Articles

Blood Pressure

Blood Pressure

Why do you feel dizzy if you stand up too quickly?

Themes: Biology & Medicine and Human Body

Topics: Biophysics, Fluids, and Pressure

Grades: 8-10

Stretching Rubber Bands

Stretching Rubber Bands

We can use common household objects to measure properties that match physical laws. This experiment takes a very common household item, the rubber band, and applies physical laws (Hooke’s Law and the Young’s Modulus) to them in a hands-on way.

Themes: Student Projects

Topics: Deformations, Experiments, Hooke's Law, Materials, and Young's Modulus

Grades: 11-12

Bats and the Doppler Shift

Bats and the Doppler Shift

What compensation for Doppler shifts do bats perform to keep their echoes within their hearing range?

Themes: Animals, Biology & Medicine, and Waves

Topics: Biophysics and Sound

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

Nerve Impulses

Nerve Impulses

Why are eye-foot and eye-hand reaction times different?

Themes: Biology & Medicine and Human Body

Topics: Biophysics

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

Wave Power – A Simple Analysis

Wave Power – A Simple Analysis

How much power can we extract from ocean waves?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Energy and sustainability

Grades: 11-12

True, False, or Not Sure? Philosophy of Science in the 21st century

True, False, or Not Sure? Philosophy of Science in the 21st century

Whatever happened to objective reality? Why is anthropogenic climate change so hard to “prove”?

Topics: Climate, Energy, and Science Literacy

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

Dimensional Analysis

Dimensional Analysis

Unsure if your result makes sense?

Themes: Skills and Techniques

Topics: Mathematics and Science Literacy

Grades: 8-10

Scientific Notation

Scientific Notation

“The suspect is a male, age 1.73 × 109 s, height 1.83 m, weight 7.5 × 101 kg…”

Themes: Skills and Techniques

Topics: Mathematics and Tools

Grades: 8-10

Order of Magnitude Calculations

Order of Magnitude Calculations

How can we make reasonable approximations without tedious calculations?

Themes: Skills and Techniques

Topics: Mathematics, Science Literacy, and Tools

Grades: 8-10

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Significant Figures

This tyrannosaurus is 70,000,003 years old. How many significant figures should I quote?

Themes: Skills and Techniques

Topics: Mathematics and Tools

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

Energy and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Calculations

Energy and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Calculations

How much Chemistry and Biology do you need to understand to estimate energy and greenhouse gas production? Very little.

Themes: Non-renewable and non-clean energy

Topics: Climate, Energy, and Science Literacy

Grades: 11-12

Uncertainty estimates for physics labs

Uncertainty estimates for physics labs

Are you SURE that a measurement is “right”? What does “right” even mean? Learn more about uncertainty, and what you can do about it.

Themes: Skills and Techniques

Topics: Science Literacy

Grades: 11-12

Simple Earth Climate Model: Single-Layer Imperfect Greenhouse Atmosphere

Simple Earth Climate Model: Single-Layer Imperfect Greenhouse Atmosphere

Why does the emission of carbon dioxide influence our climate?

Themes: Climate and Energy and Environment

Topics: Climate, Materials, and Planetary Science

Grades: 11-12

Thermal Radiation

Thermal Radiation

All bodies emit radiation. So why don’t we all shine in the dark?

Themes: Climate, Energy and Environment, and Energy use at Home

Topics: Climate and Energy

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

The Jevons Paradox

The Jevons Paradox

Increasing energy efficiency won’t save us.

Themes: Energy and Environment

Topics: Conservation, Efficiency, and Energy

Grades: 11-12

Energy Replacement

Energy Replacement

Themes: Electricity Generation, Energy and Environment, Energy use at Home, Renewable and Clean Energy, and Transportation

Topics: Conservation, Electricity, Energy, and Forces

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

Heating (and Cooling) Buildings

Heating (and Cooling) Buildings

Themes: Energy and Environment, Energy use at Home, and Non-renewable and non-clean energy

Topics: Electricity, Energy, and sustainability

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

Food as Energy

Food as Energy

Themes: Animals, Human Body, and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Biophysics, Energy, and sustainability

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

Radiation dose

Radiation dose

I heard milk is radioactive. Should I worry?

Themes: Energy and Environment, Human Body, Non-renewable and non-clean energy, and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Energy and Nuclear Physics

Grades: 11-12

A Simple Approach to the Energy Cost of Flying

A Simple Approach to the Energy Cost of Flying

It takes energy to fly. How much?

