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
Revision Starts Now!
No matter where you are in your learning journey, it's never to early to start "revision". Why have I put quotation marks around the last word? Because if you "revise" early enough you will be front-loading your learning - and that's even better than retrospective revision! Front-loading is sometimes known as flipped learning and it's … Continue reading Revision Starts Now!
Energy: the biggest “big idea”
Physics, let alone all the sciences put together, covers such a vast range of knowledge that it's useful to identify a small number of "big ideas" that link across a greater number of concepts. And energy is undoubtedly the biggest of these "big ideas". When it comes to revising energy, the breadth of its impact … Continue reading Energy: the biggest “big idea”
Quantum Game
If you want to play a fun game and (optionally) learn about the curious behaviour of light, then Quantum Game is for you! The nature of light has divided opinion in physics for literally thousands of years, from the time of Pythagoras and Aristotle in ancient Greece to the current day. In the seventeenth century, … Continue reading Quantum Game
Electron Shells
The idea of electron shells is essential in chemistry and also plays an important part in various areas of physics so needs to be discussed in its own right. But before we look at electron shells let's be clear that this is just a model - a way of imagining what is going on inside … Continue reading Electron Shells
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
Experimental data
One of the most important skills that is required for success in physics is the ability to handle experimental data in an appropriate way. This includes everything from correct use of units and equations to identifying anomalies, finding averages and recording calculations with the proper number of significant figures. All of these skills are tested … Continue reading Experimental data
Exam Tips 1: Word Choices
Obviously you have to know your subject content to succeed in any test or exam but there are also some things you can do to avoid common mistakes. Here are five top tips for getting extra marks simply by being more careful in your use of words. 1. Learn the command words and how to … Continue reading Exam Tips 1: Word Choices
Raise your grades!
Back in February I told you about a free online mini-course to help you improve your exam technique over five days. That course is back again so if you missed it the first time, do it now. (Bear in mind that "exam" technique includes tips for improving your answers in tests of all types - … Continue reading Raise your grades!
Light and Heat
It is obvious to say that hot objects emit (give off) both visible light (a glow) and heat (that we can feel but not actually see). This is true of bonfires, light-bulbs and even our Sun. The connection between heat and light is taken completely for granted in everyday life: the glow of a hot … Continue reading Light and Heat
Mr Tarrant's physbang 'blog 