
13. Heptanedioic acid diethyl
ester 8. Dibenzyl Ether

14. Acetic acid
9. Benzyl ethyl ether

B-18

10. bis-(1-Phenyl-ethyl)-ether

11. Ethyl-(1-phenyl-ethyl)-
ether

12. Benzyl-(1-phenyl-ethyl)-
ether

13. 1-Methyl-cyclohexane-
1,2,3-triol

14. 2-Hydroxy-2-methyl-
hexanedioic acid

15. 1-Methyl-2,3-
epoxycyclohexanol

B-19

Appendix C
List of Organic Qualitative Analysis Unknowns
A list of organic qualitative analysis unknowns that can be assigned arranged by unknown class.

Alkenes 13. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-Octahydro-
1. 1-Hexene naphthalene

14. 4,5-Dimethyl-cyclohexene
2. 1-Methyl-cyclohexene

15. Cyclohexa-1,3-diene
3. 4-Methyl-2-pentene

16. Cyclopenta-1,3-diene
4. 2-Methyl-1-butene

17. 4-Vinyl-cyclohexene
5. Styrene

18. 1,2-Dimethyl-cyclohexa-
6. 2-Methyl-2-pentene 1,4-diene

19. Bicylo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene
7. 1,3-Diphenyl-1-butene

20. 4-Nitro-styrene
8. Benzene

21. 2-Nitro-styrene
9. 1-isopropyl-2-methyl-
benzene
22. nitro-Benzene
10. 1-Isopropyl-4-methyl-
benzene
23. Cyclohex-2-enol
11. Indene

24. 2-Buten-1-ol
12. Cyclohexene

25. cis-Cyclopent-3-ene-1,2-
diol

C-1

26. cis-4,5-Dimethyl- 40. 1,2-Dimethyl-1,2-epoxy-
cyclohex-4-ene-1,2-diol cyclohex-4-ene

27. But-2-enal 41. 1-Ethoxy-2-butene

28. 3-Phenyl-propenal 42. N-Allylaniline

29. 2-Ethyl-hex-2-enal 43. Acrylamide

30. 4-Methyl-pent-3-en-2-one 44. Cinnamamide

31. 2,5-Cyclohexadiene-1,4- 45. 1-Bromo-but-3-en-2-ol
dione

32. 3-Methyl-cyclohex-2- 46. 4-Bromo-3-ethoxy-but-1-
enone ene

33. 2-Propenoic acid, methyl
ester Alcohols
1. Benzyl alcohol
34. 2-Propenoic acid, ethyl
ester
35. Cyclohex-3-enecarboxylic
acid methyl ester
3. 2-Methyl-2-propanol

4. 2-Methyl-butane-1,2-diol
37. 3-Chloro-cyclohexene

5. Methanol
38. 3-Chloro-1-butene

6. Ethanol

7. Butanol

C-2

8. 1-Hexanol 22. 1-Cyclohexanol

9. 1-Heptanol 23. trans-2-methyl-
cyclohexanol

10. 2-Methyl-1-butanol 24. 2,3-Dimethyl-2-butanol

11. 2-Phenyl ethanol 25. 2-Phenyl-2-propanol

12. 4-tert-Butylbenzyl alcohol 26. 2-Methyl-2-pentanol

13. 2-Butanol 27. 2-Methyl-2-butanol

14. 2-Hexanol 28. 1,4-Butanediol

15. 1-Phenylethanol 29. Hexane-1,2-diol

16. Diphenyl-methanol 30. syn-Butane-2,3-diol

17. 1-Phenyl-1-propanol 31. syn-4-Methyl-pentane-2,3-
diol

18. Propan-2-ol 32. cis-Cyclohexane-1,2-diol

19. 2,2-Dimethyl-pentan-3-ol 33. cis-1-Methyl-cyclohexane-
1,2-diol

20. 2-Methyl-3-pentanol 34. Phenol

21. 4-Methyl-2-pentanol 35. Benzene-1,3-diol

C-3

36. Cyclohexane-1,2,3-triol 50. 1-hydroxy-2,4,4-trimethyl-
1-phenyl-pentan-3-one

37. 2-Nitro-benzyl alcohol 51. 4-Chloro-1-butanol

38. 4-Nitro-benzyl alcohol 52. 1-Bromo-2-hexanol

39. 2,6-Dimethyl-4-nitro- 53. 1-Bromo-3,3-dimethyl-2-
phenol butanol

40. Cyclohex-2-enol 54. 9-Bromo-10-hydroxy-
trans-decalin

41. 2-Buten-1-ol 55. 2-Bromo-cyclohexane-1,3-
diol

42. cis-Cyclopent-3-ene-1,2- 56. 2,3-Dibromo-cyclohexanol
diol

43. cis-4,5-Dimethyl- 57. 3-Hydroxy-butyric acid
cyclohex-4-ene-1,2-diol methyl ester

