This film, from Twig World, looks at the relationship between time and place. In an age before satellite navigation and GPS, one man found an ingenious solution to the problem of determining a ship's location at sea. The key points made in the film are: •Lines of latitude circle the Earth horizontally; lines of...

This resource contains a series of card tricks. Each trick is presented in two parts. In the first part enough detail is given so that the trick can be performed. A description of the desired effect is given followed by an explanation of the mechanics of the trick – actually what is done to ensure the trick works...

The third collection of magic tricks, from Paul Curzon and Peter McOwan, is entitled ‘magic meets mistakes, machines and medicine. The five card tricks contained make use of maths and computer science theory, and are used by real magicians.

Each trick includes magician’s instructions. The theory behind each...

In this resource students are to play the role of a structural engineer working on the design of a prestigious new hotel complex.

As a design engineer students have to carry out complex calculations on the structures steelwork needed to make the building viable. Part of these calculations include assessing...

In this resource students are to play the role of a site engineer on a major sewage project.

The job of the site engineer is to supervise the lifting of a number of large, non-uniform, heavy reinforced concrete slabs using a chain lifting system attached to a small site crane. The task involves ensuring...

In this resource students are given a recent, real-life scenario of flood defence work to allow the learner to apply principles of numerical integration to approximate the calculation of earthwork quantities, including areas and volumes.

Students are asked to play the role of a newly qualified engineer...

In this resource students are to play the role of a graduate engineer working within an engineering surveying department for a major contractor.

Learners are to help establish a framework of control survey points for a new highway development consisting of a two mile by-pass around a small rural village....

In this resource students are to play the role of a graduate engineer working within an engineering surveying department for a major contractor.

Learners are to help establish the exact position of the intersection points of the tangents to the circular curves that form the alignment of a road in a new...

In this resource students are to play the role of a graduate engineer working within an engineering surveying department for a major contractor.

Learners are required to establish the position of a number of additional control points to be subsequently used to establish the road centre line in a new highway...

In this resource students are to play the role of a graduate structural engineer for a major construction company, given the task of designing a steel bridge to carry a railway across a major motorway.

As part of the process learners have to analyse the proposed pin-jointed steel truss bridge by solving...

In this resource students are to play the role of a graduate engineer working to build a two mile by-pass around a small rural village for a major contractor.

The task is to determine the alignment of the new road using information provided by the company that designed it. To do this learners will need to...

In this resource students are asked to test and monitor the strength of concrete specimens brought in to a materials testing laboratory.

In this exercise learners will consider some of the statistical issues that are relevant to the testing and control of concrete quality based on the testing of concrete...

What do you have to consider when designing satellites? And what mathematics is involved?

This collection of resources aims to help students discover the answers to these questions and more. Each resource contains a range of student activities and teacher guidance, covering content most suitable for Key...

Connecting radiators

Radiators are used to keep the communications part of a satellite at an optimum temperature. This is necessary in order for the equipment to function correctly. Connecting the radiators together adds robustness to the system. In this challenge students investigate the...

All the resources listed here are aimed at the age group 14 to 16, except for the "Space for Engine" resource. 

Coolant tank design

Making efficient use of physical space and of materials is a central theme of many engineering problems. In this challenge students...