In this simulation students can see how light knocks electrons off a metal target, and recreate the experiment that spawned the field of quantum mechanics.

[b]Sample Learning Objectives include:[/b]

*Visualize and describe the photoelectric effect experiment.

*Predict the results of experiments...

This Catalyst article investigates the development of better, more energy-efficient solar cells. Every minute enough sunlight strikes the Earth to power our civilisation for a year, yet less than 1% of global energy generation is provided by solar energy. Solar cells convert sunshine directly to electricity, but to...

These resources provide up to date information and class activities on the topic of tidal power. Based on cutting edge research and the development of the Severn Tidal Barrage, students gain a valuable insight into the work of engineers in the design of the barrage and the environmental and ethical factors which...

From the Institute of Physics, this topic looks at basic electrical ideas, particularly current, potential difference and energy. The topic is split into teaching episodes. These are self-contained activities of varying time periods. The topics in this section include:

Episode 101:...

From Solar Spark, this activity allows students to see how chlorophyll can be energised and how this causes it to fluoresce. Chlorophyll in plant leaves absorb red light and pass the energy on to other parts of the plant, hence leaves look green. But if there is nowhere for the energy to go, it gets released as...

This video uses a comparison between an LED light and filament bulb to introduce efficiency (η). 

The equation, %efficiency (η) = (useful energy out/total energy in) x100 is explained and then linked to rate of energy transfer (P=E/t).

Produced by the Institute of Physics, this learning episode includes discussions, demonstrations and questions which introduce students to thermodynamics. These include compressing and expanding gases, adiabatic and isothermal changes.

This unit looks at how forces and energy play a major role in London’ s transport network.

Students use modern information systems to measure average speeds for journeys around the capital. They investigate forces acting on vehicles and the energy used to make vehicles move, with a focus on how energy...

Work done in this Nuffield 13 - 16 module followed from the unit called ‘Energy’. This B unit provided enough material for six double periods in the third year of secondary school (year nine). The teachers’ guide included 11 worksheets to supplement the students’...

Produced by Solar Spark, this activity allows students to model the energy changes happening inside a photovoltaic cell. In a solar cell, electrons move to make an electrical current. The electrons act like the marbles in a marble run.

Marbles at the top of the run flow downhill through the run to the...

In this simulation students can hang masses from springs, adjust the spring stiffness and damping, and even slow time. The lab can be transported to different planets and there is a chart which shows the kinetic, potential, and thermal energy for each spring.

[b]Sample Learning Objectives[/b]

*Explain...

Published by the Royal Academy of Engineering, this activity sheet looks at electricity and its distribution in the 21st century. Most UK households consume large amounts of energy. As more renewable sources of energy are used and the use of fossil fuels is reduced, it is important to ensure that electricity is...

A reader from the Science in Society series which looks at the role of agriculture and farming in societies across the world in the 1980s. The book considers the need for energy in order to produce food, the use of eco-systems and food chains, and the effects of farming...

A crowd funding web site recently raised more than two million US dollars to fund solar roadways. These roads, claim the developers, will remain snow-free, and, at the click of a switch, can be transformed into car parks or even sports pitches. In this activity students consider whether solar roadways are worth...

The relationship between energy and states of matter is sometimes difficult for students to comprehend. This activity helps to reinforce the notion that, when energy is added to a system, the molecules themselves do not change but their motion and relative positions do change.

While the model is a...