In this activity developed by the Institute of Physics, students use iron and sand to model the composition of the Earth and estimate what fraction of the Earth is occupied by its iron core. After completing this activity, students should be able to: *Measure mass and volume. *Calculate density from mass and volume...

The Science upd8 activity set in the context of the universe. Earlier missions failed to find life on other planets. Is it still worth looking? Can we justify the expense of the search for extra terrestrial intelligence? Students will be deciding just how likely intelligent life elsewhere in the galaxy is.

A Catalyst article about the use of remote telescopes and detecting cosmic rays. Giant telescopes that can be operated remotely are located in Hawaii and Australia and are known as the Faulkes telescopes.

These are available to students in the UK to do original research with, and enable the following...

Looking for a clip to illustrate momentum? Footagevault has provided this footage of astronaut Jeff Hoffman playing with a red toy car on a looped race track on board the Space Shuttle. The car's...

In this activity, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, students use real data, taken from a scientific paper, to plot the rotational curve of M31 (Andromeda), our neighbouring spiral galaxy. They will look at Kepler’s third law to predict the motion of stars around the centre of M31. They will then measure the...

In this Science upd8 resource students study data on planets, dwarf planets and moons before devising their own criteria for classifying a solar system body. They examine the reasons for the relegation of Pluto. 

Please note this resource was written in 2006.

This video explains the difference between unpolarised light and plane polarised light in terms of using a slit to eliminate unwanted electric wave orientations. It is a continuation of Electromagnetic waves: why they are transverse....

From The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), these activities are aimed at post-16 students following courses in technology, engineering, physics or materials science. The activities described allow students to gain experience and practice experimental technique in the testing of materials' physical...

This resource aimed at upper primary contains a series of lessons which look at the means by which machines (cams, levers, gears and pulleys) transform force into movement. The first lesson provides the context for the project in the form of a story, where students are asked to create a counter to count visitors to...

The seven posters can be used in class when children are engaged in a space topic. Each file contains an image and a description associated with the image, in large font type. The posters are: constellation; galaxies; nebula; planets; solar system; sunspots; and the sun. The remaining files are articles from The...

Work done in this Nuffield 13 - 16 module followed from the B unit called ‘Machines and engines’ and the S unit called ‘Circuits’. This S unit provided enough material for eight double periods during a single-certificate science course. The teachers’ guide included...

The Power Station Project is a simulated case study from the Science in Society series dealing with the various decisions that have to be made when a new power station is being planned. It was designed as an integral part of the Energy section of the Science in Society course. It is assumed that an Electricity...

In this set of activities from the European Space Agency, students learn about two concepts that influence solar panel design for space missions: the inverse square law and the angle of incidence. There are instructions on two simple investigations using a photovoltaic cell (solar cell) and a light source. The...