Did you think quantum tunnelling was just a useless theory? February 16, 2010
Posted by mrmackenzie in : AH Physics , add a commentThere’s a nice item on quantum tunnelling on the BBC News site.
Scientists at Peratech have developed “spikey” particles for use in the touchscreen of smartphones. The breakthrough is that the quantum tunneling effect means that the screen is pressure sensitive.
I found this video on quantum tunneling on youtube.
wave-particle duality electron experiment February 16, 2010
Posted by mrmackenzie in : AH Physics, podcast , add a commentI found this video on youtube. It is a good demonstration of electrons behaving like waves or particles, depending on their energy. Can you explain why the electron energy is important here?
There is a second video explaining how the electrons are produced if you are interested. Watch it here.
Centripetal acceleration and Isaac Newton February 6, 2010
Posted by mrmackenzie in : AH Physics, podcast , add a commentIt’s a few months since we looked at centripetal acceleration in class but I thought I would share this article I found. I wonder how many people would dare to “co-write” a physics paper with Isaac Newton? The article is worth a read and I have attached a download link below.
While we’re talking about centripetal acceleration, Rhett Allain’s blog post that led me to the article is also very interesting.
four things everyone should know about quantum physics January 23, 2010
Posted by mrmackenzie in : AH Physics , add a commentWe’ve just started to look at the parts of unit 1 we left behind in November. The first of these is Quantum Physics. It’s a strange topic and you might want to stick your head in the sand of classical physics and seek refuge in waves. Luckily, Prof. Chad Orzel has come to our rescue with a blog post called Four things everyone should know about Quantum Physics.
Prof. Orzel is also the (co)author of a book called How to teach Physics to your dog. I’ve not bought it yet but the free download of chapter one (use the link below) mentions some of the ideas we have looked at already and mentions some names that should be familiar by now: Einstein, Planck, de Broglie (is that picture of de Broglie wrong, looks like a young Einstein to me?) and Millikan.
Have a read of the introductory chapter and share it with you dog. The interview is good too.
S3 change to electricity test dates January 11, 2010
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Standard Grade, Using Electricity , add a commentDue to problems with school transport, I have moved the tests scheduled for today and tomorrow. The general test will now be tomorrow (Tuesday 12th Jan) period 1, with the credit test on Thursday14th Jan (period 6).
The calendar on the right has been updated to show these changes.
advanced higher physics past papers January 11, 2010
Posted by mrmackenzie in : AH Physics , 1 comment so farHere are the links to past papers on the SQA site. If you need an older paper, please come and ask.
2009
2008
2007
Int2 forces HW solutions January 9, 2010
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Intermediate 2, homework solutions, screencast , add a commentHere are the answers to the last HW before Christmas. Click on the <more> link after the first video player to see the full list. These videos are also available in iTunes by clicking on the Int2 podcast link in the sidebar.
Int2 forces HW Q1 from mr mackenzie on Vimeo. (more…)
Int2 Forces HW Q5 January 9, 2010
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Intermediate 2, homework solutions, podcast , add a commentHere is the video answer to Q5.
Int2 Forces HW Q 4b January 9, 2010
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Intermediate 2, homework solutions, podcast , add a commentSolution to Q4b is attached below.
Int2 Forces HW Q4a January 9, 2010
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Intermediate 2, homework solutions, podcast , add a commentHere is the answer to Q4a.