44. 3-Hydroxybutanal 58. 3-Hydroxy-2-methyl-3-
phenyl-propionic acid 2,6-
45. 4-Hydroxy-4-phenyl- 59. 1-Bromo-but-3-en-2-ol
butan-2-one

46. 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy- 60. 3-Bromo-2-hydroxy-
butyraldehyde propionic acid methyl ester

47. 4-Hydroxy-4-methyl-
pentan-2-one Aldehydes
1. Butyraldehyde
48. 5-Hydroxy-2,2,4-
2. Benzaldehyde
49. 2-(Hydroxy-phenyl-
methyl)-butyraldehyde
3. 3-Phenyl-propenal

C-4

4. 3-Methyl butanal 18. 4-Acetamidobenzaldehyde

5. 3-Isopropyl-benzaldehyde

Ketones
6. 4-Nitrobenzaldehyde 1. 1-Phenyl-ethanone

7. 3-Nitro-benzaldehyde 2. Cyclohexanone

8. But-2-enal 3. 2-Propanone

9. 2-Ethyl-hex-2-enal 4. 2-Butanone

10. 3-Acetyl-benzaldehyde 5. 2,2-Dimethyl-pentan-3-one

11. 3-Hydroxybutanal 6. 4-Acetyltoluene

12. 3-Hydroxy-3-phenyl- 7. 2-Acetyltoluene
propanal

13. 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy- 8. 4-Methyl-benzophenone
butyraldehyde

14. 2-(Hydroxy-phenyl- 9. Cyclodecane-1,6-dione
methyl)-butyraldehyde

15. Bromo-acetaldehyde 10. Bicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-one

16. 4-Chloro-butyraldehyde 11. 4-Methyl-pent-3-en-2-one

17. 4-Chloro-benzaldehyde 12. 2-Cyclohexen-1-one

C-5

13. 3-Methyl-cyclohex-2- 3. Formic acid
enone

14. 2,5-Cyclohexadiene-1,4- 4. Acetic acid
dione

15. 3-Acetyl-benzaldehyde 5. Propionic acid

16. 4-Hydroxy-4-phenyl- 6. Butanoic acid
butan-2-one

17. 4-Hydroxy-4-methyl- 7. Pentanoic acid
pentan-2-one

18. 1-hydroxy-2,4,4-trimethyl- 8. 2-Methyl-propionic acid
1-phenyl-pentan-3-one

19. 5-Hydroxy-2,2,4- 9. 3-Methyl butanoic acid

20. 2-Bromo-cyclohexanone 10. 2,2-Dimethylpropanoic
acid

21. 3-Oxo-butyric acid 11. 2-Phenylacetic acid

22. 2-Oxo-propionic acid 12. Cyclohexanecarboxylic
acid

23. 3-Oxo-butyric acid methyl 13. Ethane-1,2-dioic acid
ester

24. 2-Oxo-cyclohexane 14. Propanedioic acid
ester
15. Hexanedioic acid
Acids
1. Benzoic acid
16. Heptanedioic acid

2. Heptanoic acid

C-6

17. 3-Nitro-benzoic acid 4. Methyl acetate

18. 4-Nitro-benzoic acid 5. Ethyl acetate

19. 2-Nitrobenzeneacetic acid 6. Propionic acid ethyl ester

20. 2,4-Dinitrophenylacetic 7. Propanoic acid, 1,1-
acid dimethylethyl ester

21. 2-Propenoic acid 8. Methyl butanoate

22. Bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene- 9. Ethyl butanoate
2-carboxylic acid

23. 3-Oxo-butyric acid 10. 3-Methylbutyl butanoate

24. 2-Oxo-propionic acid 11. Benzoic acid methyl ester

25. 2-Bromo-butanoic acid 12. Benzoic acid ethyl ester

26. m-Chlorobenzoic acid 13. Methyl phenylacetate

27. N-Acetylanthranilic acid 14. 3-Methylbutyl
phenylacetate

15. Ethyl heptanoate
Esters
1. Ethyl-2-phenyl acetate
16. Acetic acid 1-phenyl-ethyl
ester
2. 3-Methylbutyl acetate
17. Formic acid methyl ester

3. Methyl propionate

C-7

18. Formic acid propyl ester 32. 3-Oxo-butyric acid methyl
ester

19. Formic acid phenyl ester 33. 3-Oxo-butyric acid ethyl
ester

20. Propionic acid 2,6- 34. 2-Oxo-cyclohexane
dimethyl-phenyl ester carboxylic acid methyl
ester
21. Dihydro-furan-2-one 35. Methyl 2-chloropropionate

22. Oxepan-2-one 36. 3-Hydroxy-butyric acid
methyl ester

23. 1,7-Dimethyl- 37. 3-Bromo-2-hydroxy-
heptanedioate propionic acid methyl ester

