Hello Physics Friends!

So electrons have been following this one rule for 200 years. Dutifully. Without complaint. Heat and electricity travel together through a material — that's the Wiedemann-Franz law, and it's been gospel since 1853.

Then graphene showed up and said "nah."

We love a rebel.

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science just discovered that electrons in graphene can flow like a nearly frictionless liquid — and when they do, heat and electrical conductivity move in opposite directions. Not a little bit off. Over 200 times larger than the law predicts.

Here's what happened: at a specific condition called the Dirac point, where graphene sits right on the edge between metal and insulator, electrons stop acting like individual particles bouncing around. They start moving collectively — like water in a stream instead of marbles in a tube.

And that changes everything. Because when electrons move as a group, the heat they carry decouples from the charge they carry. One goes up. The other goes down. The 200-year-old law just... doesn't apply. Read the full story here.

Why your students should care: When you teach circuits, most kids picture electrons as tiny balls rolling through a wire. That mental model works fine — until it doesn't. This discovery is the perfect moment to ask: "What if electrons in some materials act more like a river than a stream of marbles?"

That one question opens up a much richer conversation about what resistance actually means — and it connects directly to the misconceptions your students are already carrying around. (More on that below.)

Speaking of circuits — our Circuits Escape Room turns these exact concepts into a 45-minute investigation your students won't want to stop. 15% off discount applied automatically.

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Since we're talking about electrons behaving in ways nobody expected — let's talk about how your students think electrons behave. (Spoiler: they've got some creative theories.)

We're giving away our Circuits Misconception Probes this week — a 10-question diagnostic where every wrong answer reveals a specific misconception about current, voltage, and resistance. If a student picks Choice A on Probe 1? You know they think current gets "used up" by devices. Choice A on Probe 5? They think adding a resistor in parallel always increases total resistance.

The Teacher Guide breaks down exactly what each wrong answer means and how to intervene — including demos, analogies, and discussion strategies for every single probe.

Download Student Worksheet & Teacher Guide →

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Why did the electron refuse to follow the law?

Because it was in graphene, and the rules don't apply there.

(We're not sorry.)

Stay Wildly Curious,

Lauren & Shawn