Particle Accelerators
There aren't many schools with their own particle accelerators so this set of resources will provide you with plenty of alternatives inlcuding hands on demonstrations and activities. The challenge here is to delve into content that goes beyond GCSE and into A level and beyond without overwhelming the students and perhaps youself.
If you want to get up to (and over) speed on particle physics more generally then there are many books and videos around. A Very Short Introduction to Particle Physics by Frank Close is a good primer but perhaps the best beginners guide that isn't too long and daunting is from Nari Mistry at Cornell University. It's only 20 pages and available free HERE
Whilst this list provides a source of information and ideas for experimental work, it is important to note that recommendations can date very quickly. Do NOT follow suggestions which conflict with current advice from CLEAPSS, SSERC or recent safety guides. eLibrary users are responsible for ensuring that any activity, including practical work, which they carry out is consistent with current regulations related to Health and Safety and that they carry an appropriate risk assessment. Further information is provided in our Health and Safety guidance
Visit Guides
Since CERN is funded by tax payers across Europe, they are always keen to encourage visitors. A good number of teachers have been lucky enough to visit CERN and this document from the STFC gives guidance and advice for those planning a visit for students. It has to be the ultimate school trip.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
If the “tunnel to the beginning of time” poster isn’t already up in your school laboratory somewhere then shame on you! It needs printing in colour in a large format to make a good impact but once up on the wall you’ll refer to it often and so will your students. At the time of writing, copies of the poster can be obtained free of charge from STFC, see here for more details http://www.stfc.ac.uk/22.aspx
The second poster is good too but it will have less impact due to the amount of small writing. Teachers with students who want to know more about the LHC can refer them to this second poster or even email them a copy.
Professional Knowledge: Physics
This film from Teachers TV could be used to update your own knowledge or alternatively be shown to students as part of their work on particle accelerators. The diamond light source is a world class facility and it’s good for students to appreciate that the UK is at the forefront of this technology. The section of the film dealing with particle accelerators runs from 1min 15 to 5 min 55s.
Physics on Earth and Mars
You want the film at the bottom of this list – TVs, Magnets and Mars. Don’t worry about the context being set in Mars, Anu Ojha does a great job here at explaining how electrons can be deflected in a magnetic field and this is a fantastic demonstration to do in the school laboratory since it’s so simple and so memorable. It works fine with black and white TVs but is even more spectacular with colour ones so whatever you do, don’t throw away those old TV sets.
Particle Accelerator Demonstrations
This set of demonstrations was written for a public show but the “cheat sheets” have been made available to teachers too. There are plenty of demonstrations here that teachers will recognise, but the twist is that the sheets give details for the teacher about how to link them all to particle accelerators. You won’t want to do all of them, but any will bring this topic to life.