Themes: Climate and Energy and Environment

Topics: Climate, Efficiency, and Energy

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

Heat Engines in the Real World

Heat Engines in the Real World

All undergraduate physics students are taught the Carnot cycle as an example of a thermodynamic engine. The Carnot cycle is optimized for efficiency but unfortunately yields zero power, and is therefore not very useful in reality. However, it’s analysis is mathematically elegant. How can we modify the Carnot analysis for real engines which are optimized for power without sacrificing mathematical simplicity?

Themes: Energy and Environment

Topics: Thermodynamics

Grades: 11-12

Price of Electricity

Price of Electricity

We are used to buying food by the kg, but how much does energy cost and how do different sources compare?

Themes: Electricity Generation, Energy and Environment, and Energy use at Home

Topics: Electricity

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

Price of Natural Gas

We are used to buying food by the kg, but how much does energy cost and how do different sources compare?

Themes: Energy use at Home and Non-renewable and non-clean energy

Topics: Energy

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

Comparing Energy and Heat Units

Comparing Energy and Heat Units

How do I compare heat and energy values given in different units?

Themes: Energy and Environment, Energy use at Home, Renewable and Clean Energy, Skills and Techniques, and Transportation

Topics: Energy and Tools

Grades: 11-12

CO2e

CO2e

What does the “e” mean?

Themes: Climate, Energy and Environment, and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Climate and Energy

Grades: 8-10

OLD – Energy Efficiency and the Jevons Paradox

OLD – Energy Efficiency and the Jevons Paradox

Will increasing efficiency really reduce energy consumption?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Energy use at Home

Topics: Efficiency, Electricity, and Energy

Grades: 11-12

Air Transport

Air Transport

How much energy does it take to fly you and your luggage 10,000 km? What is the environmental cost?

Themes: Climate and Transportation

Topics: Drag, Efficiency, and Energy

Grades: 11-12

Solar Energy in a Temperate Climate

Solar Energy in a Temperate Climate

Does it pay to cover your roof with solar panels in rainy Vancouver BC?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Energy and sustainability

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

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Hydro-Electric Dams

Why is this beautiful valley in north-eastern BC about to be flooded?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Conservation, Electricity, and Forces

Grades: 11-12

Wind Power

How can we harness a substantial amount of power from the wind?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Climate, Conservation, Energy, and sustainability

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

Sea-borne Transportation

Sea-borne Transportation

Why are the sections of the fence around my garden (in Vancouver BC) made of BC cedar in Asia – i.e. the cedar was shipped twice across the Pacific? Cedar fencing is hardly a high-value product.

Themes: Energy and Environment and Transportation

Topics: Forces and sustainability

Grades: 11-12

Nuclear Energy Basics

Nuclear Energy Basics

Why can’t you just turn a nuclear reactor off?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Energy

Grades: 11-12

Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

How do LEDs compare to earlier lighting technologies?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Energy use at Home

Topics: Efficiency, Electricity, and Energy

Grades: 8-10

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Energy and Power

Energy and power are two related but distinct concepts. Why do the media confuse them so frequently?

Themes: Climate, Electricity Generation, Energy and Environment, Energy use at Home, Non-renewable and non-clean energy, Renewable and Clean Energy, and Transportation

Topics: Climate, Conservation, Electricity, and Energy

Grades: 11-12

Energy Cost of Transport

Energy Cost of Transport

How much energy does it take to move a person or a tonne of freight from A to B?

Themes: Animals, Energy and Environment, Human Body, and Transportation

Topics: Electricity, Energy, and Forces

Grades: 11-12

Heat Balance in the Human Body

Heat Balance in the Human Body

How much energy does our body use? How do we keep cool when it is really hot out? Can we justify eating more when studying?

Themes: Biology & Medicine, Energy use at Home, and Human Body

Topics: Biophysics, Efficiency, and Energy

Grades: 11-12

Fossil Fuels for Transport

Fossil Fuels for Transport

Themes: Climate, Energy and Environment, and Non-renewable and non-clean energy

Topics: Climate and Energy

Grades: 11-12

Energy Use in Vehicles

Energy Use in Vehicles

How much energy does it take to drive from A to B?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Transportation

Topics: Efficiency and Energy

Grades: 11-12

PRIVATE:  Energy Use in Vehicles 2: Constant Speed Cruising

PRIVATE: Energy Use in Vehicles 2: Constant Speed Cruising

How can I find the mechanical efficiency of a car engine from easily obtained or measured data?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Transportation

Topics: Efficiency and Energy

Grades: 11-12

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PRIVATE: Energy Use in Vehicles 3: Stop-and-Go Driving

What does it cost in fuel to stop a bus at a pedestrian light?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Transportation

Topics: Efficiency and Energy

Grades: 11-12

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What do I (we) do about my (our) carbon footprint?