24. Heptanedioic acid diethyl 38. 3-Hydroxy-2-methyl-3-
ester phenyl-propionic acid 2,6-
25. 3-Nitro-benzoic acid ethyl
ester Amines
1. Benzylamine

26. Propionic acid-2,6-
dimethyl-4-nitro-phenyl 2. Diisopropyl amine
ester
27. 2-Bromo-heptanedioic acid
dimethyl ester 3. Triethyl amine

28. 2-Propenoic acid, methyl
4. Methyl amine
ester

29. 2-Propenoic acid, ethyl 5. Propyl amine
ester

30. Cyclohex-3-enecarboxylic 6. n-Heptylamine
acid methyl ester

31. But-2-ynedioic acid ethyl 7. n-Octylamine
ester methyl ester

C-8

8. Isopropylamine 22. Quinoline

9. sec-Butylamine 23. N-Allylaniline

10. Aniline

Amides
11. Diethylamine 1. N,N-Diisopropyl-
acetamide

12. N-Methylpropylamine 2. Acetanilide

13. N-Ethylisopropylamine 3. Formamide

14. N-Methylaniline 4. Butyramide

15. N-Methyldibutylamine 5. Cyclohexanecarboxamide

16. Butyldiisopropylamine 6. N-Ethylacetamide

17. Benzyldiisopropylamine 7. 2,2-Dimethyl-
propionamide

18. Triisopropylamine 8. N,N-Dimethylacetamide

19. N,N-Dimethylaniline 9. Formanilide

20. Cyclobutylamine 10. N,N-Diphenylformamide

21. 1-Phenylpiperidine 11. 1-Acetylpiperidine

C-9

12. Cinnamamide 10. 2-Chloro-hexane

13. 2-Bromopropionamide 11. 2-Chloro-butane

14. 4-Acetamidobenzaldehyde 12. 2-Chloro-3-methylbutane

15. 2-Bromo-N- 13. 2-Chloro-4-methyl pentane
phenylpropionamide

16. N-Acetylanthranilic acid 14. 3-Chloro-2-methyl pentane

15. exo-2-Chloro-
Halides bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane
1. Chlorophenylmethane
16. Bromocyclohexane

2. 2-Chloro-2-methyl
propane 17. 2-Chloro-2-methylpentane

18. 4a-Chloro-decahydro-
naphthalene
4. 1-Chloro-3-methyl butane
19. 1,2-Dibromo-hexane

20. 1,2-Dibromo-2-methyl-
butane
6. Chlorobutane
21. 1,2-Dibromo-1-methyl-
cyclohexane
7. 1-tert-Butyl-4-
chloromethyl-benzene 22. 4a,8a-Dibromo-decahydro-
naphthalene
8. Ethyl bromide
benzene
9. Bromomethyl-benzene

C-10

24. Benzene Chloride 38. Methyl 2-chloropropionate

25. Bromobenzene 39. 2-Bromo-heptanedioic acid
dimethyl ester

26. 3-Chloro-1-butene 40. 2-Bromopropionamide

27. 3-Chloro-cyclohexene 41. 2-Bromo-N-phenyl
propionamide

28. 4-Chloro-1-butanol 42. 1-Bromo-but-3-en-2-ol

29. 1-Bromo-2-hexanol 43. 4-Bromo-3-ethoxy-
but-1-ene

30. 1-Bromo-3,3-dimethyl-2- 44. 3-Bromo-2-hydroxy-
butanol propionic acid methyl ester

31. 9-Bromo-10-hydroxy- 45. 2-Bromo-cyclohexane-1,3-
trans-decalin diol

32. Bromo-acetaldehyde 46. 2,3-Dibromo-cyclohexanol

33. 4-Chloro-benzaldehyde
Ethers
1. 1,2-Epoxy-cyclohexane
34. 4-Chloro-butyraldehyde

2. Diethyl ether
35. 2-Bromo-cyclohexanone

3. 2-Methoxypropane
36. 2-Bromo-butanoic acid

4. 1-Ethoxy-butane
37. m-Chlorobenzoic acid

5. Di-tert-butyl ether

C-11

6. Diisopentyl ether 20. 4a,8a-Epoxy-decahydro-
napthalene

7. Ethyl 2-hexyl ether 21. 1,1-Diethoxy-ethane

8. 2-Methoxy-2-methyl- 22. 2,2-Diethoxy-propane
propane

9. Dibenzyl Ether 23. Benzaldehyde
diethylacetal

10. Benzyl methyl ether 24. 1-Ethoxy-2-butene

11. Ethyl phenyl ether 25. 3,4-Epoxy-but-1-ene

12. Benzyl ethyl ether 26. 1,2-Dimethyl-1,2-epoxy-
cyclohex-4-ene

13. Tetrahydrofuran 27. 4-Bromo-3-ethoxy-but-1-
ene

14. 2,3-Epoxy-butane
Natural Products
1. Citric Acid
15. 1,2-Epoxyhexane

2. Glycine
16. 1,2-Epoxyethylbenzene

3. Fumaric Acid
17. 3,3-Dimethyl-1,2-
epoxybutane
4. Alpha-ketogluteric Acid
18. 1,2-Epoxy-2-methyl-
butane
5. Dopamine
19. 1-Methyl-1,2-
epoxycyclohexane
6. D-Glucose

