The force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field is a common aspect of post-16 physics courses. Many textbooks approach this topic via a current balance, e.g. Hutchins (1990) through to Duncan (2000), with websites such as "Practical Physics" giving a qualitative version. This article takes the approach of equating "F = BIL"sin[theta]…

Infrared thermometers measure temperature from a distance, using the infrared radiation emitted by all objects. These so-called non-contact thermometers make a wide variety of temperature measurement and monitoring activities accessible to school-age students. Portable hand-held sensors also enable new or simplified investigations to be carried…

The National Curriculum for 14-16 year old students in England contains a mandatory element called "How science works". Included in this material is interpretation of data, collecting data from primary sources, using ICT tools, and developing an argument and drawing conclusions. What follows is an activity, based on magnetic braking, which allows…

Understanding electricity is never easy, especially in introductory courses. Students cannot observe the underlying physical processes and are often, at the same time, being introduced to the use of new measuring instruments. The use of a simple ammeter, either analogue or digital, requires students to break the circuit whenever a change in…

This article presents the methodology and results for a simple approach to the measurement of the transition temperature of a superconducting material, in a pre-university laboratory session, using readily available apparatus (and some liquid nitrogen).

If football captures the interest of students, it can be used to teach physics. In this case, a Beckham free-kick can be used to introduce concepts such as drag, the Bernoulli principle, Reynolds number, and the Magnus effect by asking the simple question: How does he curve the ball so much? Introduces basic mechanics along the way. (Author/ASK)

Adresses student understanding of quantum phenomenon. (Author/CCM)

Summarizes the development of quantum theory, highlighting the contributions of Planck, Einstein, Schrodinger, and Heisenberg. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/ASK)