e-lab: a didactic interactive experiment An approach to the Boyle-Mariotte law Sérgio Leal 1,* , João P. Leal 1,2 and Horácio Fernandes 3 1 Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, FCUL, Lisboa, Portugal. 2 Unidade de Ciências Químicas Radiofarmacêuticas, Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Sacavém, Portugal. 3 Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal *sergioleal20@gmail.com An experimental interactive resource to explore the validity of the Boyle-Mariotte law (PV = const) is the main subject of this communication. The resource used is a remotely controlled laboratory called e-lab, freely available in http://www.e-escola.pt/elab.asp, physically located at the Instituto Superior Técnico campus in Lisbon, and can be used at primary, secondary or higher education level. Figure 1: Numerical fit of the plot Pressure Vs Volume (exponent not exactly -1). The e-lab is an e-learning platform to support teaching and learning of Physics and Chemistry that has been tested in the last years in the classroom in basic (seventh and eighth years) and secondary (twelfth year) level. It has proven to be an important tool in stimulating students to scientific subjects, holding their attention and increasing their motivation and interest in science contents, as seen by the pilot study already conducted [1,2]. The pilot study occurs in the years where the Boyle-Mariotte law is integrated in Portuguese pre-university curricula. The e-lab Boyle-Mariotte experiences permit the verification of the law with very satisfactory results and allow a correct interpretation of it. The raw data may be processed in Excel, checking the Boyle-Mariotte law by calculating the pressure and volume product (verifying that it remains approximately constant) as well as by appropriate graphical representations,. The fact that the platform itself has the resources for the preparation, operation and implementation of various experiences is an asset for teachers to work with students scientific skills [1]. The ability to use a laboratory tool any day, any time, according to the availability of the teacher and students is also an asset, as well as the possibility of using the b-learning turns e-lab an excellent tool to use in class. Acknowledgements: S. C. Leal want to thanks the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/44889/2008) and Instituto Superior Técnico, the Portuguese University Institute that lodge the e-lab platform. References [1] Fernandes, H.; Leal, S. C.; Leal, J. P., E-lab: o laboratório online, Gazeta da Física 2010, 33(3), 37-40. [2] Leal, S. C.; Leal, J. P.; Fernandes, H., E-lab: a valuable tool for teaching, Contemporary Issues in Education 2010, 1(2), 167-174. y = 6016.8x -0.95 R² = 0.9995 8.70E+02 1.37E+03 3.5 4.5 5.5 6.5 Pressure /mbar Volume /mL Boyle-Mariotte law: PV = k