C-12

7. Sucrose

8. Vanillin

9. Capsaicin

10. Cocaine

11. Cholesterol

C-13

Appendix D
Quantum Equations
The experiments in the quantum simulation are based on actual experimental measurements, as is
the case for the emission and adsorption experiments or on equations that are derived from
fundamental principles. Given in this section is a description of some of these equations that an
instructor may wish to pass on to the students in the class. It is beyond the scope of this user’s
guide to detail how these equations were derived. Most of the supporting information for these
equations can be found in a good undergraduate physics text. In the case of the Millikan Oil
Drop Experiment, the equations used in the simulation were developed from Millikan’s original
paper.

Photoelectric Effect. In the photoelectric experiment, the kinetic energy of the electron
ejected from a metal due to an incident photon is calculated using the equation, E kinetic = h ,
where h is Planck’s constant, is the frequency of the photon, and is the work function for the
metal. Values of the work function used for all the available metals are given in the Metal Table
found in the QuantumDB directory. In this experiment, no multiple photon events are allowed to
occur.

Blackbody Radiation. In the quantum simulation, each available metal can be heated up to its
melting point, where it is then allowed to melt. Before the metal melts, each metal is treated as a
perfect blackbody emitter and follows Planck’s blackbody radiation formula. The equation that is
used in the simulation is given in terms of the intensity (not the energy density, which is
8 hc 1
normally the case) and is I ( ) = N 5 hc k BT
where I( ) is the intensity of the
T e 1
radiation as a function of wavelength, ; N is a normalizing factor set to 0.2 to keep the intensity
within the bounds of 0 to 1; and the other variables take on their normal values.

Thompson Experiment. In the Thompson Experiment, the charge-to-mass ratio, q/me, for an
electron can be calculated by measuring the deflection of a beam of electrons on a phosphor
screen caused by an applied electric field and then measuring the magnitude of a perpendicular
magnetic field required to bring the deflected beam back to the center of the phosphor screen.
The setup and geometry of the experiment has an incident beam of electrons with a given kinetic
energy (velocity), which passes through an electric field of strength E and a perpendicular
magnetic field of strength B. Initially, B is set to 0 (zero), and the incident beam is deflected on
the phosphor screen by applying a voltage across the electric plates. The deflection and voltage
must be measured. The deflected beam is then brought back to the zero (or middle) of the
phosphor screen by applying the magnetic field. From these measurements and using values
specified in the INI variables, the charge-to-mass ratio for an electron, q/me, can be calculated.

The derivation of the following equations is straightforward, but involves more detail than is
necessary here. The charge-to-mass ratio, q/me, is calculated using the equation

D-1

q 2 Ez
= 2 2 , where
me B l

q = the charge on the electron in coulombs,
me = the mass of the electron in kg,
E = is the magnitude of the electric field calculated using E = V/d,
V = voltage applied to the electric plates in volts,
d = the spacing between the electric plates in m and is specified as an INI variable in Lab.ini
(default setting = 0.050 m),
z = the deflection of the electron beam as the beam exits the electric and magnetic fields,
B = the applied magnetic field in T, and
l = the length of the electric and magnetic fields. (This is also specified as an INI variable in
Lab.ini. The default setting is 0.050 m.)

The deflection of the electron beam as the beam exits the electric and magnetic field, z, cannot be
measured directly, but must be calculated using the measured deflection on the phosphor screen,
x. The equation that calculates z from x is straightforward to derive and reduces to

x
z= , where
1 + 2b l

z = the deflection of the electron beam as the beam exits the electric and magnetic fields,
x = the deflection of the electron beam as measured at the phosphor screen,
b = the distance from the electric and magnetic field to the phosphor screen and is specified as
an INI variable in Lab.ini (default setting = 0.762 m),
l = the length of the electric and magnetic fields. (This is also specified as an INI variable in
Lab.ini. The default setting is 0.050 m.)

Millikan Oil Drop Experiment. In the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment, the charge of an
electron is measured using the following process: (1) A random number of electrons (between 0
and 5) are deposited on very fine oil mist droplets using an electron gun. (2) The mass of an
individual droplet is calculated by measuring the terminal velocity of the drop. (3) The drop is
then suspended (or stopped from falling) by adjusting the voltage across the electric plates. (4)
From the mass of the drop and the voltage required to suspend the drop, the charge on the drop
can be calculated. The following equations are required for this calculation.

