In this practical activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology, students investigate the properties of smart springs and see how they might be used as muscles in a robotic arm. This activity can be used as an extension to the related activity ‘...

Man-made satellites are put in specific orbits around our Earth and other planets to do certain jobs e.g. to send digital communications or to monitor the weather. These orbits can be distinguished by height above the planet and the orbital period. The orbits of natural satellites are much more varied and these...

Produced by ARKive, a database of stunning natural history images, this activity is designed to teach students aged 11 to 14 about the identifiable features of different types of animals and how they are classified. The activity is also suitable for students aged 14 to 16 and beyond. Using a quiz format, students...

In this activity, alcohol and air are mixed in a large plastic water bottle before being ignited, to simulate the physics principles of...

In this activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), students read about a Wi-Fi system (often called WLAN — wireless local area network) and produce a diagram to show how the ‘wireless’ part is, by necessity, short-range. Mostly, the signal is...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). One of the most important questions facing us all is how we will use the planet’s energy resources over the coming decades. Many people believe that wind power can make a vital...

In this activity, students explore the requirements of aerodynamic design through testing simple shapes in a wind tunnel and explain the link between the test results from a wind tunnel and air resistance. The activity focuses on students acquiring an understanding of...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), is one of a series of activities which explores body centric communications. Students study data and annotate a diagram to show what electromagnetic radiation can penetrate the atmosphere. The...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), allows students to investigate the uses of communication technology in the modern world, making decisions about being dependent on such technology.

This resource considers what the microscopic plants and animals found over a salt marsh can show about past sea levels. The two activities in this resource explore these microscopic sea level recorders and how researchers use them to understand sea-level change.

In the first activity, students explore the...

This engineering activity, suitable for children in computing lessons, looks at the basics of flowchart construction. Simple examples, such as the decisions made by a dog chasing a stick, are used to make flowchart representation of algorithms accessible to younger children. A simple design activity requires...

This resource from the Institute of Physics (IOP), describes how X-rays can be used to image the body. The X-rays video, taken from an IOP Schools and Colleges lecture, describes how Roentgen discovered how to image using X-rays, in his lab. The lecture also describes how barium and iodine can be used to to image...

This comprehension activity, from Genetic Disorders UK, looks at the structure and function of the brain and central nervous system, and what can happen if the brain becomes damaged.

The information provided for...