Does Melting Ice Expand?
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. In particular, students are asked to plan an investigation into whether water expands when it freezes or when it thaws. The context is set by considering that in winter many people report burst water pipes when a thaw sets in following…
Falling Cake Cups
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. Students are asked to analyse a set of given results, and draw a graph. The activity is based around two friends observing a paper cake cup fall to the floor. Iqbal and Molly decide to carry out an investigation to test their hypotheses…
Before the Big Bang
Produced by Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students look at aspects of how science works. In this activity students are given some information about the Large Hadron Collider and the Big Bang Theory. They are asked to analyse and interpret the secondary data and differentiate between theory and fact. Students should have…
An Old Principle Saves Energy
From Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students studying physics at post-16, A2 level. In this activity students read a short passage, on the workings of a condensing boiler, then answer questions on latent heat and specific heat capacity. The calculations should improve their comprehension and estimation skills, as well as…
Finding the Masses: Earth, Sun and Black Holes
From Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students studying physics at post-16, A2 level. They help students to learn how the mass of cosmological objects are measured. Examples include the Earth, the Sun and finally the super-massive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. Some of these measurements were made centuries ago…
Investigating an Electronic Flash
From Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students studying physics at post-16, A2 level. They help students to review their knowledge and understanding of the discharge of a capacitor to an electronic flash. Students calculate time constants and use them to find capacitance and resistance, as well as drawing a decay curve. They…
Kinetic Theory: the Tennis Ball and Electric Current
From Nelson Thornes, this resource helps students studying physics at post-16, A2 level. In this activity students practise using the kinetic theory of gas equations and the gas laws. Students are challenged to show what is happening as gas molecules collide with the walls of a tennis ball and extend the kinetic theory of gases…