To calculate the radius of the oil droplet from the terminal velocity, the first approximation of the
radius, is

9 air vt
r= ,
2 g ( oil air )

D-2

which can then be used to calculate a more accurate value using the equation
1/ 2
9 air vt 1
r= ,
2 g ( oil air ) 1+ b pr

where r on the right side of the equation is the radius acquired from the first approximation and
the new r is used for the second iteration and so on until the answer converges. The variables are
defined as follows:

vt = terminal velocity;
-2
g = 9.81 m s , acceleration due to gravity;
oil = density of oil = 821 kg m-3 (set as an INI variable in Video.ini);
air = density of air = 1.22 kg m-3 (set as an INI variable in Video.ini);
air= viscosity of air = 1.4607 10-5 kg m-1 s-1 (set as an INI variable in Video.ini);
-8
b = correction for small drop size = 8.1184 10 m atm;
p = atmospheric pressure in atm = 1 (set as an INI variable in Video.ini).

From this, the mass of the droplet can be calculated from the equation
4
m= r 3 oil .
3

If a voltage is applied such that the drop is stationary, then the force due to gravity is balanced by
the force due to the electric field, or

qE = mg .

Rearranging and using E = V/dplates yields

d plates m g d plates m g
q= or Q(n) C = , where
V V

q= total charge on the drop,
Q(n) = number of electrons on the drop (an integer),
C= the fundamental charge of an electron,
E= electric field = V/dplates,
V= voltage across the plates, and
dplates = the distance between the voltage plates = 0.010 m (set as an INI variable in Video.ini).

To do a more refined calculation of q, or to calculate it for a nonzero velocity for an applied
field, the equation

D-3

3 1/ 2 3/2
4 d plates 1 9 1
q=
3 V g( ) 2
air
1+ b pr
(v t v field ) vt
oil air

can be used, where the only new variable not described previously, vfield, is the velocity of the
drop in the applied electric field.

D-4

Appendix E
Answers to Preset Unknowns

Inorganic Qualitative Analysis Unknowns
Unknown Cation Unknown Cation Unknown Cation
1 Na+ 43 Ba2+, Ca2+ 85 Zn2+
2 K+ 44 Sr2+ 86 Sb3+
3 Na+, K+ 45 Ba2+, Mg2+ 87 Sn4+
4 Water 46 Ca2+ 88 Al3+
5 Water 47 Sr2+, Ca2+ 89 Ag+, Mg2+, Cu2+
6 Na+ 48 Mg2+ 90 Ag+, Mg2+, Cr3+
7 K+ 49 Sr2+, Mg2+ 91 Ag+, Mg2+, Co2+
8 Na+, K+ 50 Water 92 Ag+, Ca2+, Cu2+
9 Pb2+ 51 Ca2+, Mg2+ 93 Ag+, Ca2+, Cr3+
10 Hg22+ 52 Ba2+, Sr2+, Ca2+, Mg2+ 94 Ag+, Ca2+, Co2+
11 Ag+ 53 Sr2+, Ca2+, Mg2+ 95 Ag+, Sr2+, Cu2+
12 Water 54 Ba2+, Ca2+, Mg2+ 96 Ag+, Sr2+, Cr3+
13 Ag+, Hg22+, Pb2+ 55 Ba2+, Sr2+, Mg2+ 97 Ag+, Sr2+, Co2+
14 Hg22+, Pb2+ 56 Ba2+, Sr2+, Ca2+ 98 Ag+, Ba2+, Cu2+
15 Ag+, Pb2+ 57 Co2+, Cu2+ 99 Ag+, Ba2+, Cr3+
16 Ag+, Hg22+ 58 Co2+, Ni2+ 100 Ag+, Ba2+, Co2+
17 Water 59 Cu2+, Ni2+ 101 Hg22+, Ba2+, Co2+
18 Ag+, Hg22+, Pb2+ 60 Co2+, Cu2+, Ni2+ 102 Hg22+, Ba2+, Cr3+
19 Ag+, Hg22+ 61 Water 103 Hg22+, Ba2+, Cu2+
20 Ag+, Pb2+ 62 Ni2+ 104 Hg22+, Sr2+, Co2+
21 Hg22+, Pb2+ 63 Cu2+ 105 Hg22+, Sr2+, Cr3+
22 Ag+ 64 Co2+ 106 Hg22+, Sr2+, Cu2+
23 Pb2+ 65 Water 107 Hg22+, Ca2+, Co2+
24 Hg22+ 66 Co2+ 108 Hg22+, Ca2+, Cr3+
25 Co2+, Cr3+ 67 Cu2+ 109 Hg22+, Ca2+, Cu2+
26 Co2+, Cu2+ 68 Ni2+ 110 Hg22+, Mg2+, Co2+
27 Cr3+, Cu2+ 69 Co2+, Cu2+, Ni2+ 111 Hg22+, Mg2+, Cr3+
28 Water 70 Cu2+, Ni2+ 112 Hg22+, Mg2+, Cu2+
29 Co2+, Cr3+, Cu2+ 71 Co2+, Ni2+ 113 Pb2+, Mg2+, Cu2+
30 Cr3+ 72 Co2+, Cu2+ 114 Pb2+, Mg2+, Cr3+
31 Cu2+ 73 Al3+, Sb3+ 115 Pb2+, Mg2+, Co2+
32 Co2+ 74 Al3+, Sn4+ 116 Pb2+, Ca2+, Cu2+
33 Co2+, Cr3+, Cu2+ 75 Al3+, Zn2+ 117 Pb2+, Ca2+, Cr3+
34 Water 76 Sb3+, Sn4+ 118 Pb2+, Ca2+, Co2+
35 Co2+ 77 Sb3+, Zn2+ 119 Pb2+, Sr2+, Cu2+
36 Cu2+ 78 Sn4+, Zn2+ 120 Pb2+, Sr2+, Cr3+
37 Cr3+ 79 Water 121 Pb2+, Sr2+, Co2+
38 Cr3+, Cu2+ 80 Al3+, Sb3+, Sn4+ 122 Pb2+, Ba2+, Cu2+
39 Co2+, Cr3+ 81 Al3+, Sb3+, Zn2+ 123 Pb2+, Ba2+, Cr3+
40 Co2+, Cu2+ 82 Al3+, Sn4+, Zn2+ 124 Pb2+, Ba2+, Co2+
41 Ba2+, Sr2+ 83 Sb3+, Sn4+, Zn2+
42 Ba2+ 84 Al3+, Sb3+, Sn4+, Zn2+

