Crystals of Aluminium Potassium Sulfate

To discover the inner beauty of crystals, you can observe them through a low-power lens or a macro lens on a camera. Doing so will reveal a stunning world of intricate crystal shapes. As an example, observe the Aluminum Potassium Sulfate crystal.

Online Pressure

 Demonstrated pressure online was a bit of a challenge, but I succeeded in doing it in a bowl quite effectively. Running out of hands is the most significant problem.  The depth of water can have a significant effect on pressure. As the depth of water increases, the pressure at that point increases as well. This relationship is known as hydrostatic pressure, and it is the pressure exerted by a fluid due to the weight of the fluid itself.

The hydrostatic pressure is directly proportional to the depth of the fluid, meaning that the pressure increases as the depth of the fluid increases. The formula for calculating the hydrostatic pressure is P = ρgh, where P is the pressure, ρ is the density of the fluid, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the depth of the fluid.

For example, if the depth of water is 10 meters, and the density of water is 1000 kg/m³, the pressure at that depth would be:

P = (1000 kg/m³) x (9.81 m/s²) x (10 m) = 98,100 Pa

This means that the pressure at a depth of 10 meters in water is approximately 98,100 Pascal, which is much greater than the pressure at the water's surface.

The bottle with holes in different depths shows how, with more depth of water, the pressure inceases.

Here's a simple experiment you can do to demonstrate how the pressure increases as the water depth increases:

Materials needed:

• A clear, plastic bottle
• Water
• A ruler
• A pressure sensor or a small balloon

Procedure:

1. Fill the plastic bottle with water.
2. Place the pressure sensor or small balloon into the bottle, making sure it is completely submerged in the water.
3. Use the ruler to measure the depth of the water in the bottle, starting from the surface of the water to the bottom of the bottle.
4. Record the pressure reading on the pressure sensor or observe the expansion of the balloon.
5. Slowly add more water to the bottle, making sure to keep the pressure sensor or balloon submerged in the water.
6. After adding more water, measure the new depth of the water in the bottle and record the new pressure reading on the pressure sensor or observe the new expansion of the balloon.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 several times, gradually increasing the depth of the water in the bottle.
8. Compare the pressure readings or the sizes of the balloon at each depth, and note how they increase as the depth of the water increases.

Explanation: As more water is added to the bottle, the depth of the water increases, which in turn increases the pressure at the bottom of the bottle. This increased pressure is caused by the weight of the water above it, which exerts a force on the water at the bottom of the bottle. This force, in turn, causes an increase in the pressure on the pressure sensor or the balloon. By observing the changes in pressure as the depth of the water increases, you can demonstrate how pressure increases with depth in water.

EKG or ECG

Using the @Pascoscientific EKG sensor (ECG) in the UK to look at the electrical voltage from a heartbeat. We could analyse the signal and look at heartbeats before and after exercise

 

Learning Object Orientated Programming

 New programmers find it easiest to pick up object-orientated programming because they don't know any other way of doing it. Some of the key concepts of OOP include encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism and students grasp these easily.

Why Calculus

Sometimes I hear, "why do we need to learn this?" What's the point of doing this? Sometimes once something is learnt we can go on to investigate something further - like Calculus.  Calculus is a branch of mathematics that deals with the study of rates of change and the accumulation of small changes. It has been an essential tool in many areas of science and engineering, including physics, engineering, economics, and statistics. The development of calculus is a fascinating story that spans centuries and involves some of the greatest minds in mathematics.

The origins of calculus can be traced back to ancient Greece, where the method of exhaustion was used to calculate the area of a circle. This method involved inscribing polygons inside and outside the circle and, calculating their areas, then using this information to approximate the area of the circle. However, it was in the 17th century that calculus began to take shape as we know it today.

One of the earliest pioneers of calculus was the English mathematician John Wallis, who, in the 1650s, developed a method of finding the area under a curve by dividing it into small rectangles. This method was further developed by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat, who used it to solve problems in optics.

However, the work of two great mathematicians, Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, led to the formal development of calculus. Newton, who was English, and Leibniz, who was German, independently developed a calculus system in the 1670s and 1680s. Newton's system was based on his laws of motion, while Leibniz's system was based on the concept of infinitesimals.

The development of calculus was subject to controversy, however. In the years that followed, there was a bitter dispute between Newton and Leibniz over who deserved credit for the invention of calculus. The dispute was fueled by nationalism, as Newton and Leibniz were fiercely patriotic and by personal animosity, as they had a long-standing professional rivalry. The dispute was eventually settled by a committee of the Royal Society, which ruled that both men had independently developed calculus.

Today, calculus is essential in many fields, including physics, engineering, and economics. The development of calculus has been a fascinating story of innovation and discovery, and it stands as a testament to the power of human intellect and ingenuity.

Heating Zinc Oxide

 One of the interesting things about heating Zinc Oxide is how it changes colour to yellow when hot and reverts back to white when cold. The A-Level students found it harder to determine whether Zinc should be a transition metal or not.

Spirometer

Using the @Pascoscientific spirometer and Capstone to measure my students' and my breathing rate and vital capacity. This is so much easier than using the box spirometer and chart recorder. It seems odd to do a biology experiment in Medical Physics. Still, it is interesting to see how much Physics there is in making and designing devices to measure biological systems.