This Nuffield Advanced Mathematics option consists of six units of work, each on a different theme. Students had the opportunity, as part of their coursework, to develop an aspect of interest from one of the themes into a longer project. These topics were chosen to...

Details of this challenging experiment were published in this leaflet from the Unilever Laboratory Experiment in 1965. Requirements included a pyrophoric nickel catalyst supplied by Unilever, hydrogen from a cylinder and a vegetable oil treated with activated charcoal to remove impurities. The necessary apparatus...

This unplugged activity from the CS4FN team uses two examples – an insulting computer and one that can play snap – to look at simple computer programming, flow of control and logic. Everything is provided for this front-of-class activity, which would act as an effective starter for a lesson on programming concepts...

Published for the Institute of Physics, this report examines the contribution of physics to the Scottish economy between the years 2005 and 2010. Figures are given for the numbers of people employed in physics-based sectors of the economy, the contribution in financial terms, gross value added per worker and the...

In this activity from the CS4FN team, learners are introduced to algorithms in the context of artificial intelligence. They are challenged to beat a ‘piece of paper’ at a game of noughts and crosses. By following a simple algorithm, the piece of paper becomes very difficult to beat. The algorithm is a sequence of...

This article from School Science Review, describes the design, delivery, evaluation and impact of a CPD course for physics and chemistry teachers. A key aim of the course was to use the context of the James Webb Space Telescope project to inspire teachers and lead to enriched teaching of STEM subjects.

The...

In this Core Maths task students are introduced to a new species of jellyfish that has been found off the Sussex coast and nicknamed ‘jellyblubbers’ by local people. It impossible to count how many ‘jellyblubbers’ are present, but some data has been collected and is being analysed for the purpose of answering the...

Jonny Griffiths is an experienced classroom mathematics teacher, who has also written for the ATM (Association of Teachers of Mathematics), HarperCollins, Hodder, Imperial College, MEI (Mathematics in Education and Industry), Underground Mathematics and is the creator of the A level mathematics competition '...

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...

This Catalyst article investigates the launch of the the Philae lander from the Rosetta spacecraft and its landing on Comet 67P.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 25, Issue 3.

Catalyst is a science...

This RISP activity is ideal for introducing, consolidating or revising the idea of proof using a mathematical argument and appropriate use of logiocal deduction.

Students are asked to choose two triangular numbers and...

From the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the 'Big questions, big experiment' wall chart describes the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. It looks at the "big questions" about our Universe that scientists are trying to answer, and how the amazing LHC will help them to do so. The 'Tunnel to the...