E-1

Organic Qualitative Analysis Unknowns
Alkenes 48. 3-Nitro-benzoic acid
1. 1,4-Dibromo-2-butene 49. 4-Nitro-benzoic acid
2. 1-Ethoxy-2-butene 50. 2,4-Dinitrophenylacetic acid
3. 2-Buten-1-ol 51. 2-Methyl-propionic acid
4. 2-Methyl-2-pentene 52. Ethanedioc acid
5. 3-Chloro-1-butene
6. 4-Methyl-pent-3-en-2-one Alcohols
7. Ethyl acrylate 53. Benzyl alcohol
8. Methyl acrylate 54. 3-Methyl-1-butanol
9. 2-Propenoic acid 55. 2-Methyl-2-propanol
10. Acrylamide 56. 2-Methyl-butane-1,2-diol
11. N-Vinylaniline 57. 1-Butanol
12. 2,5-Cyclohexadiene-1,4-dione 58. 1-Heptanol
13. But-2-enal 59. 1-Hexanol
14. 3-Phenyl-propenal 60. 2-Methyl-1-butanol
15. Cinnamamide 61. 2-Phenyl ethanol
16. Cyclohexene 62. 4-tert-Butylbenzyl alcohol
17. Cyclopenta-1,3-diene 63. 2-Nitro-benzyl alcohol
18. 4,5-Dimethyl-cyclohexene 64. 4-Nitro-benzyl alcohol
19. 1-Hexene 65. 2-Butanol
20. 2-Methyl-1-butene 66. 1-Hexanol
21. 3-Methyl-cyclohex-2-enone 67. 1-Phenylethanol
22. 1-Methyl-cyclohexene 68. Diphenyl-methanol
23. 4-Methyl-2-pentene 69. 1-Phenyl-1-propanol
24. nitro-Benzene 70. 2,2-Dimethyl-pentan-3-ol
25. 2-Nitro-styrene 71. 2-Methyl-3-pentanol
26. 4-Nitro-styrene 72. 4-Methyl-2-pentanol
27. Styrene 73. Cyclohexanol
74. 2,3-Dimethyl-2-butanol
Acids 75. 2-Phenyl-2-propanol
28. Benzoic acid 76. 2-Methyl-2-pentanol
29. Heptanedioic acid 77. 2-Methyl-2-butanol
30. Heptanoic acid 78. 2-Chloro-4-methyl pentane
31. Cyclohexanecarboxylic acid 79. 3-Chloro-2-methyl pentane
32. Acetic acid 80. Bromobenzene
33. Hexanedioic acid 81. Bromomethyl-benzene
34. Butanoic acid
35. 2,2-Dimethylpropanoic acid Amides
36. Formic acid 82. N-Ethylacetamide
37. 3-Methyl butanoic acid 83. Formamide
38. Propanedioic acid 84. Butyramide
39. Pentanoic acid 85. N,N-Dimethylacetamide
40. 2-Phenylacetic acid 86. Cyclohexanecarboxamide
41. Propionic acid 87. Formanilide
42. 3-Oxo-butyric acid 88. 1-Acetylpiperidine
43. 2-Propenoic acid 89. N,N-Diphenylformamide
44. 2-Oxo-propionic acid 90. 2-Bromopropionamide
45. 2-Nitrobenzeneacetic acid 91. Cinnamamide
46. m-Chlorobenzoic acid 92. Acetanilide
47. 2-Bromo-butanoic acid
Amines
93. Benzylamine

