Helpmyphysics

Here is a quiz for you to try on the topic of radiation.
The answers to the quiz will appear shortly.
Best of luck!

Exo-planets are planets that are orbiting a star outside our Solar System.

They are extremely difficult to detect. In fact it is only very big planets that can be detected.

Exo-planets are detected by a couple of methods.

One method is to measure the brightness of a star.
When a large planet passes in front of it the brightness of the star is slightly dimmed.

Obviously the larger the planet the more the planet dims the light of the star it passes in front of.
Astronomers call this the transit method.

Another method is to catch a star wobbling.
The star`s gravitational field will pull the star whilst the planet`s gravitational field will pull the star!

This pulling by the star and planet will cause a wobble which astronomers can measure.

The first exo-planet was discovered in 1995, the total number of confirmed exo-planets are 473.

Will these planets be habitable? Only if they exist in a special zone around the star called the Goldilocks Zone.

Find out more here:

1. Extrasolar Planets: BBC
2. PlanetQuest NASA
3. Exoplanet Database
4. The Royal Observatory Edinburgh
   

Isaac Newton thought this experiment up about firing a cannon ball from a cannon.

Check out this movie. Roll your mouse over Isaac`s picture to get more info.

Here is a presentation on satellites.

Roll your mouse over each of the members of the electromagnetic spectrum and find out how they are detected and used.

Use this downloadable sheet to record your research. Research sheet

Try out this revision on parts of a wave.

Here is a movie showing how an increase in mass of an object can affect the object`s acceleration.

From the above famous equation you can see that an increase in the mass, m, will reduce the acceleration provided the unbalanced force remains the same.

This is why your car will have a smaller acceleration when it is full of passengers than it would have when empty.

Here is a video from Twig looking at the various factors affecting the speed of sound.