This video explains that to compute the prime factors in a 2048 number would take a classical computer years, yet the ability of a quantum computer to use superposition, which reduces the number of steps to complete a computation, makes it possible in minutes.

The explanation

The...

Dallas Campbell shows how to make a simple rocket out of an old film canister and an effervescent tablet mixed with water.  He...

This resource shows how you can successfully lift a person off the ground using two cordless leaf blowers, problem-solving skills and some STEM knowledge: the same knowledge and skills that are used to design hovercraft.

Curriculum links include:

forces ...

The aim of this resource is to understand the levels of structure in space – Solar System, galaxy, Universe. The spreadsheet exercise allows students to discover this structure in a graphical form. Students can find more...

Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this collection introduces Hubble’s law and the expansion of the Universe. Included is an online video that discusses how big the Universe is. Material is differentiated for key stage four and key stage five students. The key stage five content links the recessional...

The first human in space was Yuri Gagarin. Since then, humans have 'walked' in space, set foot on the Moon and lived for long periods in orbit on craft like the International Space Station (ISS). This collection contains images, video and other resources that show how humans have explored space.

In this activity, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, students look at their shadow at different times of the day and measure differences in its size and direction. The activity needs to take place in the playground on a sunny day. A compass or an online map can be used to help work out which way is North on the...

These resources, for pupils aged 11 to 14 are ideal for teachers to show the cross-curricular links between literacy and science. They have been...

As the need to find alternative cleaner forms of energy increases, scientists are looking to technologies, such as Hydrogen Fuel Cells (HFCs), as a power source for transportation.

This Catalyst article explains how hydrogen and oxygen gas can be used in a redox reaction to produce electricity, and the...

This activity from a series of resources looking at the future of flight from the IET, explores making hydrogen from water, which is the basis of hydrogen fuel cell technology. Hydrogen is an alternative to petrol and diesel fuels for combustion engines and the only byproduct of using it is water, so it does not...

This resource is based around the chemical composition of the human body and the origin of elements in the universe. Students can input a mass in the spreadsheet to see what proportion of their mass is from elements created in the Big Bang, in stars and in supernovae. Graphs are also shown for the relative...

In this resource, students attempt to apply their understanding of heat transfer (convection, conduction and radiation) to the novel case of the Beagle 2 Lander.

Students are set the challenge of creating the best...

A song that explains how atoms form the basis of matter.