From the Institute of Physics, this learning episode encourages students to investigate the quark model, which creates relative order out of the chaos of particle classification.

Quarks have three ‘colour’ charges, and the rule for stability is that combinations must be colourless.

The activities...

This learning episode, from the Institute of Physics, establishes the ideal gas law and how to use it. Worked examples and questions allow students to look at the behaviour of an ideal gas and see that an ideal gas is one that obeys Boyle’s law with complete precision.

The activities include:
* a...

Produced by the Institute of Physics, this learning episode allows students to relate the gas laws to the behaviour of the particles of a gas.

The activities look at:
* explaining pressure in terms of particles
* deriving an equation for the pressure of a gas
* the link between kinetic...

In this learning episode, from the Institute of Physics, students look at heat engines to find out about their efficiency and this leads into a discussion of the second law of thermodynamics.

The activities include:...

This learning episode, from the Institute of Physics, guide students to measure specific heat capacities experimentally and then see how energy must be supplied (or rejected) to increase (or decrease) the temperature of a material. Calculations are used to quantify the...

In this learning episode, produced by the Institute of Physics, students investigate how energy is involved in changes of phase, even though there is no change of temperature.

Using discussion, examples and...

From the Institute of Physics, these activities encourage students to discuss the origins, history and future of the universe. Through a range of discussions and activities, students look at:
• the hot big bang
• the age of the Universe
• cosmic microwave background radiation
• the future of...

This activity can be used to provide a simple introduction to the technique of Fermi estimation. The three files contain an overview, teacher notes and a student handout.

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Produced by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service, these materials are designed to raise awareness of the importance of estimating in engineering and to practise the skill. The activity includes discussion and matching sets of measurement cards to cards describing an object. The resource comprises: * Teacher...

This set of resources are based on Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BiFoR) work. The activities provide an innovative way to introduce the issues surrounding the estimation of biomass. For pupils aged between 11 and 14 there are engaging activities to introduce the concept of biomass and pyramids of biomass...

From Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this practical activity was developed for Scottish Highers specifications, but the protocol can equally well be used for other specifications. 

Students prepare and stain roots, and then examine them to establish the frequency of mycorrhizae. 

The...

The video gives an amusing introduction to exoplanets. 

The student worksheet takes students through calculations on Doppler shift, orbits and Kepler's Third Law, estimating the mass of a planet using the conservation...

There are teacher notes and student materials which describe the research into the potential effects of climate change on a Coralline algae species. Curriculum links include biodiversity, sampling techniques, student t test, Simpson’s Index, photosynthesis, climate...

The many applications of mechanics make it an important topic of interest to applied mathematicians, scientists and engineers. This resource, produced by the Centre for Teaching Mathematics at the University of Plymouth, is designed to provide a more realistic view of mechanics and help the teaching of mechanics...

This resource, produced by the Centre for Teaching Mathematics at the University of Plymouth, is designed to provide short problems to stimulate discussion of mathematics amongst A level students and between students and their teachers; and to provide some longer investigations which search more deeply into the...