Lecture given by Dr Suzie Sheehy, particle accelerator designer, from Rutherford Appleton Lab.
Did I get this info right?!
Two like charges repel; two opposite charges attract.
To make an accelerator you must have a charge.
The accelerator has to work in a vacuum.
The closer to the speed of light you go, the more energy is required, this creates more mass.
How do you stop a beam? Use graphite.
To make an accelerator you need:
particles
energy
control
collision
detection.
Other info:
Van de graaff generator explained on YouTube.
Look up Anatoli Bugorski. Article in Wired.
Ernest Walton on Wiki.
Large Hadron Collider on YouTube.
Black holes pop out of existence so quickly they cannot suck in matter. The world's not ending thanks to a particle accelerator.
Find out what you can about particle accelerators, and tell me!
Thursday 20 December 2012
Tuesday 23 October 2012
Hidden life of the cell
Go to the BBC iplayer! Watch the Hidden life of the cell and try and recall the fab Ellen McHenry course.
Friday 19 October 2012
Minute physics
Go to Minute Physics Youtube each day to be introduced to some key ideas that might be helpful to your physics studies.
Tuesday 16 October 2012
Astronomy daily
Astronomy for kids site. Probably not your target, Squirrel.
Try Khan Academy instead. Watch their series of lectures in Cosmology and Astronomy.
Click around in Cool Cosmos.
The NASA site is somewhere to go regularly for news.
Let's revisit the Royal Institution.
Youtube is filled with GCSE Astronomy support videos. Set an hour aside to watch a range and find the ones that help you best.
Watch Brian Cox, pin up boy for Physics and Astronomy, give a lecture at Manchester. If you want to go straight to Brian and pass the puffery, go 8 minutes in.
Look out in second hand bookshops for books by Patrick Moore.
...and if you're looking for other things to do...
Check the sky nightly. Record your observations in a notebook.
Re-read the course materials.
Make a cake to teach us one aspect of the week's reading.
Find a word from your reading material that you didn't know before, and write a definition that makes sense to a non-astronomer like me.
Tuesday 2 October 2012
Saturday 15 September 2012
GCSE Astronomy
Opening page for Planet Earth Centre. Click around to answer questions.
Try downloading the podcasts from Starlearner.
Book to help out.
Past exam papers.
Try downloading the podcasts from Starlearner.
Book to help out.
Past exam papers.
Saturday 7 July 2012
Saturday 9 June 2012
Light a candle
What is a flame?
My first thought was 'it's an intemperate rant, usually personally insulting, that you can encounter anywhere in Planet Internet, on a comment section or discussion forum'.
Er, that just shows how disconnected I am from the stuff of human need.
Because of course flame means fire.
What is fire?
Answer here.
My first thought was 'it's an intemperate rant, usually personally insulting, that you can encounter anywhere in Planet Internet, on a comment section or discussion forum'.
Er, that just shows how disconnected I am from the stuff of human need.
Because of course flame means fire.
What is fire?
Answer here.
Thursday 7 June 2012
The RI channel.
Kids, be aware of the sacrifices I make for your science education. For example, the RI keep sending me messages about their TV channel. Maybe if you use it more, they'll stop sending me messages.
Monday 12 March 2012
{Pause} for revision and definitions.
What's an organelle?
What's cytoskeleton?
What's ribosome?
What's ER?
Can you name any amino acids? Scroll down for the list.
Next week, Chapter 7!
What's an organelle?
What's cytoskeleton?
What's ribosome?
What's ER?
Can you name any amino acids? Scroll down for the list.
Next week, Chapter 7!
Monday 5 March 2012
Chapter 6: The nucleus, and how ribosomes are made
Let's find some answers to the following questions by reading Ellen McHenry's Cells:
'The membrane surrounding the nucleus is twice as thick as the cell's plasma membrane'. (Why?)
'ER [endoplasmic reticulum] that has ribosomes stuck to it is called rough ER'.
(Is there a smooth ER?*)
'The nucleus is filled with a fluid similar to the cytoplasm found in the rest of the cell'.
(What is this fluid called?)
'How much DNA is there in the nucleus?'
(That's a good question.)
'DNA is covered with enzymes and chaperone proteins'.
(Then why do artists leave them out of the drawings?)
'Ribosomes are made of two halves'.
(Are they equal in size?)
