Tungsten Cubes for STEM Education — Looking for Feedback

[jamescharles]

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Hello everyone,

I’m exploring the use of tungsten cubes as hands-on tools for STEM education and physics demonstrations (density, mass vs. volume, material properties, etc.).

Full disclosure: I run a website that sells tungsten cubes, and I’m looking for expert feedback to better understand whether this is genuinely useful in an educational context.

I’d appreciate your input on:

1. Do tungsten cubes make sense as a teaching tool for physics or materials science?
2. What size or mass would be most practical in a classroom?
3. Are there safety or handling concerns when used by students?
4. Are there better or more cost-effective alternatives you’d recommend?

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Thank you for your insights — I’m genuinely interested in improving the educational value of this idea.

 

[robphy]

Is it just Tungsten, or are there other metals available (in the same size)?
These could be useful for measurements of mass and volume and thus density.
e.g., https://www.google.com/search?q=density+set (suggestions of size)
In addition, it (among other metals) could be useful for calorimetry, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity.

 

[Astronuc]

Is it just Tungsten, or are there other metals available (in the same size)?
These could be useful for measurements of mass and volume and thus density.

I had the same thoughts.

1. Do tungsten cubes make sense as a teaching tool for physics or materials science?
2. What size or mass would be most practical in a classroom?

Without other cubes of different metals, e.g., Mo, Fe, Cu, Al, there a limited uses for a single cube. One could measure mass, volume (geometrically with a caliper and immersively with a fluid in a graduate beaker.

The mass of a 1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm ( = 1 cm³) cube would be 19.3 gm, so one could verify the density.

In addition, it (among other metals) could be useful for calorimetry, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity.

Measuring those properties are a bit more complicated than measuring mass, volume and density. One would have to limit the temperature based on student capabilities. For electrical conductivity, one needs to ensure good contact with the surface, so as not to include measuring the conductivity or resistance across an oxide layer on the surface.

One could measure volume change as a function of temperature to see how density changes with temperature, but again, one must exercise safe practices regarding exposure to elevated temperatures.

It would be better to have other metals of the same geometry at room temperature and compare properties. Measuring the speed of sound in the metal would be interesting.

A university student may be more capable than a high school student with respect to measuring thermal (at higher temperatures for the former) and electrical properties of metal samples. Hopefully, university students would have some training in the safe conduct of research/experiment.