This video recaps on the idea that light sent along an optical fibre requires total internal reflection for it to progress along its length. It explains that information is sent as a series of on – off signals.  However, if light rays take different paths they can be modally dispersed, and this can degrade the...

This video models refraction using a vehicle travelling from a concrete surface to a grass surface and shows how the forward wheel slows and so the vehicle changes direction.

A diagram is then constructed to develop Snell’s law, i.e., the angle of incidence (from air) is proportional to the angle of...

This video explains how two waves passing through each other interact through the process of superposition.

The resultant interference of waves at phase differences of 0⁰ or 360⁰ is constructive, they are additive.  Whereas phase differences of 180⁰ produce destructive interference, i.e., they cancel each...

This video begins by showing a demonstration of total internal reflection (TIR) through a semi-circular glass block.

It develops an understanding of TIR by showing that as the angle of incidence (θ_i) increases so too does the angle of refraction (θ_r).  Eventually, as  θ_i is...

This video shows how interference from two sound wave sources can produce both constructive (louder sound) and destructive (softer sound) interference patterns.  A demonstration using microwaves reinforces this idea. Microwaves are generated and passed through a double slit.  The resultant interference of waves is...

This film, from Twig World, explores some of the many ways to explore the Earth and its physical and 'human' features. The key points made in the film are: •Maps have been used by man throughout history to explain and navigate the world. •Traditionally, maps are two-dimensional drawings that use scale to map the...

This animation describes how Earth Observation satellites, such as METOP, allows us to forecast the weather and to measure changes in the climate and monitor natural disasters.  It also describes how the satellites are monitored by engineers on the ground to ensure they are functioning correctly.

Produced by the Wellcome Trust, these resources include an interactive evolutionary tree and a video of the Tree of Life. These materials will help students to find out more about the work of Charles Darwin and evolution. The resources contain:

Tree of life video: The video is a short...

This resource provides a set of videos and a practical investigation aimed at supporting working scientifically in the classroom and relating it to real world experiences. In the first video Professor Brian Cox joins a teacher to find out how to set up and run an investigation to find out how exercise affects heart...