Why do astronauts feel weightless when orbiting the Earth in a space station? Is it because there is no gravity? Is there such a thing as ‘zero gravity’. This is a common misconception that many people have. Most people believe that gravity simply gets switched off as soon as we leave the confines of the…
Homework activity: Gravitational Anomaly Hunters
Build your own gravitational field measuring device Admit it! You have always had the desire to have a hi-tech gravity measuring device at hand in order to measure the gravitational field of the planet you are on or to investigate gravitational anomalies and worm holes in your locality. Well, your dream is about to come…
Oops! When science goes wrong – Gravity and the human body
The human race evolved on a planet with a gravitational field strength of approximately 10 N/kg. Our whole physiology and bodily structure are finely adapted to the gravity of this planet. As soon as humans are displaced into another environment where they experience different gravitational forces, whether it is orbiting the Earth or travelling to…
Scientist biography – Sir Isaac Newton
Newton – the force awakens Sir Isaac Newton was a giant amongst men, a towering genius who developed mechanics, invented calculus, developed modern optics, made a reflecting telescope, refined the scientific method and was responsible for numerous other contributions in the field of mathematics. He was a key figure in a scientific revolution that changed…
Smart Facts: Gravity!
Tides in the sea are caused by the gravity of the Moon actually pulling the oceans towards it as it orbits the Earth. Splat! Falling off a high mountain on the Moon is even worse than on Earth as there is no air resistance to stop you accelerating. To escape the Earth’s gravity in a…
Structured questions: Weight and Mass
Why not test the knowledge of your Key Stage 3 Physics students with these free structured questions on the Force of Gravitation: Weight and Mass? The worksheet is based on the model used in the Smart Science series, but can be easily used with your students, whether you use Smart Science in your classroom or not. Download your…
Easter Science – How science determines the date for Easter
Easter Sunday falls on different dates each year but how is this date determined? Share this article with your students which explains how science is linked to Easter in a way they probably never realised. How science determines the date for Easter This year, Easter Sunday is on the 27th March, but last year it…
Smart Facts – Light Years
Smart Facts – Light Years Ten fascinating Physics facts about light years to share with your KS3 science students. The light year is a unit of distance used by astronomers, although people often mistake it for a unit of time. One light year is 9,460,000,000,000 km The light year is a unit of distance, used when expressing distances…
Scientist Biography: Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel & Light Year
Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel was an astronomer who’s work was important in laying the foundation for measuring the scale of the universe. He is accredited as the first person to measure the distance from the Earth to a star and use the term light year. There is an asteroid named in his honour. Observing Halley’s…