E-2

94. n-Heptylamine 140. Ethyl phenyl ether
95. Diisopropyl amine 141. Benzyl ethyl ether
96. Triethyl amine 142. Ethyl 2-hexyl ether
97. Methyl amine 143. Di-tert-butyl ether
98. Propyl amine 144. 1-Ethoxy-2-butene
99. Aniline 145. 2-Methoxy-2-methyl-propane
100. sec-Butylamine 146. 1,1-Diethoxy-ethane
101. N-Methylaniline 147. 2,2-Diethoxy-propane
102. N-Methyldibutylamine 148. Dibenzyl Ether
103. N-Methylpropylamine 149. 1-Ethoxy-butane
104. Cyclobutylamine 150. 2-Methoxypropane
105. n-Octylamine 151. Diisopentyl ether
106. Triisopropylamine
107. N,N-Dimethylaniline Halides
108. Quinoline 152. Benzyl chloride
109. Isopropylamine 153. 2-Chloro-2-methyl propane
Esters 155. 1-Chloro-3-methyl butane
110. Ethyl-2-phenyl acetate 156. Benzene Chloride
111. 3-Methylbutyl acetate 157. 4-Chloro-1-butanol
112. Methyl propionate 158. 2-Chloro-norbornane
113. Methyl acrylate 159. 3-Chloro-cyclohexene
114. 1,7-Dimethyl-heptanedioate 160. 3-Chloro-1-butene
115. Methyl acetylacetate 161. 3-Bromo-cyclohexane-1,2-diol
116. 2-Oxo-cyclohexane carboxylic acid 162. 4-Chloro-benzaldehyde
methyl ester 163. 4-Chloro-butyraldehyde
117. Ethyl heptanoate 164. Bromo-acetaldehyde
118. Ethyl-2-phenyl acetate 165. 2-Bromo-cyclohexanone
119. Propyl formate 166. m-Chlorobenzoic acid
120. Ethyl acrylate 167. 2-Nitrobenzyl chloride
121. Methyl 2-chloropropionate 168. 4-tert-Butyl-benzyl chloride
122. 3-Hydroxy-butyric acid methyl ester 169. 1-Bromo-3,3-dimethyl-2-butanol
123. 2-Bromo-heptanedioic acid dimethyl 170. 1-Bromo-2-hexanol
ester 171. 1,4-Dibromo-2-butene
124. Cyclohex-3-enecarboxylic acid methyl 172. 2-Bromo-butanoic acid
ester 173. Bromocyclohexane
125. Ethyl acetoacetate 174. Ethyl bromide
126. Ethyl butanoate 175. 1,2-Dibromo-hexane
127. Ethyl benzoate 176. 2-Chloro-butane
128. Ethyl 3-nitrobenzoate 177. 2-Chloro-hexane
129. Methyl formate 178. 2-Chloro-3-methylbutane
130. Phenylformate 179. 2-Chloro-2-methylpentane
131. 3-Methylbutyl butanoate 180. Hexane-1,2-diol
132. 3-Methylbutyl phenylacetate 181. syn-Butane-2,3-diol
133. Methyl butanoate 182. Benzene-1,3-diol
134. Methyl phenylacetate 183. 2,6-Dimethyl-4-nitro-phenol
135. Heptanedioic acid diethyl ester 184. Cyclohex-2-enol
136. Propanoic acid, 1,1-dimethylethyl ester 185. 2-Buten-1-ol
137. Propionic acid 2,6-dimethyl-phenyl 186. 3-Hydroxybutanal
ester 187. 4-Hydroxy-4-phenyl-butan-2-one
188. 4-Chloro-1-butanol
Ethers 189. 1-Bromo-2-hexanol
138. Diethyl ether 190. 1-Bromo-but-3-en-2-ol
139. Tetrahydrofuran 191. 3-Hydroxy-butyric acid methyl ester

E-3

240. Triethyl amine
Ketones 241. Aniline
192. Acetophenone 242. N,N-Dimethylaniline
193. Cyclohexanone 243. Methyl propionate
194. 2-Propanone 244. Ethyl heptanoate
195. 2-Butanone 245. Ethyl acetoacetate
196. 2,2-Dimethyl-pentan-3-one 246. Ethyl benzoate
197. 4-Acetyltoluene 247. Diethyl ether
198. 2-Acetyltoluene 248. Tetrahydrofuran
199. 4-Methyl-benzophenone 249. Dibenzyl Ether
250. 3-Chloro-cyclohexene
Aldehydes 251. 1-Bromo-2-hexanol
200. Butyraldehyde hydrate 252. Bromocyclohexane
201. Benzaldehyde 253. Ethyl bromide
202. 3-Phenyl-propenal 254. 2-Chloro-3-methylbutane
203. 3-Methyl butanal 255. syn-Butane-2,3-diol
204. 3-Isopropyl-benzaldehyde 256. Cyclohex-2-enol
205. 4-Nitrobenzaldehyde 257. Acetophenone
206. But-2-enal 258. Cyclohexanone
207. 3-Hydroxybutanal 259. 2-Butanone
208. 3-Hydroxy-3-phenyl-propanal 260. Benzaldehyde
209. Bromo-acetaldehyde 261. 3-Methyl butanal
210. 4-Chloro-butyraldehyde 262. But-2-enal
211. 4-Chloro-benzaldehyde
212. 4-Acetamidobenzaldehyde