A very frequent question asked by students after learning about climate change is “But what can I (we) do about it?”. Here are some ideas, all of which have benefits in addition to reducing greenhouse gases, and so are worth considering even if you reject the idea of anthropogenic global warming completely.

Themes: Climate, Energy and Environment, Energy use at Home, Non-renewable and non-clean energy, Renewable and Clean Energy, and Transportation

Topics: Climate, Conservation, Energy, and sustainability

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

OLD Fan Efficiency

OLD Fan Efficiency

How can we measure the efficiency of an electric fan?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Energy use at Home

Topics: Efficiency and Energy

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

OLD Heating Efficiency

Which is better: gas or electric heat?

Themes: Electricity Generation, Energy and Environment, Energy use at Home, and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Electricity and Energy

Grades: 11-12

OLD Cool Roofs

OLD Cool Roofs

Can painting our roofs white offset tonnes of CO2 emissions??

Themes: Energy and Environment and Energy use at Home

Topics: Efficiency and Energy

Grades: 11-12

OLD Clean Coal

OLD Clean Coal

An oxymoron?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Conservation, Energy, and sustainability

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

OLD Solar Powered Airplanes

Red Tailed Hawk

PRIVATE: Vision and Diffraction

Why can eagles see more clearly farther away than we can?

Themes: Animals, Biology & Medicine, and Optics and Radiation

Topics: Biophysics and Optics

Grades: 11-12

PRIVATE: Cheetah Chase

PRIVATE: Cheetah Chase

How far away can a cheetah be from a gazelle and still be guaranteed to catch it?

Themes: Animals and Biology & Medicine

Topics: Biophysics and Mechanics

Grades: 11-12

OLD Energy Use in Cars 6: Gasoline Cars vs. Bicycles

When does a car have the same fuel efficiency as a bicycle?

Themes: Energy and Environment and Transportation

Topics: Drag, Efficiency, Energy, Friction, and Materials

Grades: 11-12

OLD: Energy Use in Cars 5: Gasoline Cars vs. Electric Cars

How do the greenhouse gas emissions of electric and gasoline cars compare?

Themes: Energy and Environment, Renewable and Clean Energy, and Transportation

Topics: Efficiency and Energy

Grades: 11-12

PRIVATE: Balsa Gliders and 747s

OLD Energy Use in Cars 4: Regenerative Braking Systems

What single system could be added to a gasoline car to improve its city driving fuel economy by 30-40%?

Themes: Energy and Environment, Renewable and Clean Energy, and Transportation

Topics: Conservation, Efficiency, and Energy

Grades: 11-12

PRIVATE: Useful Numbers

PRIVATE: Useful Numbers

Wondering where we got our numbers from?  Check out this table!

Themes: Skills and Techniques

Topics: Science Literacy

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

OLD Simple Earth Climate Model

OLD Simple Earth Climate Model

Which planetary characteristics contribute to producing a mean surface temperature that makes Earth habitable?

Themes: Climate, Energy and Environment, and Optics and Radiation

Topics: Climate, Energy, and Thermodynamics

Grades: 11-12

PRIVATE: Wind Turbines – Betz Law Explained

PRIVATE: Wind Turbines – Betz Law Explained

An explanation of Betz’ Law

Themes: Electricity Generation, Energy and Environment, and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Climate, Energy, and Mechanics

Grades: 8-10

PRIVATE: Volcanoes

PRIVATE: Volcanoes

Will the Icelandic volcano cool us off?

Themes: Climate

Topics: Climate and Planetary Science

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10

OLD Wind Turbines

The total energy available in wind and the power that can feasibly be extracted from it will be determined using the fundamentals of kinematics. The limitations of location and machinery of wind turbines that restrict the amount of power that can be harnessed will also be examined, before comparing the impact of wind energy with various other common sources of energy.

Themes: Electricity Generation, Energy and Environment, and Renewable and Clean Energy

Topics: Climate, Energy, and Mechanics

Grades: 11-12 and 8-10