Thursday 6 May 2021

Prototype bell on a stick

 First prototype of the bell on the stick. The bell rings on the @pascoscientific track as the cart goes by. Now to make a few more and try it out. Once done I will make a video and make the files available to anyone who wants them. #iteachphysics #Physics




Wednesday 5 May 2021

The potometer


 Using a potometer in the nice sunshine. The students can easily see the uptake of water and movement by transpiration. Important to set this up underwater. I am using watercress. It grows fast, has soft stems that easily fit into the tube and being water plants they transpire fast so the students can see the results quickly especially on a sunny day.

Tuesday 4 May 2021

Galileo’s Acceleration Experiment


Galileo’s Acceleration Experiment - Going to build - I have 1
@pascoscientific ramp and smart cart several identical small bells and a 3-D printer to make some ball holders attached to the ramp. Now I could use the smart cart but this should be more fun #iteachphysics #Physics



Saturday 1 May 2021

Which Metal is the best Conductor?

 #Physics I have 4 metals, Steel, Brass, Aluminium and Copper. Putting them into hot water which one will heat up and conduct heat the fastest. #iteachphysics




Thursday 29 April 2021

Meter Stick Torque Kit

 @pascoscientific  meter Stick Torque kit arrived from @scichemed. Now to start some experiments with this. I found the kit to be really sensitive. Started using it straightaway with some rotational mechanics. #iteachphysics #Physics



Wednesday 28 April 2021

:Line Emission spectra of Helium

 #iteachphysics Using the @pascoscientific spectrometer from @scichemedu to have a look at the line emission spectrum of Helium. Using the fibre optic addon we can capture this easily. So much better than using the handheld spectrometers, as the students see what is going on. #Physics



Tuesday 27 April 2021

Safe as it get Radioactivity

 #iteachphysics Looking at alpha radiation of a Thorium welding rod and Beta radiation of Lo-Salt using the @pascoscientific geiger counter from @SciChemEdu The student could not see this at school because it was considered too dangerous by his teacher #Physics This is as safe as it gets. Both Lo-Salt - salt high in KCl rather than NaCl is considered safe to eat and by many considered to be a healthier eating habit. The thorium rods are used in welding and easily available in welding shops. No need to worry about radiation on the health warnings - yet as soon as I get the geiger counter out many teachers panic about the danger to the children - I assume its the geiger counter that is so dangerous.


These sources are safe and only just above background.

A saltwater fuel cell

  GCSE Chemistry Tuition: Exploring the difference between electrolysis and creating a cell. We built a simple cell using a magnesium plate ...