General Unknown
213. 1-Ethoxy-2-butene
214. 2-Methyl-2-pentene
216. But-2-enal
217. Cyclohexene
218. Cyclopenta-1,3-diene
219. 1-Hexene
220. 1-Methyl-cyclohexene
221. nitro-Benzene
222. Styrene
223. Benzoic acid
224. Cyclohexanecarboxylic acid
225. Acetic acid
226. Butanoic acid
227. Propanedioic acid
228. 2-Phenylacetic acid
229. m-Chlorobenzoic acid
230. Ethanedioc acid
231. 1-Butanol
232. 1-Hexanol
233. 1-Phenylethanol
234. 4-Methyl-2-pentanol
235. 2-Chloro-4-methyl pentane
236. Bromobenzene
237. N,N-Dimethylacetamide
238. N,N-Diphenylformamide
239. Benzylamine

E-4

Titration Unknowns

Preset #2 10. 64.62 wt% 3. 0.2968 M 13. 0.0137 M
1. 0.1611 M 11. 64.65 wt% 4. 0.2910 M 14. 0.0138 M
2. 0.1552 M 12. 65.02 wt% 5. 0.2879 M 15. 0.0139 M
3. 0.1518 M 13. 66.16 wt% 6. 0.2870 M
4. 0.1501 M 14. 68.96 wt% 7. 0.2880 M
5. 0.1497 M 15. 74.88 wt% 8. 0.2907 M
6. 0.1503 M 9. 0.2948 M
7. 0.1516 M Preset #8 10. 0.3004 M
8. 0.1535 M 1. 0.3209 M 11. 0.3073 M
9. 0.1559 M 2. 0.3064 M 12. 0.3156 M
10. 0.1587 M 3. 0.2968 M 13. 0.3253 M
11. 0.1619 M 4. 0.2910 M 14. 0.3364 M
12. 0.1654 M 5. 0.2879 M 15. 0.3491 M
13. 0.1692 M 6. 0.2870 M
14. 0.1732 M 7. 0.2880 M Preset #13
15. 0.1774 M 8. 0.2907 M 1. 79.12 wt%
9. 0.2948 M 2. 78.50 wt%
Preset #4 10. 0.3004 M 3. 77.96 wt%
1. 0.2566 M 11. 0.3073 M 4. 77.47 wt%
2. 0.2457 M 12. 0.3156 M 5. 77.03 wt%
3. 0.2389 M 13. 0.3253 M 6. 76.63 wt%
4. 0.2349 M 14. 0.3364 M 7. 76.28 wt%
5. 0.2330 M 15. 0.3491 M 8. 75.96 wt%
6. 0.2328 M 9. 75.72 wt%
7. 0.2340 M Preset #10 10. 75.62 wt%
8. 0.2364 M 1. 74.84 wt% 11. 75.92 wt%
9. 0.2399 M 2. 74.23 wt% 12. 77.29 wt%
10. 0.2442 M 3. 73.70 wt% 13. 81.48 wt%
11. 0.2495 M 4. 73.24 wt% 14. 91.86 wt%
12. 0.2556 M 5. 72.83 wt% 15. 87.51 wt%
13. 0.2625 M 6. 72.46 wt%
14. 0.2703 M 7. 72.13 wt% Preset #15
15. 0.2788 M 8. 71.84 wt% 1. 0.0133 M
9. 71.62 wt% 2. 0.0132 M
Preset #6 10. 71.51 wt% 3. 0.0131 M
1. 67.52 wt% 11. 71.68 wt% 4. 0.0131 M
2. 66.94 wt% 12. 72.62 wt% 5. 0.0131 M
3. 66.45 wt% 13. 75.45 wt% 6. 0.0131 M
4. 66.05 wt% 14. 82.47 wt% 7. 0.0132 M
5. 65.70 wt% 15. 97.25 wt% 8. 0.0132 M
6. 65.40 wt% 9. 0.0133 M
7. 65.13 wt% Preset #11 10. 0.0134 M
8. 64.91 wt% 1. 0.3209 M 11. 0.0135 M
9. 64.73 wt% 2. 0.3064 M 12. 0.0136 M

E-5

Instructor utilities guide

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