This is a unit of three two hour lessons to consolidate understanding of the specialised materials and mechanisms used on exploration robots. Students build or test, or build and test these to develop knowledge and evaluate them.  These resources are aimed at the 14-16 age group.  The context is focussed on the...

This resource looks at how cutting edge science is being used to answer archaeological questions, as well as solving present day problems, such as the identification of meat in processed foods. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA was performed, at the University of York, on samples from skeletal remains unearthed by the...

In this simulation students can hang masses from springs, adjust the spring stiffness and damping, and even slow time. The lab can be transported to different planets and there is a chart which shows the kinetic, potential, and thermal energy for each spring.

[b]Sample Learning Objectives[/b]

*Explain...

This resource from the Nuffield Foundation provides a set of 24 cards which students use to match graphs with descriptions of the real situations they represent. The slideshow includes the same graphs with added titles and labels. This can be used in a class discussion about the shapes of the graphs, the variables...

A matching is a set of edges on a bipartite graph in which no two edges share a common vertex. A bipartite graph consists of two sets of vertices X and Y. The edges only join vertices in X to vertices in Y. A matching in a bipartite graph is the pairing of some or all of the vertices in X with some or all of the...

This video looks at the different grades of steel used in the frame design of a Brompton bicycle, typically steel tube and steel sheet. Designers consider several criteria when choosing materials for a folding bicycle, including strength, weight...

This Nuffield Pathways Through Science module covered solutions and a variety of systems in which one material is finely dispersed in another (colloids) as well as the properties and uses of glass, ceramics, metals and polymers. The module provided opportunities to...

Produced by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), these naked Scientist podcasts look at materials science questions in an accessible and informative way.

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This Catalyst article investigates carefully designed polymer materials that can repair themselves when mechanically damaged. The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2015, Volume 26, Issue 2.

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This Catalyst article investigates materials that are used in space travel. It discovers that they must be designed and tested to ensure they will protect astronauts from radiation and the vacuum of space. 

The...

These activities provide students with an understanding of the importance of fitness for purpose when designing new products. Students learn how to effectively dismantle and investigate an engineered product to determine its function/purpose.

Inspired by the Born to Engineer video from Sam Fraser, an engineer who combines his love for engineering with a passion for football, this resource supports students to increase their understanding of materials engineering, including materials testing, design and material properties (Hooke’s Law, shear,...