A virtual science lab where the reactions really happen

Why schools need a virtual science lab

Practical examinations carry real marks in WAEC and NECO Chemistry, Physics and Biology, yet many schools cannot give every student enough time at a bench. Reagents run out, apparatus breaks, classes are large and a practical period is short. Students often meet a burette or a metre bridge properly for the first time a few weeks before the examination.

A virtual science lab does not replace the real laboratory, but it lets every student rehearse the procedure, take readings and practise the write-up as often as they need, without using a single chemical. When they get to the real bench, they already know what to do and what to record.

Chemistry practicals

In the titration practicals, acid A runs from the burette into a pipetted portion of base B with an indicator. Every student gets a different unknown concentration, and the indicator only changes colour at that student's true end point, so the titre depends on how carefully they work. Near the end point the colour flashes and disappears on swirling, just as it does at the bench.

• arrow_rightAcid–base titrations (for example HCl against NaOH or NaHCO₃) with methyl orange or phenolphthalein, rough and accurate titres, averages and concentrations in mol/dm³ and g/dm³.
• arrow_rightQualitative analysis of an unknown salt: solubility, NaOH and NH₃(aq) drop by drop and in excess, dilute HCl, BaCl₂ and AgNO₃, for cations such as Cu²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺ and NH₄⁺ and anions such as SO₄²⁻, CO₃²⁻ and Cl⁻.
• arrow_rightGas tests for H₂, CO₂, NH₃ and SO₂ with a burning splint, limewater, litmus and acidified dichromate paper.
• arrow_rightAction of heat on salts, and food tests with Benedict's, Fehling's and iodine solution.

Physics practicals

Physics practicals behave according to the physics. The pendulum swings with the period its length gives it, so the student has to time it; the lens forms a sharp image only at the right distance; the galvanometer settles at zero only at the true balance point. Most practicals give each attempt slightly different hidden values, such as the spring constant or the unknown resistor, so students cannot simply copy one another's readings.

• arrow_rightSimple pendulum: time oscillations for several lengths, plot T² against l and find g.
• arrow_rightHooke's law and the principle of moments with a metre rule and slotted masses.
• arrow_rightRefraction through a glass block with optical pins, and the focal length of a converging lens.
• arrow_rightCooling curve, Ohm's law with an ammeter, voltmeter and rheostat, and the metre bridge.

The results sheet is marked like an examiner would

After the procedure, students complete a results sheet. They record readings in tables, and the marking checks that each column keeps the same number of decimal places. On the graph sheet they choose scales, label the axes, plot their own points, draw the line of best fit and work out the slope or intercept. Then they complete the calculations, write their observations and inferences for the salt analysis, and choose sensible precautions such as avoiding parallax error.

The sheet is marked as soon as it is submitted, and the student sees exactly where marks were lost, for example "some titres are far from the end point" or "the y-axis scale is too small". Their score combines the procedure and the results sheet.

For teachers

Teachers see every attempt in a report: score, time taken and mistakes, with each student's marked results sheet one click away. The lab is available to JSS 3 to SS 3 classes, and each experiment is assigned to the classes you choose.

Teachers and admins can also build their own experiments with the scene builder, placing apparatus from a library of 3D models (glassware, burners, electrical components, biology apparatus and chemicals) and writing the steps students must follow.

Availability

The Practical Lab is an add-on to EduMatrix and is switched on per school. Contact us to add it to your school's plan and we will set up the practicals for your science classes.