The Kilogram
This Catalyst article looks at the changing definition of the kilogram, a unit of mass and a base unit in the SI system (the International System of units). It has been found that the International Prototype Kilogram (IPK), made in 1879 and kept in a vault in Paris, has lost about 50microgrammes of mass over the years. This may…
Lost in Interpretation
These lesson activities from Planet Science are designed to improve students’ scientific literacy in regard to data and its interpretation. The resource encourages students to be critically reflective when data is presented and interpreted by the scientists involved and/or the media and to be aware that this can lead to scare…
The Placebo Effect
This investigation, provided by Planet Science, covers three lessons. The aim of the lessons is to introduce students to the concept of the placebo effect - that something which cannot have any effect does in fact have the same or similar effect as the drug or experiment being tested. This is usually due to the person being tested…
Let’s Get Detoxed: Scientific Claims from Advertising
This resource, from Planet Science, examines the claims made by AquaDetox that toxins can be extracted from the body by electrolysis of a salt solution in which feet are bathed. The lesson activities revise the way in which toxins are removed from the body naturally and use practical work to investigate and question the claims made…
Fireworks: an Explosive Business
This Catalyst article looks at fireworks and their history, how they are made and set off, and what gives them their colours and effects. The basic chemistry used in fireworks is looked at and how they work once the fuse is ignited. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2002, Volume 13, Issue 2. Catalyst is a science…
Cook Electric
A Catalyst article looking at the use of gas and electric for cooking. The article focuses on the latest hobs which use radiant, halogen or induction electric heating, to see if they can compete with gas. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2004, Volume 14, Issue 3. Catalyst is a science magazine for students…
X-rays at Work
A Catalyst article about X-rays. The medical profession does its best to avoid X-raying young people, but sometimes the benefits outweigh the hazards. The benefits go beyond discovering broken bones; X-rays have played a major part in discovering the structure of DNA. The article looks at the history of X-rays, how they are made…
DNA Fingerprinting
A Catalyst article about Dolly the sheep which was born in 1996. The scientists who created her claimed she was a ‘clone’ from a female adult sheep. To prove this claim, genetic profiling or fingerprinting was done by another, independent group of scientists. The article explores how this was done and what other uses…
Discovering DNA
This Catalyst article explains the code structure of DNA and looks into how it is copied across generations. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1. Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged 14-19 years. Annual subscriptions to print copies of the magazine can be purchased from Mindsets.
Plastics Forever?
A Catalyst article discussing how polymers affect every day of people’s lives. With diverse characteristics and applications their usefulness can only be limited by human imagination. Due to polymers’ widespread and varied use a responsible and systematic recycling programme is both economically and environmentally advantageous. This…
Physics and Computer Games
A Catalyst article about the video or computer games industry which is now the biggest entertainment-based industry on the planet. Often it is physicists developing new concepts, hardware and games. To beat the competition they need to make physical aspects of the game be more realistic or at least appear to be more realistic. This…
Geiger Counter
A Catalyst article explaining how a Geiger counter works through the use of captioned illustrations. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2004, Volume 15, Issue 1. Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged 14-19 years. Annual subscriptions to print copies of the magazine can be purchased from Mindsets.
Radioactivity in Medicine
A Catalyst article about radiation and the many uses it has in medicine, both in finding out what is wrong with a patient (diagnosis) and in the treatment of cancer (therapy). The radiation used in medicine can come from electromagnetic radiation or from radioactive materials such as isotopes; the scanners using these technologies…
Nanotechnology
A Catalyst article about nanotechnology, the science of building tiny devices. Opinions differ on the use of nanotechnology, one school of thought is that it will be the answer to many of the biggest challenges in medicine, electronics and defence, another is that it will lead to opening up a dangerous world of technologies which…
5/5- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
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Medical Imaging
A Catalyst article about microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet and X-rays which are all electromagnetic waves. The article looks at their different uses and why some are used to create medical images and others to treat disease. The article also explores how the electromagnetic spectrum is used by medical physicists to create images…
Albert Einstein
A Catalyst article about the life and ideas of Albert Einstein. He is most famous for his ideas on relativity which formed the theory of general relativity, in which he showed that gravity could be explained as the effect of large masses on space. After the Second World War he also worked with other scientists and politicians to…
Can Your Mobile Phone Damage Your Health?
