Linear Programming involves creating a function that represents a real life problem. The aim is to optimise this function given certain constraints. Simple examples of linear programming will have few variables and constraints, however, real life situations will have many more variables and constraints that will...

These paired activities, from Paul Curzon of the CS4FN team, offer an interesting slant on search algorithms and their relative efficiency.

Students are asked to consider sufferers of ‘locked-in syndrome’, a condition that leaves a healthy mind inside body that is, often, completely paralysed. If the...

From the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, this resource helps students to consider the allocations of funds to one or more malaria intervention projects. In groups they must discuss the pros and cons of different the projects and decide which should receive funding....

This resource looks at how cutting edge science is being used to answer archaeological questions, as well as solving present day problems, such as the identification of meat in processed foods. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA was performed, at the University of York, on samples from skeletal remains unearthed by the...

A matching is a set of edges on a bipartite graph in which no two edges share a common vertex. A bipartite graph consists of two sets of vertices X and Y. The edges only join vertices in X to vertices in Y. A matching in a bipartite graph is the pairing of some or all of the vertices in X with some or all of the...

This Core Maths task is suitable for small group work and provides a good opportunity to demonstrate and encourage mathematical modelling.  Students investigate the minimum amount of metal needed to contain a given amount of drink in a can. They are encouraged to explore ...

In this lesson, students will investigate some of the meteorites and associated rocks in the loan box. They will test them for magnetism, do a visual analysis and measure their mass to calculate the densities of their items. This activity is particularly geared towards getting students to estimate the volume of the...

The aim of a minimum spanning tree is to connect every vertex of the network using the edges having the least possible total weight. The task requires students to analyse information about a town centre and suggest which roads should be pedestrianized. [

Minimum spanning tree: presentation...

Produced by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, in this activity students have to use their observational skills to identify and record the difference (phenotypic change) between two images, one wild type zebra fish and one mutant zebra fish.

To aid in their diagnosis of the phenotypic change, a glossary...

In order to avoid predators, the caterpillars of some species of moths rest during the day by masquerading as twigs, well-camouflaged and keeping their bodies rigid and still. The aim of the investigation is to determine if caterpillars of the peppered moth show a preferred angle of rest. Students look at a series...

These resources consider adaptation and competition in the context of carnivorous plants.

This module uses carnivorous plants and their habitats as a stepping-stone for exploring broader ecological concepts, in particular the structure of an ecosystem and predator-prey relationships. Students will engage in...

This series of five one-hour lessons covers computer networks at secondary-school level. The objectives of the lessons are:

• Describe what a network is, the difference between a LAN and a WAN and identify three network topologies.
• Describe pieces of hardware that are needed in a network.
...

Produced in 2015, this resource looks at glass microspheres, which contain radioactive Y-90, and are currently being used to treat liver cancer in humans, where their chemical durability is of prime importance.

This...