Lab
See the idea. Put it to the test.
956 practicals from Kindergarten to Year 12, in 9 subjects. A practical gives the idea, what you need, the steps, what you should see and a safety card. A teacher-led practical gives the idea and its hazards; its method is for tutors on the learning platform.
Review
Reviewed before publication (owner’s confirmation, 24 September 2026). That covers every practical here, and a practical’s page lists the sources its author read.
A safety card on every page
The risk, who supervises and the hazards. The 38 teacher-led practicals show their idea and hazards here; their materials, steps and sources, and any result, control or note that states a number or an amount, are for tutors and administrators on the learning platform.
School laboratory, not for home
207 practicals are medium or high risk. Each says so on its page: In a school laboratory, with a teacher supervising, under the school's risk assessment. Not for home.
Curriculum references
Each practical lists the NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes it supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.
Find a practical
13 practicals
Science 7–10 · Physics · Energy and heat
Bouncing ball: how much energy survives each bounce
A dropped ball returns to a fixed fraction of its drop height on each bounce, and the missing fraction has been transformed into thermal energy and sound.
Practical, model not builtLow riskConduction: which metal carries heat fastest
Thermal energy passes along a solid from the hot end to the cold end at a rate that depends on the material, with copper conducting far faster than steel.
PracticalMedium riskConvection: watching a coloured current circulate in heated water
Heated liquid expands, becomes less dense and rises while cooler liquid sinks to replace it, setting up a circulating current that carries thermal energy through the fluid.
PracticalMedium riskEnergy transfer in a pendulum: height at release against speed at the bottom
Gravitational potential energy stored by lifting the bob transforms into kinetic energy at the bottom of the swing and back again, so the bob returns to almost its release height.
Practical, model not builtLow riskInsulation: cooling curves for cups wrapped in different materials
Thermal energy escapes from a hot object faster when the temperature difference is larger, and an insulating layer slows the transfer so the cooling curve flattens.
Practical, model not builtMedium riskMarble on a ramp: release height, speed at the bottom and the distance a cup is pushed
The higher a ball starts on a ramp, the more gravitational potential energy it stores and the more kinetic energy it has at the bottom, which shows up as a faster ball and a further-pushed cup.
Practical, model not builtLow riskRadiation: matt black against shiny cans heating under a lamp and cooling in air
Dull dark surfaces absorb and emit radiated energy faster than shiny light ones, so a black can warms faster under a lamp and cools faster afterwards.
PracticalMedium riskRubber-band car: elastic potential energy transformed into motion
Energy stored in a stretched rubber band is transformed into kinetic energy of the car and then into thermal energy through friction, so more winding stores more energy and drives the car further.
PracticalLow riskEfficiency of an electric motor lifting a load
Only part of the electrical energy supplied to a motor becomes gravitational potential energy of the load; the rest becomes thermal energy in the windings and bearings, and the ratio is the efficiency.
Practical, model not builtLow riskEnergy audit: power and energy use of household appliances on a plug-in meter
An appliance transforms electrical energy at a rate given by its power, so energy used equals power multiplied by time and can be measured, costed and compared with the rating label.
PracticalMedium riskGenerating electricity: a magnet moving through a coil and a hand-cranked generator
A generator produces electrical energy only while something keeps a magnet and a coil moving past each other, and the mechanical work done turning it is transformed into the electrical energy the circuit uses; power stations produce electricity the same way, with steam, wind or falling water doing the turning.
PracticalLow riskHeating water with an immersion heater: electrical energy in against thermal energy gained
The electrical energy supplied to a heater (V x I x t) sets the thermal energy the water can gain (m x c x change in T), and the shortfall measures energy transferred to the surroundings.
Practical, model not builtMedium riskSolar cell output against tilt angle and distance from the lamp
A solar cell transforms light energy into electrical energy, so its output depends on how much light energy lands on it each second, which falls as the cell tilts away from the light and as the distance from the source grows.
Practical, model not builtLow risk
For tutors and administrators
The materials and steps of every teacher-led practical are on the learning platform, with the safety card first. Sign in with a tutor or administrator account to read them.