Imagine that you could take a helium-filled balloon to the moon. If you stood on the lunar surface, holding the ribbon tied to the bottom of the balloon, what would you expect to happen when it was released? We'll assume that the balloon doesn't burst and I'll give you four possible outcomes; The balloon rises … Continue reading Balloon on the Moon
Command Words
Examination questions always include a word that specifies what you must do to get full marks. These are the command words and they are important because you must match your answer to what they are expecting. It is easy to lose marks by not paying careful attention to the command word so here are some … Continue reading Command Words
Star Count 2023
Looking up at the stars is awe-inspiring experience but light pollution from the ground greatly reduces the number of stars that can be seen. Even a single neighbouring security light that is either permanently on or frequently activated by people or animals can ruin the night sky for others. There is an annual event that … Continue reading Star Count 2023
Standard Form
Every GCSE physics paper normally has at least one question with a mark for the correct interpretation or expression of numbers in standard form. This is a basic skill that is taught as part of GCSE mathematics courses but it holds a great deal of power for scientific calculations that is rarely mentioned at this … Continue reading Standard Form
Why does hot air rise?
Easy question! It's because hot air is less dense than cold air. Except that things aren't really this simple. How does hot air know its own density and the density of the cold air that surrounds it? For that matter, how does hot air know which way is up? You might say that hot air … Continue reading Why does hot air rise?
More than meets the eye
Optical illusions aren't part of the school science curriculum - but they should be. We tend to believe what we see, and a lot of what we know about science is based on visual observations, but we aren't normally taught to question the evidence of our own eyes. One of the classic puzzles of astronomy, … Continue reading More than meets the eye
Congratulations
The results are in and, overall, the AQA Trilogy course has been very successful. I have heard of some great individual results and I've been delighted to shake hands with some of you. I also know there have been some slight disappointments but that is the way things are: we live and learn (please never … Continue reading Congratulations
Summer challenge
While we wait for the GCSE results, what better to do than conduct an experiment, just for the fun of it? The project I am suggesting is the JMP Summer DOE Challenge, which runs from 11th July until the start of September and involves nothing more complicated than growing some cress seeds. Often in school … Continue reading Summer challenge
Thank You
That's it. This year's GCSE exams are now over. All that remains is for the papers to be marked and the grades announced. And for me to say thank you to my (final) Y11 class, who got together and bought me a farewell gift, as shown below. Hofmann's apparatus. A hugely appreciated gift to me … Continue reading Thank You
Revision 2022: The Final Straight
With Biology and Chemistry finished, it's all systems go in the final phase of science revision for the second Physics paper later this week (Thursday 23rd June). As was the case for Paper 1, I have created an index page of links to relevant physbang content using the Advanced Information provided by AQA. The index … Continue reading Revision 2022: The Final Straight
Mr Tarrant's physbang 'blog 