6 minute read
Physics
Getting to know... Mr Ives, Head of Science and Head of Physics
1. What would students be surprised to find out about you?
Hmm I’m not sure. Many students have links to my previous LEH life so I’m willing to bet nothing is that surprising. My llama history perhaps? My days dressed as a lion? Baking skills?
2. What is your most embarrassing teacher moment?
A Year 9 class, I suppose, in my early days of teaching. Students were researching planets. This was before everyone had their own devices so students were using their own books and taking it in turns to use the computer at the front of the room which was projecting on the board. One student typed Uranus in with a very different spelling.
3. Which actor would play you in the film of your life?
My 20s would probably be the focus. I don’t think the film would concentrate so much on my current part. Since the film world is all fantasy, perhaps I’d just nominate Chris Hemsworth or Pratt so that’s what people who don’t know me believe I was like?
4. If you could pass any words of wisdom onto your students, what would you share?
These really can be the good days. Enjoy them. Try new experiences. Push yourself slightly out of your comfort zone. You may find something that you enjoy, something that makes life even better. And don’t let other people take that enjoyment away!
5. What song do you know all the lyrics to?
I checked my Spotify for my singalong list for this… First five songs that came up were: TS – Ready for It…?, Frank Sinatra - That’s Life, Macklemore – Good Old Days, Slang – Pure, Imagine Dragons – Whatever it Takes. Judge away!
6. What is one thing you cannot live without?
Music, my Spotify subscription; brings me endless happiness.
7. What are you first impressions of NHEHS?
My new home.
Physics Jokes
Here are some entertaining physics jokes...
Schrodinger’s cat walks into a bar. And doesn’t.
What was the name of the first electricity detective?
Sherlock Ohms
What did the nuclear physicist have for lunch?
Fission Chips.
Einstein developed a theory about space. And it was about time too!
What does a subatomic duck say?
Quark!
Film Recommendations
Interstellar
A complex and thought-provoking film with some surprisingly accurate physics. This film’s themes range form the importance of family to the platicity of time.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Despite being filmed 50 years ago, the physics in this film holds up surprisingly well. With special effects that were ahead of their time, this film helped define the science-fiction genre.
Engineering Education Scheme
The Engineering Education Scheme was a huge project undertaken by six Year 12s. The task was to follow a design brief and produce a presentation and report with the help of a mentor company. With the help of Arcadis Design, we produced a pedestrian and cycle river crossing from Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf.
In the end, we decided to design a bridge after eliminating other ideas (such as a tunnel and a cable car system) as it would give us the best opportunity to add to the London skyline. Since the bridge had to open to allow large ships through, we needed to research different moving mechanisms to enable large sections of the bridge to move without collapsing. In typical Notting Hill style, instead of continuing the project with an existing moving mechanism, we decided to create our own.
Despite starting the whole scheme two months late, we finished everything successfully within four months. We still managed to produce the longest report out of everyone else at the Celebration and Assessment day, which was 102 pages long as well our huge poster board, models and presentation. Our hard work and incredible time dedication clearly paid off as we won the Student Choice Award, and also came runners up for the Best Contribution to Business prize. The EES team (Hannah Coxhead, Cassia Fillingham, Iva Grujic, Sophie Mockridge, Rachel Pearson and Alice Pygram) would like to say a huge thank you to Mr Schneider for his on-going support and encouragement throughout the project, and for arranging all of our weekly meetings with our mentor company.
Alice Pygram, Year 12
All good physicists know that if you want to learn about particle physics, CERN - the European Organization for Nuclear Research - is the place to be. Keeping this in mind, a group of A Level physicists were very excited to visit CERN during the February half term. We met at Heathrow, excited for the journey ahead, only slightly impeded by the fact that, naming no names, (*cough* Shalini) one of our group had to divert back home to retrieve their forgotten passport. After a surprisingly short flight we arrived in Geneva and traveled to the hostel in which we would be staying (after Ms Croft nearly left her suitcase on a train). We had a pizza dinner followed by an evening walk along the Geneva waterfront in which we learnt about the city from our guide Mr Schneider, who we discovered has a surprisingly extensive knowledge on the history of Switzerland. However, many of us, including Ms Croft, were very excited by the abundance of geese that had taken up residence next to the river and spent perhaps too long watching them and discussing in great detail how “elegant” they were.
Helen Sharman
In Science Week, Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut, came to visit Notting Hill. She gave a fascinating assembly about how she travelled to space after responding to a radio advert
Alisha Godhania, Year 12
The next day we visited CERN. We went to an exhibition that detailed the groundbreaking research that is carried out at CERN, including at the Large Hadron Collider. We were then taken on a tour by a researcher. He explained the engineering behind the Large Hadron Collider where particles are accelerated to collide at close to the speed of light. We even had lunch in the canteen, giving us the chance to eavesdrop on the conversations of the scientists also eating there (not that we were able to understand anything they were saying). After the day at CERN and enough physics to make our head explode, we enjoyed a luxurious cheese fondue dinner followed by traditional Swiss music. On our final day in Geneva we had the chance to explore the city. We visited a museum that detailed its history and walked around the city, appreciating its architecture and cobbled streets. The highlight was when we had the chance to climb to the top of the St Pierre Cathedral and admire panoramic views of Geneva. We were also able to buy, quite literally, as much Swiss chocolate as we could carry – between the four of us we somehow managed to buy seven kilograms. Once we had stuffed our rucksacks to the brim with our purchases, we travelled back to the airport for our flight back to London.
Thank you to Mr Schneider and Ms Croft for organising and accompanying us on such a fun and informative trip!
Steven Hawking 1942 - 2018
Physics in the News
Captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft during May 2018, the image captures swirling cloud belts and tumultuous vortices within Jupiter’s northern hemisphere. NASA celebrated its 60th anniversary this year.
