Travelling Salesperson
The aim of a travelling salesperson problem is to visit every vertex of the network and return to the starting vertex using the route that has the minimum total weight. The problem requires students to find the best route for a courier to take to deliver parcels to a number of towns and return back to base. Travelling salesperson…
Route Inspection
The aim of the route inspection problem is to find a route that is as short as possible yet goes down every road once and returns to the starting point. The task informs students that there has been a heavy snowfall overnight and that the students are required to clear the roads in the town centre as quickly as possible, then return…
Planarity
Many topological graphs have edges that cross. The aim is to re-draw the graph in such a way that none of the edges cross. The task informs students they are required to design a printed circuit board and since the wires are not insulated they must not cross. Planarity: presentation - an introduction to the problem outlining the…
Minimum Spanning Tree
The aim of a minimum spanning tree is to connect every vertex of the network using the edges having the least possible total weight. The task requires students to analyse information about a town centre and suggest which roads should be pedestrianized. Minimum spanning tree: presentation - an introduction to the problem outlining…
Matchings
A matching is a set of edges on a bipartite graph in which no two edges share a common vertex. A bipartite graph consists of two sets of vertices X and Y. The edges only join vertices in X to vertices in Y. A matching in a bipartite graph is the pairing of some or all of the vertices in X with some or all of the vertices in Y. If…
Linear Programming
Linear Programming involves creating a function that represents a real life problem. The aim is to optimise this function given certain constraints. Simple examples of linear programming will have few variables and constraints, however, real life situations will have many more variables and constraints that will need to be considered. Problems…
Flows
The network flow problem involves finding the optimum route through a flow network; a directed graph where each arc has a capacity and each arc receives a flow. Typical examples include: evacuation plans and delivery services. The problem involves students analysing the plan of a school canteen and deciding whether, given relevant…
Dijkstra's Algorithm
Dijkstra's algorithm finds the shortest path for a given problem. Dijkstra's algorithm can be used to find the shortest route between two cities. This algorithm is so powerful that it not only finds the shortest path from a chosen source to a given destination, it also finds all of the shortest paths from the source to…
Critical Path Analysis
Critical path analysis is a project management technique and is used to lay out all of the activities which are needed to complete a task. Starting some activities will depend on completing others first, while independent activities can be started any time. Critical path analysis helps to predict the project completion time. The…
Bin Packing
The purpose of bin packing is to pack a collection of objects into containers called bins. The bins are all the same size and the objects to be packed are different sizes. The aim is to pack the objects into the bins using the fewest possible bins. In this example students are asked to save computer files onto a CD. Bin packing:…
Martian Death Rays
Could there be life on Mars? Perhaps so, although the high intensity of UV light means that it is unlikely to be found on the surface. The experiment demonstrates how bacteria grown on agar plates can be killed off by UV exposure. Curriculum areas covered: • Microbiology • Cell biology • Aseptic technique The…
Is There Life In There?
All life forms on Earth are based on organic biochemistry. This activity requires students to analyse an unknown soil sample (just recovered from a space mission to another planet!) and look for signs of possible indicators for life. Curriculum areas covered: • Cell biology • Food tests, including starch, sugar, protein…
How Rich Is Your Habitat?
