The twenty seven challenges contained in this booklet are designed to challenge and inspire students whilst helping them on their journey to becoming a ‘computational thinker’. The ideas contained in the booklet will also provide useful teacher stimulation when planning lessons.

Many of the challenges...

Gaia is an ambitious mission to chart a three-dimensional map of our Galaxy, the Milky Way. The spacecraft will provide the positions and velocity measurements of around 1 billion stars – which is about one percent of the stars in our galaxy.

This report from Ofsted is based on a survey into the impact in schools of the government’s strategy for continuing professional development (CPD). The strategy was introduced in 2001 and subsequently relaunched in 2005. It aims to promote the benefits of CPD, help teachers make the most of the choices available,...

This film, from Twig World, looks at the relationship between time and place. In an age before satellite navigation and GPS, one man found an ingenious solution to the problem of determining a ship's location at sea. The key points made in the film are: •Lines of latitude circle the Earth horizontally; lines of...

This resource contains a series of card tricks. Each trick is presented in two parts. In the first part enough detail is given so that the trick can be performed. A description of the desired effect is given followed by an explanation of the mechanics of the trick – actually what is done to ensure the trick works...

The Magic of Computer Science II begins with an introduction to the resource, explaining the basic concepts used in the book. There follows descriptions of how to perform seven tricks with explanations of how the trick works and the computer science concepts illustrated in the tricks.

The joker in...

The third collection of magic tricks, from Paul Curzon and Peter McOwan, is entitled ‘magic meets mistakes, machines and medicine. The five card tricks contained make use of maths and computer science theory, and are used by real magicians.

Each trick includes magician’s instructions. The theory behind each...

This collection of resources from The Mathematics Centre covers the full age range from Early Years to post-16 education. Much of the material has been produced as a result of teachers collaborating on projects, attending in service courses and as results of innovative ideas by local teachers.

Mathematics in...

In this resource students are to play the role of a structural engineer working on the design of a prestigious new hotel complex.

As a design engineer students have to carry out complex calculations on the structures steelwork needed to make the building viable. Part of these calculations include assessing...

In this resource students are to play the role of a site engineer on a major sewage project.

The job of the site engineer is to supervise the lifting of a number of large, non-uniform, heavy reinforced concrete slabs using a chain lifting system attached to a small site crane. The task involves ensuring...

In this resource students are given a recent, real-life scenario of flood defence work to allow the learner to apply principles of numerical integration to approximate the calculation of earthwork quantities, including areas and volumes.

Students are asked to play the role of a newly qualified engineer...

In this resource students are to play the role of a graduate engineer working within an engineering surveying department for a major contractor.

Learners are to help establish a framework of control survey points for a new highway development consisting of a two mile by-pass around a small rural village....

In this resource students are to play the role of a graduate engineer working within an engineering surveying department for a major contractor.

Learners are to help establish the exact position of the intersection points of the tangents to the circular curves that form the alignment of a road in a new...

In this resource students are to play the role of a graduate engineer working within an engineering surveying department for a major contractor.

Learners are required to establish the position of a number of additional control points to be subsequently used to establish the road centre line in a new highway...