In this Core Maths resource students are given the open-ended task of designing a snowman. Students are given some basic information about the density of different types of snow and some relevant formulae, and are asked to design a ‘life-sized’ snowman and give a full mathematical description of it.

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This e-book gives an introduction to programming in the BASIC language for middle to high school students. It can be used as: *a nine or 18 week-long introduction to programming *a brief introduction to programming concepts *an introduction to data structures for non-programmers * a brief programming project for...

Produced by the Learning Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), this case study looks at how Preston College used a social networking site (Facebook) to engage students studying science and mathematics in more active revision strategies and thus improve success rates. It also aimed to offer support outside of class...

This resource looks at what social researchers do and why they do it. Research is recognised as vital for expanding our knowledge, providing vital information for government and other agencies, as well as helping us to understand our own society and those societies which are beyond our own experience. This...

Two worksheet based activities that can be used to identify the impacts of technology upon people to sustain their communities in the future. The first activity considers the social impact upon sustainability with key questions to research and the second task is an analysis activity looking at cultural, economic,...

The 'UK by numbers' series focuses on key areas, such as population, energy and health, and provide important and up-to-date statistics about the UK. The documents are taken from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) magazine, Society Now.

Stuart is a software engineer with IBM, he discusses his role in this video. The role involves writing code to test new software developing new software. An avid sport fan, having grown up in the north east, he enjoyed studying maths, physics and IT at school and continued to university to pursue software...

This document consists of presentation slides on the topic of software testing. It defines relevant keywords and explains testing methodologies. It could form a useful revision resource or comprehension questions could be designed around its contents.

A Catalyst article about the organisms which live in soil. Many, such as worms and mycorrhizal fungi, are vital for keeping soil healthy and productive. An adventurous biologist could once bank on finding new species by simply travelling to some part of the world little known to science. Darwin’s famous voyage...

Produced by Solar Spark, this is a simple practical activity that can be used to show how a solar photovoltaic cell works. During a 45-60 minute session, students make solar cells out of cheap and readily accessible materials. The mechanism behind the solar cell is similar to that used in a dye-sensitised solar...

This Catalyst article investigates the development of better, more energy-efficient solar cells. Every minute enough sunlight strikes the Earth to power our civilisation for a year, yet less than 1% of global energy generation is provided by solar energy. Solar cells convert sunshine directly to electricity, but to...

Produced by Solar Spark, this activity looks at the relationship between light and absorption in solar cells. Using a photovoltaic cell and different colour acetate sheets, it demonstrates the ability of solar cells to absorb at different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum and shows how the more it can...

Solar Detectives, from the Centre for Science Education, is a set of teaching materials which offer a cross-curricular approach to learning about engineering. Students build and modify a model solar car and research the science and mathematics underlying the use of...