Ramps and Trolleys

The Physics Teaching Podcast

Welcome back for another year of Physics Teaching ramblings. It has been a momentous Summer with Thomas cycling off into the mountains for his sabbatical, Robin becoming ever more important in his new school and the arrival on board of the new co-host Rosie McTavish. Robin and Thomas visited Rosie at McTavish Towers to deliver her vacuum cannon and think about the year ahead. We forgot to take a photo though. We have new theme music – it is called Physics Is Our Business by Miracles of Modern Science

The new season starts without Robin who is up to his eyeballs in management stuff – though he has recorded an interview that will be the backbone of Episode 2. Rosie and Thomas reminisce about their summers and Thomas asks the dear listeners if they have any favourite “must see” youtube videos they would like us to share. Then on to the meat of the podcast – taking the podcast back to its roots: supporting the heroic non-specialists who take on this magnificent subject.

If someone is teaching a required GCSE practical or PAG and need advice, what would you say to them in that 10 minute chat at break? This episode we selected good old Ramps and Trolleys. What can you do, what should you record and how can you use the data?

Thomas thinks it will be large groups so is keen to give specific roles for the experiment and Rosie likes to measure the speed of the trolley once it has left the ramp. We both love light gates and think they are worth the time to learn how to use them for the excellent data they can provide. Good questions to ask are if you double the height do you double the speed (no) or halve the time to descend the ramp (yes) – these can give more of a focus to the lesson rather than just gathering data.

Inevitably we want to draw a graph and Rosie reminds Thomas about scale selectors – little strips that allow the students to line up with the bottom of their graph paper and work out which scale is best.

Do share your favourite youtube videos – there is a contact form on every page of the web site – the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, or email us contact at thephysicsteachingpodcast dot com or on X – @physicstp or BlueSky @physicstp.bsky.social.

Scale Selectors

More scale selectors

Links

Youtube on straws in to a pumpkin aka Deadly Straw bullets – thanks to Gian Ascone.

Join in!

Please share ideas or successes – or indeed questions – on our Facebook Page: https://fb.me/physicstp . You can also message us via our website contact form at the.physicsteachingpodcast.com, Twitter @physicstp, email using the address given in the podcast (if we remember), you could even email us an autio file if you are feeling really keen.

Music

• Season 7: Physics Is Our Business by Miracles of Modern Science.
• Seasons 5 and 6: Crescents by Ketsa.
• Seasons 3 and 4: Disco Sheik by Podington Bear.
• Seasons 1 and 2: One legged equilibrist polka by Circus Homunculus.
• Occasionally we also use Cantina Rag by Jackson F. Smith.

The music is used under the Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License

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