We all like to think of physicists as being really smart - and mostly they are - but sometimes a few of them do silly things. After all, we're only human... Physics World, the magazine of the Institute of Physics (IoP) has published an online article recounting a few examples of physicists' sillyness. You can … Continue reading Physicists do silly things!
Introduction to Flipgrid
Great though this platform is, we can't communicate directly with each other so I've created a new area where we can do just that. It's on a service called Flipgrid and you will find it at flipgrid.com/physbang. Please log-in using your school email address (I've set it that way so that the area is private) … Continue reading Introduction to Flipgrid
Sound: A Quick Recap
Sound is the most common example of a longitudinal wave (if you need a second example in an examination, mention seismic P waves from earthquakes). It is therefore important that you can describe and explain sound waves. This includes how the human ear works (in physics terms) and how microphones and loudspeakers link sound to … Continue reading Sound: A Quick Recap
Waves (w/b 30th March)
Okay everybody, this is where things start to get serious! We now know there will be no school until at least the start of May so you must get on with your studies or you will be seriously disadvantaged in next year's GCSE examinations. The current Y11 classes don't have exams but that won't apply … Continue reading Waves (w/b 30th March)
Speed – A Crash Course
In view of the current school closure, this post has been created to summarise the learning steps that you have already followed to gain a firm understanding of speed in terms of distance and time. You should work through this page to check and improve your knowledge. The key learning outcomes are; The units of … Continue reading Speed – A Crash Course
Stretch yourself
No matter where you are in your physics journey, there is always more to learn. Some things will be directly related to your studies and some will be just for general interest. And there are lots of websites out there that contain materials to support you as you expand your physics horizons. One website that … Continue reading Stretch yourself
Home Learning 1 – Recap
We're going to start gently with our home learning: all you need to do for today is read a few pages in your revision guide then answer some questions and send me your work so that I can give you feedback. Read pages 56 to 59 in CGP GCSE Physics Complete Revision and Practice. The … Continue reading Home Learning 1 – Recap
Special Project: Flight
In view of the current school closure, I am setting you a special project to complete before the end of term. This work builds on our classroom learning that was about projectiles. It will contain a number of different elements that I will add into this page over the coming day or so, starting with … Continue reading Special Project: Flight
Sound waves and sonic booms
When an object moves through the air, the noise it creates spreads out in all directions, moving away in waves that travel at the speed of sound. But what happens when the object is moving faster than the speed of sound? In this case, the sound waves that are trying to move ahead get overtaken … Continue reading Sound waves and sonic booms
Y9 Motion Test – feedback
The tests have been marked and the scores are in – but they don’t really matter. Obviously you care about how well you did (and rightly so) but what really matters is what you go on to learn after doing this test. In other words, there is always room for improvement. The purpose of this … Continue reading Y9 Motion Test – feedback
Mr Tarrant's physbang 'blog 