Tucked away inside a website of astronomy resources I have just found a brilliant little tool for revising atomic structure, which is required knowledge for AQA Trilogy (and other) GCSE examinations in both physics and chemistry. You can find it at https://astro.unl.edu/newRTs/nuclei/. The assessment is a two-part, drag-and-drop ranking exercise where you have to rearrange … Continue reading Revising Atomic Structure
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
There are various GCSE topics where physics and chemistry intersect, so revising these areas can have a double benefit. One such example is atomic structure. Helpfully, BP Educational Services has just released a new set of resources to help you revise this content as you prepare for this summer's examinations. To access the free knowledge … Continue reading Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
Gamma Radiation
Of the three types of nuclear radiation discussed at GCSE level, gamma is definitely the unsung hero. Alpha and beta get plenty of limelight because they have both mass and charge, so they feature prominently in nuclear decay equations (as explained previously, here). But gamma radiation is a wave rather than a particle, so it … Continue reading Gamma Radiation
Compare and Contrast
A really useful revision tactic (and also quite a common type of exam question) involves looking at the differences that exist between two related things in the same area of physics. These comparisons can be very simple, such as the definitions of scalars and vectors, or they can be more complicated, such as competing theories … Continue reading Compare and Contrast
Atoms – basic ideas
The original idea of an atom came from asking a very simple question: if you take a substance and cut it into smaller and smaller pieces, is there a limit to how many times you can keep cutting it into smaller pieces? When this question was originally asked, back in ancient Greece around 400 BC, … Continue reading Atoms – basic ideas
Radioactivity Summary
The test may be done but the learning doesn't stop! I've found a great summary of the basics that you need to know about radioactivity, courtesy of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The crucial page is at https://www2.lbl.gov/abc/Basic.html but you may like to take a look at the entire ABC's of Nuclear Science section. For … Continue reading Radioactivity Summary
Nuclear Reactor Components
In a highly simplified view of nuclear fission reactors, we can reduce the key elements to just two components that control the chain reaction. Control rods are used to reduce the number of free neutrons and the moderator is used to slow down the neutrons so that they can be captured by other nuclei to … Continue reading Nuclear Reactor Components
Radioactivity: Basics and Test
This post highlights the fundamental knowledge and key skills that form the basics of radioactivity. There is also a short online test for you to check your understanding. The first things you need to know are descriptions of the atom (how models have changed with time) and what causes "radioactivity". These two fundamentals are covered … Continue reading Radioactivity: Basics and Test
Rutherford’s Gold Foil Experiment
Ernest Rutherford is credited with proving that atoms have a small, dense and positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons. To be exact, it was Ernest Marsden who carried out the very first version of the famous gold foil experiment while working under the direction of Rutherford and Hans Geiger. Rutherford was not even … Continue reading Rutherford’s Gold Foil Experiment
Black Holes
In our course, we cover Black Holes only as the final product of a collapsed super-massive star but if you want to know more about these fascinating objects then I highly recommend the ten-minute video by Perimeter Institute. To view the video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfdviKnUZOA&list=PL1608DAAD37A04B35 The same collection of videos also has a great six-minute … Continue reading Black Holes
