Christmas science experiments to do at home. Over the holidays you may well find your home filled with the usual Christmas paraphernalia – why not use some of the items to carry out some Christmas science experiments? Dancing tinsel orbs For this experiment you will need the thin tinsel that you throw onto your Christmas…
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…
Oops! When science goes wrong – the Hubble Space Telescope
Looking into Space with the Hubble Space Telescope In order to find out about what happened in the early universe, astronomers can look back in time. The Hubble Space Telescope is a very important part of that. Looking Back in Time The further away an object is, the longer light takes to reach us. Light…
Homework Activity – Measuring the Speed of Light in your Kitchen
In order to be able to accurately describe the distance light travels in a year scientists need to know the speed that light travels. Get your KS3 science students to try this experiment in their own kitchens to measure the speed of light! The microwaves in your microwave oven are part of the same spectrum…
Science resources – free worksheet about light years
Free Worksheet About Light Years This teaching resource is a free worksheet about light years, containing questions which are 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 free science resources below:…
Free science video: How Big is the Universe?
In this video, from Guardian Science, Dr Pete Edwards explains how astronomers measure the distance to the stars and why the unit of light year is necessary. The video includes descriptions of: how astronomers work out the distances to other stars; how the distance of a light year compares to distances in kilometres and the…
Smart Science YouTube video – the properties of waves
The Smart Science YouTube videos The Smart Science YouTube channel offers a range of videos which talk you through areas that are new to the KS3 Science Programme of Study. They offer hints and tips on how to tackle these new topics and show demonstrations and investigations that you can do in the classroom. If you…
Smart Facts about waves
Ten fascinating facts about waves to share with your students. Waves can only transfer energy, not matter Earthquakes are formed by seismic waves that travel through the Earth’s crust There are two types of seismic wave: p-waves and s-waves. P-waves arrive at detectors first and can sometimes give enough warning for people…