A Catalyst article investigating if mobile phones produce harmful radiation. The short article compares the view points of a concerned parent, protester, scientist, official report and a complacent citizen. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1. Catalyst is a science magazine for students…
- 4/5
- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
- Article
Do U Wan2 Tlk> ;-)
A Catalyst article about mobile phones. This article looks at the science behind this popular piece of technology, such as the use of radio waves, aerials and cells. The article also explains how mobile phones are able to use short aerials. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1. Catalyst…
Grid Computing
A Catalyst article about using computers to crunch data from CERN. The article looks at GridPP, a UK computing grid for handling particle physics data. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2007, Volume 17, Issue 4. Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged 14-19 years. Annual subscriptions to print copies…
Invisible Rays
A Catalyst article about the astronomer William Herschel who discovered Uranus in 1781. He became the first person since ancient times to identify a new planet. However, he is also known as the ‘accidental’ discoverer of infrared radiation. The article asks is this a fair description and can such discoveries really happen…
Catalytic Converter
A Catalyst article describing how a car's catalytic converter works. A catalytic converter is a part of a vehicle’s exhaust system. It removes harmful substances from the exhaust gases. The article describes what a catalytic converter consists of, the reactions taking place in a car engine and the reactions happening in…
Applying the Science
A Catalyst article about the role of environmental scientists working for a local authority. Climate change science needs to be applied to everyday life and this article explains how local authorities and their staff are often in the front line applying the science and making it work for public benefit. This article is from Catalyst:…
Energy-Efficient Lighting
A Catalyst article about how the society can decide whether energy-efficient lighting is good for the environment. With the UK Government announcement that sales of filament lamps will be phased out over the next few years the article examines their replacements, CFLs, compact fluorescent lamps. Not everyone agrees that this is a…
Would You Be a CLEVER Driver?
A Catalyst article about the CLEVER car, which has been designed to be a compact, energy-efficient car. As more and more people want to get about within cities and towns, the problems of congestion and pollution are increasing. Motorcycles and bicycles take up less space and produce fewer emissions than conventional cars, but they…
Hydrogels - Water-Absorbing Polymers
A Catalyst article about hydrogels. Soft contact lenses, disposable nappies, hair gel and plant water crystals all make use of substances called hydrogels. These are polymers which have the unusual property of being able to absorb huge quantities of water. The article looks at the structure of hydrogels and their uses; there are…
- 5/5
- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
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QTC - Making the Most of a Novel Material
A Catalyst article about Quantum Tunnelling Composite, a material discovered in 1997 and whose resistance decreases dramatically under pressure. How does it work and what uses will it have? The material has been carefully characterised (to understand its composition and how it works), and its first applications have emerged. In this…
Darwin's Digital Children
This Catalyst article is about using computer models which use natural selection to evolve new products. Computers can be used to simulate evolution showing how some species die out and how others evolve and thrive. Products used by humans in everyday activities also evolve and this article describes how their design evolves. This…
Superconductors: Powering the Future, Probing the Past
A Catalyst article about the many uses of superconductors. The article looks at what the 1700 magnets at the Large Hadron Collider and power cables in Detroit have in common. Both use superconductors - materials which, when cooled below a certain temperature, lose all their electrical resistance, and display some other remarkable…
Working in Radiation Protection
A Catalyst article about how people can work more safely with radiation. Radiation protection is a specialised area of health and safety. It deals with the protection of workers, patients, the general public, organisations and the environment. It is concerned with the use of two types of radiation: • ionising radiation (e.g.…
Aeroplanes, Shampoo and Super-Microscopes
A Catalyst article about using the ISIS accelerator to study the structures of materials. ISIS is one of the UK's world leading research centres and this article explains how the centre uses neutrons to study materials at an atomic level. Acting as a super microscope the ISIS accelerator can be used for physics, chemistry, materials…
LEDs - Lighting Up a Brighter Future
A Catalyst article about devising better, more energy-efficient lighting. In particular the article focuses on LEDs. Like food, water, clothing and shelter, light is essential to daily life and is needed by most people for most of their waking hours. The article explains how LEDs work and how they are made. This article is from…
An Eggsperiment on Teeth
This Catalyst article describes an experiment with fluoride toothpaste on eggshells (as a substitute for teeth). Both teeth and eggs contain calcium compounds which can be attacked by acid. When an egg is put in vinegar the shell is weakened by the acid making it soft and more fragile. When teeth are exposed to acids in the mouth…