GCSE Physics Concepts

www.physconcepts.co.uk

KS4 (Years 10 - 11)

Science

Description

The CD-ROM contains simulations of three classic Physics practicals used to illustrate Hooke's Law, Boyle's Law and Ohm's Law. There is also an animated plane that can be used to show the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces.

The software is designed to be used by the teacher to focus pupils' attention during a practical lesson. It can also be used by individual students as an alternative to practical work. Each of the three simulations incorporates a model of the apparatus, a graph of the results and the equation that links the input and outcome variables. The Boyle's Law simulation is designed around the Philip Harris apparatus that most schools use for demonstrations, and the Ohm's Law resources would work with any 'clip together' circuit components.

The layout of the display is bright and uncluttered against a white background. By clicking a button at the side of the screen, the user can increase the value of the input variable a step at a time. Each time the button is clicked, the readings on the apparatus change, the graph plots the next point and the equations change size to show the proportionalities of the two variables. This is very well done and really helps to clarify the relationship between each pair of variables tested.

An added feature with the Ohm's Law simulation is the use of a plumbing analogy to help pupils understand why there is a proportional relationship between the two variables. Clicking a button at the side of the screen changes the circuit diagram into a circuit of water pipes. A pump replaces the battery, a flowmeter replaces the ammeter and a pressure meter replaces the voltmeter. It is also possible to change the resistance in the circuit to see the effect this has on the gradient of the graph.

The animated plane has arrows for the four forces acting on it. Each of them can be made the resultant force to make the plane head off in the appropriate direction, accompanied by an appealing sound effect. This is very simple but fun to use. It really gets a key point over well and would also be useful at Key Stage 3 as a resource for unit 7K of the QCA Scheme of Work for Year 7, 'Forces and their Effects'.

Supporting Documentation

This is excellent and comes on top quality paper in a useful display folder. It contains installation instructions, a contents guide, student worksheets for each simulation and teacher's answer sheets for each exercise. There are different versions to support students using the simulation to get results and those doing the experiments with standard laboratory apparatus. There are also links to related websites. All the worksheets are in Word format on the CD-ROM, and can be downloaded from the dedicated website at www.physconcepts.co.uk. They are copyright-free and can be customised to suit individual classes.

Technical Support

There is a dedicated email address, techsupport@physconcepts.co.uk. However, the software is incredibly simple to use and install, so it is hard to imagine technical support being needed. A test email brought a response within the hour.

Purpose of the Program

The software is designed to focus pupils' attention on the whiteboard when the teacher is introducing or summing up whole-class practical lessons on Ohm's Law, Boyle's Law and Hooke's Law. It could also be used by individual students as an alternative to practical work.

Curriculum Relevance

Each of the topics is covered in Double Science GCSE courses. The Hooke's Law simulation could also be used at Key Stage 3 as a resource for unit 7K of the QCA Scheme of Work for Year 7, 'Forces and their Effects'. With their emphasis on the relationships between variables, each simulation could also be used with classes completing lessons 1 to 5 of the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) Program.

Extent

The simulations are designed to support four specific lessons.The Ohm's Law and Hooke's Law simulations are substantial enough to allow a whole lesson to be built around them. The animated plane is very versatile and is a useful visual aid for teaching about balanced and unbalanced forces at any level.

Appropriateness

This is just the sort of resource that whiteboard users need. Each simulation in the collection provides a powerful illustration of the relationship between the variables involved. Its use should empower the teacher to make the relevent learning objectives more attainable for students who struggle to see the connection between graphs and equations. The software is written in Macromedia Director with some Flash incorporated and is extremely well presented. I particularly liked the way the simulation left the user free to modify the way the lesson was presented. A series of PowerPoint slides could do the same job but might impose a more rigid order on the lesson.

Quality

The quality of the content is excellent. The images are uncluttered and fill the whole screen. The font sizes are sensible and the text is kept to a minimum. The software does not allow the questions to be edited or keep track of the answers given.

The clarity with which the practical results are related to the graph and equation in each simulation should make these topics accessible to the full range of abilities. The software empowers the teacher but doesn't direct the progress of the lesson, so it leaves them free to differentiate tasks and questions to suit the needs of the particular class. The worksheets provided can be edited and students with a high level of visual impairment could use them with a screen reader.

The CD-ROM provides superb simulations of three standard physics practicals used to illustrate Hooke's Law, Boyle's Law and Ohm's Law. It also includes a nifty animated plane that can be used to show the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces. It is designed to be used with an interactive whiteboard and has a simple but visually appealling format which really works. The Ohm's Law simulation is particularly useful. As a button is clicked to increase the voltage, the ammeter reading changes; a graph of voltage against current plots, and the equation changes size to reflect the new values of the variables. One button press changes the resistor value and another turns the circuit diagram into an analogous water circuit.

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Product Overview

This product is distributed by Physics Concepts Ltd (Tel: 020 7274 6504)