A Bank of Links for Teaching Physics

Each with a few words to tell you what they are good for. This is mostly a notes-for-self kind of document, but maybe it can help you too?

In short, the following are mostly links that appeared either from presenters or from the (virtual) room during IOP Winter School that ran 21-23/2 (including the twosday Tuesday). I thought it would be nice to have a bunch of them together, with descriptions, and you can just ctrl+f to see if there is anything useful at any given time.

NB Personally, I find that it is all too easy to get overwhelmed when there are so many resources, so I recommend to maybe pick one or two at a time, and come back for more later.

For showing the difference between correlation and causality (a.k.a. is one reeeally connected to the other? Or to academics, “citation needed”): https://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations

For anybody wanting to get into the FIFA method of solving physics problems that feature equations (perhaps especially those who want to/have been told by their maths department to get away from equation triangles): https://physicsteacher.blog/tag/fifa-calculation/#:~:text=The%20FIFA%20acronym%20stands%20for,equates%20to%20rearranging%20the%20formula

A direct link to BEST booster lessons for KS3. A bit old (2002), but resources are resources: https://www.stem.org.uk/resources/elibrary/resource/31015/booster-lessons-guidance-and-training-materials

A direct link to BEST resources (“miniboosters”) on science skills (as opposed to science content – think disciplinary versus substantive): https://www.stem.org.uk/elibrary/resource/31705

(General reminder to look around BEST for cool things.)

A reminder that thermochromic sheets exist (no obligation to purchase from link, or affiliation to link), and can be used to demonstrate the heat energy cause by friction from e.g. a bouncy ball: https://www.scichem.com/product/thermochromic-sheet-150-x-150mm-xsm040010

History of science time! Yuss. Here is a piece about the past of energy and thermal of physics. This is just an example – more of the same elsewhere at IOP. https://spark.iop.org/stories-physics-6-energy-and-thermal-physics

Old but legit musings on the most efficient way of boiling water: https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-2452,00.html

Not forgetting the In Our Time will have episodes about history of science too, this one on the Second Law of Thermodynamics: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y2bm

(In fact, here’s a direct link to the science-related back catalogue of In Our Time: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01gyd7j)

For lesson resources (starters and demos) on sound science: http://salfordacoustics.co.uk/lesson-starters

BEST also have concept maps, good for stitching together your spiral learning plans/schemes of work: https://www.stem.org.uk/sites/default/files/pages/downloads/BEST-Physics-map_2021-09.pdf

Reminder the IOP’s Classroom Physics magazine can be found online: https://spark.iop.org/classroom-physics

Here’s an interactive ear, although I have heard that it works best on tablets: https://www.amplifon.com/uk/interactive-ear/index.html (screenshots here https://www.elearningsuperstars.com/project/the-interactive-ear-by-amplifon/)

On the maps front… here is a lightning map: https://www.lightningmaps.org/?lang=en#m=oss;t=3;s=0;o=0;b=;ts=0;z=10;y=54.8083;x=-1.4185;d=2;dl=2;dc=0;

… and (not from the Winter School, but from an old undergrad-physics friend) a visualisation of low-orbit objects around the earth: https://platform.leolabs.space/visualization (If said friend finds this, please excuse my colloquial description.)

Here is a place where one may purchase a wave machine kit, if needed (as before, no obligation and no affiliation): https://extkits.co.uk/product/wave-machine/

Gifs, explanations, and more, about longitudinal waves: https://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/Demos/waves/wavemotion.html (Don’t forget that a duck bobbing on a pond is a good example here too.)

A couple of virtual oscilloscopes. The former has a nice UI, but unfortunately depends on the now-longer-in-use Shockwave plugin (I remember the Shockwave heydays…). However, it does have a handy guide for all the buttons: https://www.virtual-oscilloscope.com/

This second has a more straightforward interface, and works: https://academo.org/demos/virtual-oscilloscope/ (There are probably more out there, but here are two.)

Ray simulation time! This is a nice, old-school (in a good way) looking tool: https://ricktu288.github.io/ray-optics/simulator_old/

How to make a DIY spectroscope: https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Spectroscope/ , and DIY spectroscope 2: https://edu.rsc.org/resources/make-your-own-spectroscope/1289.article

Colour vision and displays: https://opto.org.uk/index.php?module=static&id=72 (So basically, we are still looking at rays, just coloured ones now. Here is a shop that sells colour-mixing torches: https://www.tts-group.co.uk/led-colour-mixing-torches/1007128.html . Still no affiliation.)

Colour vision simulation at phet: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/color-vision

(Reminder that phet has all kinds of good simulators.)

On the subject of banks of resources, do not forget e.chalk. Link goes to physics: https://www.echalk.co.uk/science/physics.html

One for teachers! Physics-teaching podcast: https://the.physicsteachingpodcast.com/2021/04/29/the-joy-of-simple-things-colour-and-light/

Now for some book recommendations about science, that are not textbooks:

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/50489364-the-light-ages

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3417529-from-falling-bodies-to-radio-waves

…and related to these, a piece on why scientists should study history (I have done this – can recommend): https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1063/PT.3.3235

Now some video content:

First, a rather vintage-looking video about Robert Hooke, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOl_PE1z9QU&ab_channel=mrcotton333

Secondly, misconceptions about electricity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHIhgxav9LY

On the subject of misconceptions, BEST has a bank of misconceptions that students may have. I also like this searchable misconceptions page at IOP Spark: https://spark.iop.org/misconceptions

I am sneakily going to straight-up link to this document with links to further electricity resources (as presented at IOP Winter School): https://docs.google.com/document/d/18BbJ42Z4R1Yq1zKykNFbAvfYYiD6hC-aisGWoO9t3KY/edit

From the above document, a personal fave is this phet (yes, again) simulator that both shows a circuit, and the letters in V=IR changing in size, together with some funky 70s-sci-fi noises. Funky. (And a great visual cue.) https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/ohms-law/latest/ohms-law_en.html

Finally, some reflections about careers in physics:

https://www.iop.org/strategy/productivity-programme/workforce-skills-project#gref

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p053ln9f (This is a short listen from More or Less – a great programme – asking “Have 65% of Future Jobs Not Yet Been Invented?”)

And lastly, the limitless project: https://www.iop.org/strategy/limit-less. As a WOC with physics specialism, I am excited to get a wider variety of people hyped about physics.