Empirical Formula of Magnesium Oxide

It's one of the "classic" experiments in school chemistry, combusting (burning) some magnesium in a crucible to make magnesium oxide.
While the lab questions usually focus on identifying that a chemical change has occurred, and calculating either percentage composition and/or empirical formula of magnesium oxide, I wonder how many students are really thinking about the experiment?
So, AUS-e-TUTE has written a tutorial that (hopefully) will help students think about why certain procedures are followed, and the kinds of errors one can expect.

AUS-e-TUTE members should log-in to use the new tutorial, game and test.

If you are not an AUS-e-TUTE Member, a "free-to-view" tutorial is currently available for evaluation purposes at http://www.ausetute.com.au/mgo.html

Information about AUS-e-TUTE Membership is available at www.ausetute.com.au/membership.html

and you can become an AUS-e-TUTE member at http://www.ausetute.com.au/register.html

Writing Lab Reports

AUS-e-TUTE has just added new resources to help you write lab reports.
You will find new tutorials, games and tests for each of the following:
1. Writing Lab Reports (an overview)
2. Accuracy and Precision
3. Experimental Errors (random vs systematic)
4. Variables (dependent vs independent)
5. Potting points on a graph

Just log-in in the Members Only Test Centre to see all these new resources.

Teachers will also find a new resource, wizard that generates a pre-test for stoichiometry.
The results of the pre-test will help teachers identify the students that need help with simple algebra, or with reading and interpreting algebraic questions, before you plow on into stoichiometry.

Just log-in in the Teachers area to see all this new resource.