In this resource, students are asked to consider data set in which the value of the mean is very close to the value of the variance. The aim of the resource is for students to understand that whilst mean being equal to variance indicates that the distribution may be a Poisson distribution that this not true in all...

This resource comprises a spreadsheet which models raindrops falling onto paving slabs. As the variables are adjusted associated graphs display both the experimental and theoretical results. The resource is designed to encourage discussion of how a binomial distribution can be approximated by a Poisson distribution...

In this activity, students are presented with a case in which the calculate probability is calculated using the Binomial and then the Poisson distribution. Each method produces results close to each other. Students are set the task of finding the value for n used. Subsequent slides reveal the solution.

This...

This Unilever Laboratory Experiment describes the preparation of soap from a mixture of cooking oil and dripping. The leaflet was first published in 1964 and so lacks modern safety guidance. The procedure is authentic; it is designed to produce a convincing sample of soap. This means that it could be the basis of...

The method of preparation of a sulphonate paste described in this Unilever Laboratory Experiment is basically the same as that used by Unilever in the large-scale production of soapless detergents at the time of publication in 1964. The required reactants included an alkylbenzene hydrocarbon supplied by the...

This Catalyst article looks at the production of rice, which is a staple food for billions of people. It describes how crop scientists have identified varieties of rice with favourable characteristics, such as flood resistance, and are using them to develop crops with increased yield. Such crops may help to...

This edition of the Computing at School newsletter focuses on teaching computing in primary schools, and contains articles covering:

*Pedagogy of computing in primary schools

*National curriculum programme of study

*Game design in the primary classroom

*Primary – secondary transition...

In this resource students deal with an optimisation problem involving perimeter and area based on a Greek mythological story about a princess. She wants to maximise the area contained in a given perimeter and decides on a circle. The concept of the Isoperimetric...

Carom Maths provides this resource for teachers and students of A Level mathematics.

This presentation challenges students to use the rules they have been given to develop a logical system and deduce theorems which prove that the system is complete and consistent and introduces the idea of truth tables to...

This introductory article shows working examples of basic Python programs. It includes:

• Printing to the screen
• Comments
• Simple arithmetic
• Using variables
• Strings and string arrays
• For and While loops
• Random numbers from the Random library
• Creating a...

This resource is designed as an introduction to activities available using a Raspberry Pi computer. The introduction explains:
*what a Raspberry Pi is: a small, affordable yet powerful computer
*what can be learnt from this manual: how to perform simple programming and the basics of computer science...

A podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Have you ever noticed that when you cross a busy road, as well as clocking the traffic, you subconsciously follow what your neighbours do?

Scientists have recently put a figure on this and worked out that...

This activity, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, introduces students to ways of combining errors (uncertainties) from two independent measured quantities. Using the equation for Doppler shift, the error in the rotational velocity and time period are calculated....

The Royal Academy of Engineering oversees a number of projects to enhance and enrich the teaching of engineering. This collection contains case studies and details of activities which can be used to encourage pupils to take part in engineering study.

The collection includes:

• Engineering at the...