The upshot is... Ribosomes are incredibly versatile (like your mother). They can do many jobs, like making proteins, synthesizing enzymes, and cooking dinner while dancing to Duran Duran.
Now watch How DNA is packaged.
Search on ribosome in youtube and watch some videos about this extraordinary bit of body kit. (More my level. Dramatic cartoon reenactment of a wandering ribosome with a lot of gnaaarr and aarggh. )
* Yes. From Wiki: 'Rough endoplasmic reticula are involved in the synthesis of proteins and is also a membrane factory for the cell, while smooth endoplasmic reticula is involved in the synthesis of lipids, including oils, phospholipids and steroids, metabolism of carbohydrates, regulation of calcium concentration and detoxification of drugs and poisons.'
**RNA - Ribonucleic acid. One of three molecules (the other two are DNA and proteins) that are essential for life.
Let's find some answers to the following questions by reading Ellen McHenry's Cells:
'The membrane surrounding the nucleus is twice as thick as the cell's plasma membrane'. (Why?)
'ER [endoplasmic reticulum] that has ribosomes stuck to it is called rough ER'.
(Is there a smooth ER?*)
'The nucleus is filled with a fluid similar to the cytoplasm found in the rest of the cell'.
(What is this fluid called?)
'How much DNA is there in the nucleus?'
(That's a good question.)
'DNA is covered with enzymes and chaperone proteins'.
(Then why do artists leave them out of the drawings?)
'Ribosomes are made of two halves'.
(Are they equal in size?)
The upshot is... Ribosomes are incredibly versatile (like your mother). They can do many jobs, like making proteins, synthesizing enzymes, and cooking dinner while dancing to Duran Duran.
Now watch How DNA is packaged.
Search on ribosome in youtube and watch some videos about this extraordinary bit of body kit. (More my level. Dramatic cartoon reenactment of a wandering ribosome with a lot of gnaaarr and aarggh. )
* Yes. From Wiki: 'Rough endoplasmic reticula are involved in the synthesis of proteins and is also a membrane factory for the cell, while smooth endoplasmic reticula is involved in the synthesis of lipids, including oils, phospholipids and steroids, metabolism of carbohydrates, regulation of calcium concentration and detoxification of drugs and poisons.'
**RNA - Ribonucleic acid. One of three molecules (the other two are DNA and proteins) that are essential for life.
Monday 27 February 2012
Chapter 5: Lysosomes, Er, and Golgi Bodies.
Sounds unlikely. The Lysosomes sound like a 90s Goth band. Try watching their proton pumps here, and the lysosomes here, courtesy of McGraw Hill animations.
The Golgi Bros are on Youtube.
Ellen says about this next one (Protein modification) 'don't let the vocabulary scare you off'. She's right. Let the words pass. What you're watching is the equivalent of a shuttle bus.
Sounds unlikely. The Lysosomes sound like a 90s Goth band. Try watching their proton pumps here, and the lysosomes here, courtesy of McGraw Hill animations.
The Golgi Bros are on Youtube.
Ellen says about this next one (Protein modification) 'don't let the vocabulary scare you off'. She's right. Let the words pass. What you're watching is the equivalent of a shuttle bus.
Monday 20 February 2012
Chapter 4: Proteins, DNA and the RNA's.
This chapter of Ellen McHenry's course on Cells covers a whopping amount.
Watch these videos:
DNA
Transcription and translation
DNA Transcription and Protein Assembly
The Secret of Life: a narrative of findings by Watson and Crick
Rosalind Franklin
The DNA song. Can you learn to sing it? And the Protein Song.
Protein transport
And the activities this week:
1. Make a protein pencil popper. Scroll to see the protein shapes, then click on the thumbnail of the shape you like ... and get out your pipe cleaners.
2. Building a double helix from carrots, raisins, blueberries, peas and marshmallows will make complete sense, right?
This chapter of Ellen McHenry's course on Cells covers a whopping amount.
Watch these videos:
DNA
Transcription and translation
DNA Transcription and Protein Assembly
The Secret of Life: a narrative of findings by Watson and Crick
Rosalind Franklin
The DNA song. Can you learn to sing it? And the Protein Song.
Protein transport
And the activities this week:
1. Make a protein pencil popper. Scroll to see the protein shapes, then click on the thumbnail of the shape you like ... and get out your pipe cleaners.
