In a Year 12 lesson on Tuesday I realised that I was asking the students to perform a simple experiment they’d done twice before: once in Year 7 and once in Year 10. Of course, this time around it was to be more complex because we were going to use light gates, but still theContinueContinue reading “Doing the same thing”
Yearly Archives: 2024
A line of best fit can be curved to be straight
I’ve heard that teachers of mathematics tell their students that a line is always straight, and so a line of best fit is always straight. I’ve heard that teachers of mathematics say that there are also curves of best fit, but that these are not lines, because they are not straight. Consider a graph showingContinueContinue reading “A line of best fit can be curved to be straight”
Fun with Google Translate
A surprising conclusion after playing with Google Translate; or maybe it’s not that surprising.
Do you find these derivation videos helpful?
Do you find my derivation videos helpful? Please let me know what you think?
The Class That Doesn’t Care
Before the claxon, still pitch black,Despite the hour, duvet’s peeled back,And limping through the bathroom door,The silent mantra, “one day more.”The sun is hiding while teeth brushedAnd floss and rinse and toilet flushed,And keeping silent in the shower,Won’t wake my daughter at this hour.Dressing smartly, eating cornflakes,Cycling ‘fore anyone else wakes.Get to work and throughContinueContinue reading “The Class That Doesn’t Care”
Why sleep matters
Teenagers need 9-10 hours of sleep per night. Adults need 7-8 hours of sleep per night. That’s according to the Mayo Clinic. They also state that a lack of sleep increases the risk of illness after exposure to viruses. How much of an increased risk is it? According to Cohen et al (2010), the riskContinueContinue reading “Why sleep matters”
Ultraviolet catastrophe
According to the Rayleigh-Jeans’ Law, Eq 1: Rayleigh-Jeans Law where B is the power emitted let unit area per unit solid angle per unit wavelength for a given wavelength and temperature, T is the temperature of the body, lambda is the wavelength of radiation emitted by the body, and k is Boltzmann’s constant. This classicalContinueContinue reading “Ultraviolet catastrophe”
Laws that are laws until they’re not laws
Here are a few Laws from Physics that don’t always work.
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs)
These types of displays work in a clever way. Light passes through a polarising filter, through a liquid crystal, and then through a second polarising filter with the plane if polarisation orientated 90° to the first. The light then reflects off a mirror and follows the return path through the polarising filter, liquid crystal andContinueContinue reading “Liquid crystal displays (LCDs)”
The most stressful job in the world
… is not teaching. Well, that’s my experience, but I understand everyone and every situation is unique. I have had the good fortune of always teaching in grammar schools (except when I was training). I’ve heard horror stories from colleagues about how stressful it can be working in other schools, managing poor behaviour, jumping thoughContinueContinue reading “The most stressful job in the world”
Physics with Keith 