Work done in this Nuffield 13 - 16 module followed from the B units called ‘Energy’ and ‘Seeing and light’. This D unit provided enough material for eight double periods during a Further Science course and built on the content of the S units for Single Science. The...

This video begins by asking the question, “why do we see rainbow colours on the surface of a DVD?”.

Light from a laser is shone through a diffraction grating to demonstrate a diffraction pattern.  The terms 0^th, 1^st and 2^nd order maxima are introduced and explained using the...

This video recaps on the idea that light sent along an optical fibre requires total internal reflection for it to progress along its length. It explains that information is sent as a series of on – off signals.  However, if light rays take different paths they can be modally dispersed, and this can degrade the...

This video shows how interference from two sound wave sources can produce both constructive (louder sound) and destructive (softer sound) interference patterns.  A demonstration using microwaves reinforces this idea. Microwaves are generated and passed through a double slit.  The resultant interference of waves is...

The speed of a wave in a solid is investigated in this video. A signal generator and length of elastic are used to measure the frequency and wavelength of a wave, which allows wave speed to be calculated. 

This Catalyst article looks at sperm whales and their ways of communications. Sperm whales can dive deep into the ocean. They use sound waves to communicate in the dark and to detect their prey.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2016, Volume...

This Nuffield Advanced Physics Unit covered topic of about waves and oscillations. In the form and order suggested, it was intended to suit students who have been through the work on waves in the  Nuffield O-level Physics course, or equivalent work in other courses....

These activities, from the Institute of Physics, consider how speed, frequency and wavelength are linked by the wave equation v = fλ . This is achieved by measuring frequency using an oscilloscope and measuring the velocity of sound in free air.

The activities include:
* worked example to deduce and...

In this ASE SYCD: Science Year Primary resource, a Year 3 teacher shares her experience of organising and planning a class assembly on sound. This assembly was presented to the whole school in celebration of the class's ideas and findings during a half-term's topic on sound. The planning and text are detailed here...

This cross curricular activity includes science content from Year Four of the primary curriculum. It introduces programming and control, linked to the outside world through sensors - in this case, the computer's built-in microphone or a peripheral microphone. Programs are written using Scratch (online or offline)...

Work done in this Nuffield 13 - 16 module followed from the unit called ‘Senses’. This B unit provided enough material for six double periods in the third year of secondary school (year nine). The teachers’ guide included seven worksheets to supplement the students’...

All data on computers is stored and transmitted using the binary number system. When the binary digits need to be sent over the phone lines (which often happens in home internet connections), the digits are converted to sound...

This session explains how sound is converted from a continuous analogue sound that we hear in the real world and converts it into a digital format of 1s and 0s that can be used and played back by a computer. The session has a set of slides to read through and a worksheet.

1. Read slides 1 and 2 . This...