This series of sessions, produced by the Institute of Physics, develops the idea that Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation is precisely that; universal. Every single object with a mass in the universe gravitationally attracts every other object with mass. By following the learning episodes in this topic, students...

In this learning episode, from the Institute of Physics, students discuss and see worked examples that introduce Newton’s law of universal gravitation for point and spherical masses.

Students practice calculations of the force between objects. The meaning of the inverse square law is discussed.

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This learning episode, from the Institute of Physics, introduces the notion of a field of force and how it can be diagrammatically represented using field lines. The actual strength of the field at a point in space is defined by the field strength. The activities include: • discussing fields and field lines •...

Through discussion and worked examples, this learning episode from the Institute of Physics, enables students to combine concepts of circular motion with Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation to understand the motion of satellites. It includes an explanation of Kepler’s third law.

The activities look at:...

From the Institute of Physics, this resource uses discussion, worked examples and modelling to help students appreciate the energy changes that take place as a body moves in a gravitational field. The learning episode is quite extended and gives a good grounding in these ideas.

The activities look at:...

This topic, from the Institute of Physics, explores electric fields and draws the comparison between these and gravitational fields. They both follow inverse square laws, and so their equations look very similar. The topic includes a series of learning episodes which are self-contained and last one or two lessons...

Produced by the Institute of Physics, this learning episode introduce students to electric fields, field lines and equipotentials. Similarities with gravitational fields are highlighted, but with the need to take account of the of charge.

The activities include:
• discussion and demonstration of field...

This learning resource, from the Institute of Physics, introduce students to Coulomb’s law which describes the force between two charges. The activities compare this to the way Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation gives the force between two masses. Both follow the inverse-square law. The difference being that an...

This learning episode, from the Institute of Physics, introduces field strength and potential energy for electric fields. Comparisons with gravitational fields are also made.

The activities include:
* discussion of field strength
* worked examples on field strength
* discussion about...

This learning episode, produced by the Institute of Physics, discuss the physics of the uniform electric field, such as that between two parallel charged plates. The definitions of field strength and potential lead to different results than those for the non-uniform field.

The activities in this learning...

This topic, from the Institute of Physics, develops a formal description of magnetic fields before moving on to electromagnetic forces and induction. The learning episodes follow a fairly standard approach that is similar to the order in which the topics appear in most exam specifications. The three main electrical...

Produced by the Institute of Physics, this learning episode uses demonstrations, experiments and questions to help students learn about electromagnetic fields. These consider their strength and direction.

The activities include:
• demonstrating the field around a permanent magnet
• field...

In this learning episode, from the Institute of Physics, students look at how a magnetic field can be quantified by measuring the force on a conductor. It illustrates how Flemming's left hand rule can be used to find the direction of the force. The activities include: 

• investigating the relationship...

This learning episode, from the Institute of Physics, help students extend the idea of a magnetic force on a current to consider moving charges.

A range of activities are suggested and these include:
• demonstrating the deviation of an electron beam
• investigating the relationship between...