This practical activity uses a simple and convenient model of the real environment in order to demonstrate the principles of random sampling and how to estimate biodiversity. Students use different coloured sugar balls to represent different species in order to put Simpson's Diversity Index to the test, which takes into account…
Introduction to Lowland Heathlands
This resource is an interactive activity which aims to provide an introduction to the lowland heathland habitat. The five topics relating to lowland heathlands covered by the resources include: • The biotic components of lowland heathlands, focusing on plants • The biotic components of lowland heathlands, focusing on…
Introducing Stem Cells
This presentation and collection of short activities, from Eurostemcell, introduce basic stem cell concepts and include teacher’s notes with each slide and useful diagrams. The materials include: Presentation: Introducing stem cells • Stem cell biology basics: for post-16 students, or adult audiences with little…
Robert Smyth Academy
The chemistry of UV reactive beads provides activities from Key Stage Two to Post-16, using photochromic beads. The beads can be used to investigate the effect of temperature on the rates of reaction, where the beads are returned to their normal colour. At Post-16 level, the activation energy/enthalpy can be calculated using the…
Kingswinford School
The activities within this resource focus on three topics: Cepheid variable stars; a power system for the Mars Science Laboratory; and locating celestial objects using the Stellarium software. The Cepheid variable activity is suitable for GCSE or Post-16 physics and astronomy. Students need to be able to interpret data from a…
Assessing Design Innovation: Tasks
This set of tasks presents students with challenges encouraging them to be creative and imaginative in responding to a design brief. Each project can be used as an assessment activity and students are given six to seven hours to complete the task. Each brief clearly explains the scenario, what is required and what the students should…
Assessing Design Innovation: Report
This paper, produced by the Technology Education Research Unit (TERU) at Goldsmiths College, University of London, reports the findings of an assessment of design and technology teaching in primary and secondary schools. A focus of the report was on assessment of design and technology subjects at all stages and particularly at GCSE.…
Floating Garden Challenge
This challenge, from Practical Action, requires students to design and build a model structure that will enable farmers to grow crops even in an area that may become flooded. A floating garden, built on a base of aquatic weeds, is a cheap and sustainable way of allowing people to grow vegetables. The resource can be adapted to…
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
This resource from the Institute of Physics (IOP), describes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the body. The magnetic resonance imaging video, taken from an IOP Schools and Colleges lecture, uses analogies with sound to describe how the resonant frequencies of protons within the body can be used to produce images. The functional…
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
This resource from the Institute of Physics (IOP) includes information and activities related to Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The video describes how annihilation of electrons and positrons can be used to produce X-rays and image the body to find cancers. The teachers' notes contain an introduction to PET, lesson…
Gamma Cameras
This resource from the Institute of Physics (IOP), describes how cameras sensitive to gamma radiation can be used to image the body. The video, taken from an IOP Schools and Colleges lecture, briefly describes the history of the discovery of radioactivity and how the first particle accelerators could be used to make radioactive…
5/5- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Video
Electrocardiagrams
This resource from the Institute of Physics, describes how electrocardiagrams (ECGs) record the activity of the heart through electrodes placed on a patient's skin. The teacher's notes contain an introduction to ECGs and lesson notes for the associated PowerPoint file. A mark scheme for the worksheet is also included.…
X-ray Imaging
This resource from the Institute of Physics (IOP), describes how X-rays can be used to image the body. The X-rays video, taken from an IOP Schools and Colleges lecture, describes how Roentgen discovered how to image using X-rays, in his lab. The lecture also describes how barium and iodine can be used to to image parts of the body,…
Ultrasound
This resource from the Institute of Physics, describes how ultrasound can be used to image the body. The video describes how ultrasound can be used to image a professional footballer's knee to investigate the cause of pain. The teachers' notes contain an introduction to ultra-sound imaging, lesson notes linked…
Curved Fold
This resource, from the Royal Institution, provides students with the opportunity to explore the formation of a parabola through a paper folding activity. Students follow a set of simple instructions which describe how to fold a piece of A4 paper and are asked to describe what shape is produced. The activity is complemented by two…
The Rotational Period of the Sun
This activity, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, introduces students to ways of combining errors (uncertainties) from two independent measured quantities. Using the equation for Doppler shift, the error in the rotational velocity and time period are calculated. The content of the files are identical, except that one is identified…
Miscellaneous Circuits (Part Three)
From the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP), these circuits allow students to build a range of devices. Each circuit has a full circuit diagram, component list and explanation of how the circuit works. In this section, the circuits cover a range of miscellaneous devices. Remote counter A seven segment display is incremented…
Miscellaneous Circuits (Part Two)
From the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP), these circuits allow students to build a range of devices. Each circuit has a full circuit diagram, component list and explanation of how the circuit works. In this section, the circuits cover a range of miscellaneous devices. Fuse tester This Circuit denotes if a fuse is faulty…
- 3/5
- Publication year: 1990 - 1999
- Activity sheet
Sensing (Part Two)
From the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP), these circuits allow students to build a range of devices. Each circuit has a full circuit diagram, component list and explanation of how the circuit works. In this section, the circuits cover a range of devices that use sensors. Ice warning (operational amplifier) When temperature…
What's the Question?
This activity is produced by the Maths Magic project. What’s the Question? provides an activity to act as stimuli for work on the geometry of straight lines and circles. The activity consists of two mathematical diagrams. Students are asked to generate questions that could be asked related to each diagram. The teacher notes…
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