This is a great “technical practical” that you can use to investigate how a lever works, but in
a fun practical way. It requires some tricky kit, so you might need to go do to the local tyre shop to see if they will let you have a go!
Equipment…
Force Sensor (range 0.1N to 500N) (link – for suggested type of sensor)
Safety: to avoid cuts or crushing injury wear gloves and heavy duty shoes, in case your hands slip on the lever as you apply forces.
Method
Calibrate a resistance based force sensor using weights and a multi-meter set to ohms. Create a graph so you can convert resistance to a specific force.
Put car wheel on the floor on its side.
Glue a force sensor to the tyre lever on the top of the “load side”
Put markings for distance on a tyre lever every 0.05m from the pivot point and pivot point itself.
Hold the lever with one hand at the nearest point to the pivot, apply enough force to pull the rubber over the rim.
Record the distance, reading on the multimeter in a table then use the graph to convert to a load force which should also be recorded.
Replace the rubber and repeat steps 5 and 6 but 0.05m further away. Record all the results in a table.
Graph the load force v distance from pivot and look for a pattern.
Repeat with a 2nd wheel and compare graphs.
Control Variables
During the experiment you must control certain factors. You hand must not slip or move from the distance to the pivot
Force sensor must not change angle against the rim or tyre or the results will vary for the resistance
Pivot point must stay fixed
Temperature may have an effect on the force sensor so all results must be collected on the same day and in the same place.
Here is set of Tarsia Puzzles you are free to use for revision for AS AQA Physics in the main. You will need to right click to download, then also put the tarsia formulator on your PC to view and edit…
Here are a set of resources to help with iGCSE forces and Astronomy Section. The syllabus aims are shown below and also all the resources for the lesson. The idea is to have a printed version of the PPT ideally or use on a PC where you can edit it, or view on a tablet. As you work through the activities you should have a 2nd browser tab open for the quiz, and work through the questions as you go. Also linked from the quiz are some breakout videos to view if you get stuck. I would also suggest you download a QR Code reader so you can find any links quickly.
Syllabus…
1.32 Understand gravitational field strength, g, and recall that it is different on other planets and the moon from that on the Earth
1.33 Explain that gravitational force:
causes moons to orbit planets
causes the planets to orbit the sun
causes artificial satellites to orbit the Earth
causes comets to orbit the sun
1.34 Describe the differences in the orbits of comets, moons and planets
1.35 Use the relationship between orbital speed, orbital radius and time period
1.36 Understand that:
the universe is a large collection of billions of galaxies
a galaxy is a large collection of billions of stars
Sky lights up over Sicily as Mount Etna’s Voragine crater erupts
Display of volcanic lightning inside giant smoke and ash cloud over Europe’s tallest active volcano is Voragine crater’s first eruption in two years. The night sky lights up over the east coast of Sicily as Mount Etna’s Voragine crater erupts for the first time in two years. The giant plume of smoke and ash thrown up by the blast creates a dazzling display of volcanic lightning, a mysterious phenomenon seen in many of the most powerful volcanic eruptions.
It is thought that ash particles rubbing together inside the cloud could lead to the buildup of an electric charge that triggers the lightning strikes, much as a weak charge builds up on a balloon rubbed on a jumper
When the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010, the combination of dust with ice and water from an overlying glacier produced a spectacular “dirty thunderstorm” that sent streaks of lightning leaping around inside the plume that drifted overhead.
The tallest active volcano in Europe, Mount Etna stands 3329m high and has been erupting for an estimated 2.5m years. In modern times, towns and villages in the foothills of Etna have been protected by ditches and concrete dams that divert lava flows to safer ground. The volcano has five craters: the Bocca Nuova, the north-east crater, two in the south-east crater complex and the Voragine. The Voragine crater formed inside the volcano’s central crater in 1945.
Volcanic activity in the region is driven by the collision of the African tectonic plate with the Eurasian plate. Magma from molten rock erupts as lava and ash and builds the volcano in the process.