2. Building a double helix from carrots, raisins, blueberries, peas and marshmallows will make complete sense, right?
Monday 13 February 2012
Chapter 3 ATP & Mitochondria
Make sense of ADP and ATP! Read the chapter, twist the ATP synthase, and watch these videos.
1. How diffusion works. Try the quick quiz underneath when you've watched the film.
2. The Electron Transport Chain.
3. Powering the cell; the brilliant animation that makes sense of the chapter; you should easily spot the ATP synthase.
4. The Cell Song.
Thank goodness for the workshops to help make sense of it all!
Make sense of ADP and ATP! Read the chapter, twist the ATP synthase, and watch these videos.
1. How diffusion works. Try the quick quiz underneath when you've watched the film.
2. The Electron Transport Chain.
3. Powering the cell; the brilliant animation that makes sense of the chapter; you should easily spot the ATP synthase.
4. The Cell Song.
Thank goodness for the workshops to help make sense of it all!
Monday 6 February 2012
Chapter 2: The cell membrane and cytoskeleton
Read Ellen McHenry's chapter on what forms the cell. Watch The inner life of the cell. From the chapter we've read, can you identify the phospholid molecules, lipid rafts, microtubule highways and odd shaped proteins?
She also recommends white blood cell chases bacteria and videos on the cytoskeleton.
I'm not pretending to understand all of this... but that's not stopped me before. We'll follow the activity about marshmallows in water and make a motor protein pen.
And I think it will help at this point if we can collaborate to think up a recipe for a CELL CAKE.
Read Ellen McHenry's chapter on what forms the cell. Watch The inner life of the cell. From the chapter we've read, can you identify the phospholid molecules, lipid rafts, microtubule highways and odd shaped proteins?
She also recommends white blood cell chases bacteria and videos on the cytoskeleton.
I'm not pretending to understand all of this... but that's not stopped me before. We'll follow the activity about marshmallows in water and make a motor protein pen.
And I think it will help at this point if we can collaborate to think up a recipe for a CELL CAKE.
Monday 30 January 2012
Yippee! Ellen McHenry's Cells.
Chapter 1: How did we find out about cells?
Here's the video for the workshop: Lens on Leeuwenhoek. For Hooke, Brown, and Schwann and Schleiden's Cell Theory, try this video. It's very accessible.
Other videos which may be of use: Discovery of cells. Four laws of living organisms. Cell rap.
Ellen recommends this video on SEM technology; and this video for TEM technology.
On magnification and scale in general, Ditta recommends the classic short film Powers of Ten (1968) by Charles and Ray Eames, and the game Scale of the Universe.
Chapter 1: How did we find out about cells?
Here's the video for the workshop: Lens on Leeuwenhoek. For Hooke, Brown, and Schwann and Schleiden's Cell Theory, try this video. It's very accessible.
Other videos which may be of use: Discovery of cells. Four laws of living organisms. Cell rap.
Ellen recommends this video on SEM technology; and this video for TEM technology.
On magnification and scale in general, Ditta recommends the classic short film Powers of Ten (1968) by Charles and Ray Eames, and the game Scale of the Universe.
Monday 23 January 2012
Monday 16 January 2012
Soon we'll join the local group to help each other get to grips with the cell.
In preparation, let's research. Go to the Harvard multimedia website for a biovision.
Click around the site; there is an option to listen to the explanatory talk, rather than hear the music. (It's a different language, but one that we can begin to understand, right?)
In preparation, let's research. Go to the Harvard multimedia website for a biovision.
Click around the site; there is an option to listen to the explanatory talk, rather than hear the music. (It's a different language, but one that we can begin to understand, right?)
Monday 9 January 2012
Brownian Motion. Find out about it by watching these videos:
National Stem Centre (And if you want to find out what other science videos they do, visit here. Thanks to Big Mamma Frog)
Explanation on Youtube.
National Stem Centre (And if you want to find out what other science videos they do, visit here. Thanks to Big Mamma Frog)
Explanation on Youtube.
Monday 2 January 2012
Evolution site from pbs.
The link above takes you to a dive window.
Click on the options to the right-hand side to visit different places. Tell me which pages are particularly interesting to you, or you consider are well presented.
(I went off to read Darwin's Diary and resolved again to visit Down House.)
The link above takes you to a dive window.
Click on the options to the right-hand side to visit different places. Tell me which pages are particularly interesting to you, or you consider are well presented.
(I went off to read Darwin's Diary and resolved again to visit Down House.)
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