Optically Active

A simple but amazing property of some substances like Glucose to rotate polarised light. This is Dextrose  and Laevose rotates the same amount but in the opposite direction

 

Rates of Concentration

A-level Chemistry working with rates of reactions, using the @Pascoscientific colourimeter to capture the responses of different concentrations of sodium thiosulfate and hydrochloric acid reacting so they can draw accurate rate graphs in Capstone

Excel to solve Mechanics

Diving into #Excel to tackle basic mechanics problems. As students progress, they encounter more complex #Maths. Yet, post-education, they often utilize Excel over advanced Maths in their businesses. Let's get ahead of the curve by integrating real-world #Physics education early. #STEM
 

Seismograph

Comparing a seismograph model demonstrating the principle with a vibrometer app in the phone to record simple seismic events.

 

A-Level Heart Revision

 A-Level Biology Revision The circulatory system. I have a great model of the 4-chambered heart, but I can't find a similar type or really any models of a fish heart system or a frog's heart system. It's ok telling, but demonstrating is so much more effective.

Spintrionics

One of the biggest problems in teaching Physics is getting over the concept of things, sometimes using analogies like Spintronics to explain how electricity works.
 

AI computer Programming

 A-level Computing projects - who writes the best programs ChatGPT or a student and can I tell which is which? Looking at the comments and asking ChatGPT seems to work.

Measuring Exothermic reactions

Trying 0.1g then 0.2g and then 0.3g Magnesium with 1M Copper Sulfate and comparing the temperature rise and the rate of that rise. The orange line was different since we used @pascoscientific Sparkvue rather than Capstone to capture the data.

 

Using the ripple Tank

 Are circular waves different from straight waves? Taking time to find out. The wave's amplitude decreases as the circular waves radiate out, but their wavelength and frequency stay the same. Need to try this in the pool (a much bigger ripple tank) to find out more.

Solving Graphically

 The students had a go at solving some simultaneous equations graphically. All of them drew the axis of the graphs on the graph paper before working out the table of values and working out the scale. The result they had terrible problems working out the solutions.

Virgin Media down

 Virgin Media down all day today. Very difficult to do much work without it. Fortunately, no students online. We had to use the backup 50Mb BT system for everything instead of the 1Gb line

Measuring the magnetic field

Some students used a @Pascoscientific Smart cart, others used a rotary motion sensor  turned to linear to work out distance against magnetic field strength moving through a permanent magnet and a solenoid using AC or DC
 

ECG sensors

 Connecting students to the @pascoscientific EKG sensors (ECG) and recording their heart rates before and after exercise. The students can clearly see the structure of the electrical signal and can label their own, which is more fun and rewarding than just learning from a diagram.

Computing Projects

A-level computing Projects are on their way. Some using LAMP - Linux Apache, a database - often MariaDB and Perl/Php or Python as a basis for the development running on a Raspberry Pi. Many have some AI in the proposals, as this seems a great introduction.
 

Peacock Ore

 Behold #PeacockOre – a dazzling delight of nature. The colours dance & shift as you move it around. It's a beautiful blend of copper & iron sulfides, chemically Cu5FeS4. Easily one of the most enchanting ores out there. #Minerals #Geology

Rates of Reactions

Lots of use of the @Pascoscientific kit this week, today measuring the rates of reactions at different temperatures, plotting the rates, and trying to work out the relationship. After a go on the board the students discovered that Capstone could do this automatically.

 

Modelling Mechanics

 Using the inclined plane and a Newton meter to examine the forces involved. Changing the runway surface to change the friction coefficient to investigate how the forces change. Altering the angle to change the sin and cos values. Lots of calculator work.

Perpendicular Gradient Rule

I was going through some AS Maths Questions with some students and I was surprised that none of them had met the Perpendicular Gradient Rule

Gradient of Line 1 x Gradient of Line 2 = -1 if perpendicular

Heating and Cooling

Heating and Cooling using a couple of @Pascoscientific wireless thermometers linked to Capstone to capture and print out the data. The students were deciding on whether black or white radiators were the best.

 

Ready for Microbiology

 Kit's sterilized, broth brewed. Agar slopes set, plates poured. All set for students to dive into learning aseptic technique! #ScienceInProgress #LabReady

Analog Book revision

Just got the updated #AnalogBook! Packed with new insights on analogue circuits & DIY projects. Perfect for my students since time is a rare commodity. Loving this free upgrade! #CircuitProjects #EdTech

Cleaning Water

 Turning pond water into something a bit cleaner. Still loads of bacteria and other nasties but much of the other stuff was removed.

Titrations

Me: Ever titrated, A-level student?

Student: Just once.

I ensure they experience 5-6 sessions, perfecting their technique. They make up their solutions, and we verify the concentrations via titration. A fun learning journey! #ChemistryEducation #Titrations #LearningByDoing

Solar furnace

The first trial of the solar furnace. Will it raise the temperature of the water by a few degrees? Aligning it seemed a bit problematic and very crude. Maybe I should mount this on an equatorial mount with a motor to follow the sun

Mechanics - Maths meets Physics

Mechanics: the grand meeting of Maths & Physics! Using strobe light & a ball drop for gravity-acceleration calculations and SUVAT for the final velocity. #PhysicsIsFun #MathMagic

Sounds

 Investigating the shapes of the waveforms for different instruments. Comparing the waveforms for the instruments with their counterparts on a digital organ. Virtually identical

Fossil in a Rock

 I have shown students fossils before but it wasn't until I showed the students this fossil in a rock that they really understood how fossils were made and how they were found. Seeing is believing.

Linux in Windows

 Just when the students thought that they were getting a handle on operating systems, I introduced them to virtualisation running Linux on Windows using wsl and running Windows off of a Linux server.

Photoelectric Effect

 Exploring the photoelectric effect using a charged electroscope and a UV light and the effect of UV on a photochromic liquid with a class set of UV glasses.

Making up Solutions

Mastering the art of creating molar and part molar solutions & getting the hang of concentrations is #ChemistryEssentials! Surprised to see many students puzzled about the significance of Moles. #ScienceEducation #MolarMagic 🧪

 

Making a zip line

Using a @pascoscientific Tension Protrator to measure the force and angle on a zip line