From Solar Spark, this activity allows students to see how chlorophyll can be energised and how this causes it to fluoresce. Chlorophyll in plant leaves absorb red light and pass the energy on to other parts of the plant, hence leaves look green. But if there is nowhere for the energy to go, it gets released as...

Two translucent liquids are mixed. At first, nothing happens: the resulting solution is still translucent. Suddenly, with no warning, the solution turns blue-black all at once.

Curriculum links include redox reactions, rate of reaction, kinetics

This Salters’ Chemistry Course unit from the University of York Science Education Group covered:
* The properties and structures of the fibres used to make clothing
* The care of fabrics
* Modification of the properties of fabrics.

A Year Ten module from the Salters’ double award science course. Exercises on codes and signalling methods introduce ideas about communication. A study of the ear leads to sound communication systems such as radio and telephones. Lenses are studied and the formation of...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). It is based on two specially developed resources produced by SEP: the Optical Signal Transmission Set and the Analogue/Digital Transmission...

In this activity, students plan an investigation to compare two clinical thermometers or two blood pressure devises.   They will need to investigate:

• the key features needed by a clinical thermometer or blood pressure monitor. The generic features required by physiological measuring devices are...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Composites are made by physically combining two or more materials. Many composite materials are used to provide strength and rigidity while using thinner, lighter components. However, they...

A Year Ten module from the Salters’ double award science course. A surveyor’s report on a proposed barn conversion is used to introduce different materials used in construction and issues associated with their use. The lessons which follow then consider each type of...

A Year 11 module from the Salters Key Stage Four double award science course. This module introduces ideas about how living organisms control their internal environment and respond to changes in their external environment. Students are reminded that few living things...

The enzyme lactase is widely used in the dairy industry to convert the naturally occurring disaccharide sugar lactose into glucose and galactose. In this practical students investigate the treatment of milk with lactase. Following treatment they test the glucose content of the converted milk, and compare products...

This booklet in the Griffin Technical Studies series provides practical activities in which students investigate aspects of forensic science. The resource can be used as part of cross-curricular learning and case studies are provided to encourage logical thought, debate and discussion and decision making skills....

Six groups of practicals produced by the Institute of Physics (IOP) that help students to find out more about how science is applied to using and testing new materials.

In addition to the guidance included for specific activities, please refer to the generic health and safety information before commencing...

As the number of cells in a microbial culture increases, turbidity increases. In this experiment students calculate doubling time and growth rate constant using absorbance as the measure of growth. Turbidity is caused by suspended cells in the growth medium scattering light, and may be measured using a colorimeter...

This experiment is a continuation of Determining Doubling Time. Students create a standard curve of absorbance against yeast concentration, and use this to determine the concentration of yeast produced over time.

The standard curve (dry mass, grams per litre) is generated from known concentrations of dried...