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.
power and ohm’s law October 1, 2009
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Standard Grade, Using Electricity , add a commentSomeone pointed out this cartoon and it reminded me of today’s lesson. Get more cartoons at xkcd.com.
S3 Electricity homework August 31, 2009
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Standard Grade, Using Electricity, homework, podcast , add a commentYour homework for next week is attached.
You can download the HW by clicking on the download link or you can get it through iTunes by following the S Grade Podcast link in the sidebar. Please do this exercise in your new homework jotter and hand it in to me on Thursday 19th September. Thanks.
Inside a Hoover August 19, 2009
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Standard Grade, Using Electricity, podcast , 2commentsHere is the video we recorded yesterday. I have trimmed the film down to 3 minutes in length so we can focus on the more essential aspects of the “hoover autopsy”. You’ll notice that I have removed all of the conversations we had while the hoover was being filmed.
Your job is to tell me something about the things in the video.
It might be
- something about electricity you remembered from before the holidays
- maybe you learned something as we took the hoover apart?
- sharing information about something you can see in the video
- a calculation based on information you spotted in the video.
There are a few ways you can do this.
I uploaded the video to a site called Voicethread. This site allows you to record voice or video clips as well as typing a comment. It will also let you doodle on the video at any point if you need to highlight something. Click on the Voicethread video where it says comment to share something you learned or remembered during the lesson or from the video.
If you choose to leave a comment on Voicethread, use only your 1st name when you sign up to their site and pick a picture or cartoon for your image. Don’t go uploading a photo of yourself – see how I chose to use a picture of a Highland cow instead of my own photo.
The other way to make your contribution is to add a comment straight on to this blog. You can do this by using the comment link next to this blog post. Your comment will go into a queue for me to check it is not spam, so don’t expect it to go on to the blog straight away.
If you want to keep a copy of the video, feel free to click on the download link below.
Free physics software March 5, 2009
Posted by mrmackenzie in : AH Physics, Electronics, Health Physics, Higher, Int1 Practical Electronics, Intermediate 2, Standard Grade, Transport, Using Electricity , add a commentI’ve had an email from Yenka to say that they are now offering many of their products for home use – free of charge! I think Yenka is the new name for Crocodile Clips, the company who made Crocodile Physics and Crocodile Technology. Their software allows you to create your own experiments to learn about
- motion – SG transport, Int2 unit1, Higher unit1, AH unit1
- electricity – SG using electricity, Int2 unit1, Higher unit2, AH unit2
- light and sound – SG health physics, Int2 unit3, Higher unit3, AH unit3
- electronics – Int1 applied practical electronics, SG electronics, Int2 unit2, Higher unit2
They also have some chemistry products you might find helpful.
The software is free but you can only use it at home. Why not download it and see if you find it useful.
S3 – Alternative Summary Notes November 7, 2006
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Using Electricity , add a commentI’ve uploaded a set of summary notes that you might find useful as you prepare for the end of unit tests on Using Electricity. Download the pdf file using the link below.
S3 – making an electric motor October 31, 2006
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Using Electricity , add a commentI was going to show you all this youtube video on how to make your own electric motor home but the school was closed due to bad weather. I also found this diagram showing the parts of a dc motor.
S3 – movement from electricity October 30, 2006
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Using Electricity , 1 comment so farLast week we looked at using electricity to get things moving. We looked at examples of an electric bell and the movement of a current-carrying bar of copper in a magnetic field. We’ll be taking an electric motor apart this week to see how it works but in the meantime, here is a link to an animation of an electric buzzer (same idea as the electric bell).
If you want to read someone else’s explanation of how an electric motor works, you could go here or here. There are animations of a dc electric motor here and here (this is the example I used in class).
almost there! October 3, 2006
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Using Electricity , add a commentWe have almost completed the Using Electricity unit. We will start looking at magnetism tomorrow as an introduction to movement from electricity. The closer we get to the end of a unit, the nearer we are to test time.
You might want to download a copy of this electricity revision booklet to help you check how well you understand the topics we have covered. It also contains some useful revision questions in the homework section.
ring circuits October 1, 2006
Posted by mrmackenzie in : Using Electricity , add a commentI found a decent image of a ring ciruit on wikipedia. The page about ring circuits is not bad but those of you with a liking for diy might prefer the practical advice on ring circuits available from homebase.
