Notes on Newton
| National Curriculum links (Key Stage
3 science) |
Sc1
1c |
... about the ways in which scientists worked in
the past, including the roles of experimentation, evidence and creative
thought in the development of scientific ideas |
Sc4
2b |
... that the weight of an object on Earth is the
result of the gravitational attraction between its mass and that
of the Earth |
Sc4
3a-f |
The behaviour of light |
Sc4
4a-d |
The solar system |
| National Curriculum links (Key Stage
4 double science) |
Sc1
1a |
... how scientific ideas are presented, evaluated
and disseminated |
Sc1
1c |
... ways in which scientific work may be affected
by context and how these contexts may affect whether or not the
ideas are accepted |
Sc4
2a- |
Force and acceleration |
Sc4
3a-d |
Characteristics of waves |
Sc4
4b |
... that gravity acts as a force throughout the universe |
Resources
Notes on Newton
summarises Newton's early life and the main areas in which he worked.
Newton, light and controversy
deals with Newton's work on colour and light, his problems with publication
and the antagonism with Hooke. The activities involve writing a letter
from Newton to a colleague either describing his discoveries about light
with simple instructions as to how to carry out some of the experiments
or describing his difficulties in getting his work published and the
attacks by people like Hooke.
Activities
| Activity
1 |
|
- Students visit a web site to look at a number of different
pictures of Newton to get an idea of what he looked like.
- Students investigate the facts behind the popular story of
the apple falling on Newton's head leading to the discovery
of gravity. Students are given a site to visit which has quotes
from Newton and his contemporaries to research the truth of
the matter. They are then asked to tell the story about the
discovery in a way which is suitable for the teaching of gravity
required in the National Curriculum at Key Stage 2 (Sc4, 2b).
- Students research and write a report on one aspect of Newton's
work, using material provided here and on the linked web sites.
|
| Activity
2 |
|
- Students write a letter as if from from Newton to a colleague
either describing his discoveries about light with simple
instructions as to how to carry out some of the experiments
or describing his difficulties in getting his work published
and the attacks by people like Hooke.
|
|
