This downloadable resource is a student worksheet investigating smoke detectors.
Students can carry out their own research to find the answers to the questions posed on the sheet.
Sample answers are also provided.
Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S9U06 (Year 9)
This online resource looks into the concept of radioactive decay.
The resource is a lesson that uses M&Ms or Skittles as a model to examine the rate of decay of unstable nuclei.
The lesson allows students to grasp the concept that the exact time a certain nuclei will decay cannot be predicted, but that the overall decay of the radioactive element in a solid can be predicted. A printable worksheet is linked to from the web page.
This article provides an analogy for radioactive decay.
It features snippets from a teacher who discusses how he uses popcorn as a visual analogy for radioactive decay.
Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S9U06 (Year 9)
This online resource deals with teaching about radiation safely in schools.
The resource has 27 sections on many aspects of radiation physics and its risks including: the different types of radiation, the risks they pose, manmade radiation and radioactive decay.
Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S9U06 (Year 9)
This online resource demonstrates the size of atoms and the way they move.
The resource details three simple experiments and models that can be used to demonstrate the size of atoms and the way they move.
There are also instructions on how to make models of water, ice and salt.
Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S9U06 (Year 9)
This online resource looks at the emission spectra of various cations.
The first resource is a web page that details a demonstration experiment that can be used to show the flame colours given by an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, and other metal salts. This is a spectacular version of the ‘flame tests’ experiment that can be used with chemists and non-chemists alike.
This novel Flikr image explores the elements of the periodic table, with all the elements represented as QR codes.
The main image can be printed or the codes can be read directly off the screen.
The QR codes are for links to YouTube videos about each of the elements.
Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S9U06 (Year 9), AC9S10U06 (Year 10)
This video examines the relative sizes of atoms, neutrons, protons and electrons.
The resource is a TED Ed video (5:27 min) which could be used as an introduction to a unit, or to consolidate understanding on subatomic particles.
It also examines the density of an atomic nucleus in terms of six million cars squashed into a 1-metre square box.
Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S7U05 (Year 7), AC9S8U06 (Year 8), AC9S9U06 (Year 9)
This PDF article is about photoluminescence.
The resource explains photoluminescence, which is created by the change of energy of electrons.
The article also suggests a series of questions that can be used by students to plan simple experiments using glow in the dark toys.
Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S9U06 (Year 9)
This online resource describes how photovoltaic cells work.
A video describes how the photovoltaic effect works in the doped semiconductors used to generate electricity in solar panels.
This resource would be good for advanced students or for teacher background information.
Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S9U06 (Year 9)
