Archive for the ‘Physics’ Category
Ernst Mach: the problem with Science Education
Posted by: ozymandias1 on: January 15, 2009
1859 marks not only the 150th birthday of the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, but also a somewhat less well-known occasion; It was the year Ernst Mach published the first of his 500 publications (his last was published five years after his death, in 1921).
Most will know of this man through his [...]
Colours from black and white? Say it ain’t so!
Posted by: ozymandias1 on: November 27, 2008
- In: Education| Physics| motors| youtube
- Leave a Comment
We had half a class the other day so we just played around with some equipment left lying about.
One such piece was a cardboard disc with black circles and shapes on a white background. If you spin it quickly you get to see coloured circles! It’s mad I tell you.
Only thing is, because it’s got to be [...]
Free Telescopes for Schools – what a wonderful idea!
Posted by: ozymandias1 on: November 22, 2008
A colleague reminded me recently that when you think about it, there are really only two concepts that fascinate young kids; Space and Dinosaurs.
Okay, so this is a gross generalisation, but with work with me here.
Somebody in England has cottoned on to the first part of this.
The Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), Royal Astronomical Society [...]
More fun – this time with the spud cannon
Posted by: ozymandias1 on: November 20, 2008
I must get around to talking about the Physics of what’s happening here at some stage. I just figured nobody would be too interested on the day.
Teaching Junior Cert Science: Electricity
Posted by: ozymandias1 on: November 16, 2008
I needed to start puting together resources for Junior Cert Physics, so I started with some simple ideas for teaching Electricity.
I lost it just a little at the beginning but decided to include it in case people got to thinking that all my classes are perfect - far from it.
It’s been a pretty cool few days
Posted by: ozymandias1 on: November 9, 2008
After a number of months of trying (off and on, mind), I finally managed to get the url for the blog changed to thinkforyourself.ie
Thanks to my colleagues at St. Columba’s College English department for the idea.
After putting in quite a bit of work into Young Scientist Projects for the first time this year, we have had [...]
Unusual resource for explaining Joule’s Law
Posted by: ozymandias1 on: October 23, 2008
An offshoot of Joules’ Law is that when transmitting electrical power, the current is kept as low as possible in order to reduce energy losses associated with heat of the electrical cables. Because the power being transferred is the product of the voltage and the current, we can still get the same power transferred if [...]
Another Physics teacher shares resources on Youtube
Posted by: ozymandias1 on: October 13, 2008
- In: Education| Physics| c4science| youtube
- 5 Comments
Tom Healy teaches Physics in Cabinteely Community School and for quite a while now has been uploading revision videos on Leaving Cert Physics to youtube. He has almost 50 up there by now and has divided them into Mandatory and Non-mandatory experiments.
A wonderful way to revise, but also a wonderful resource for any new teachers.
Why couldn’t [...]
Mr Devitt teaches us about Light
Posted by: ozymandias1 on: October 12, 2008
Jerome Devitt (History Teacher) runs a transition-year module on Light and Sound for theatres, and kindly agreed to allow us in to watch him teach one of his lessons.
Not all of it comes out great on video, but it should still prove very usefull for Senior Phyics classes.
If you would like [...]
Latest videos from New Scientist
- Photo fixNew software can make bad photos more pleasing to the eye.
- Sharing bonoboA bonobo "freely" shares food with another, something that only humans had been known to do.
- 3D videoconferenceA technique based on a century-old illusion is beinig adapted for teleconferencing.
- Shoot-out scienceResearchers have tested why the bad guy in Hollywood westerns always draws first but gets shot.
- Hybrid videoA new system can blend ordinary and infrared video footage.
- Secrecy tourFind out about a behind-the scenes tour of scientific locations.
- NS TV - Nov 2009Follow us to an insect festival, see some ultra-realistic dinosaurs and a huge camera obscura.
- NS TV - Jan 2010See how technology is transforming greeting cards, a new exhibit on identity and how to walk on water.
- NS TV - Dec 2009See a 3D videoconferencing technique, art that deals with human-animal interaction and an ultra-realistic mapping technique.
- NS TV - Feb 2010See some ladder-walking locusts, high tech scans of ancient teeth and a secret pollinator.
