woodchurch science


Drive Green: How To Prepare Used Cooking Oil For Biodiesel

here’s a link to the copper mine that was seen in the ‘rocket science’ program. the company is called nevada copper. you can download a copy of their information booklet here.

aqa have changed their link. this is the one you need for the most to date past papers and mark schemes.

here are a few pictures showing the scale of rotary kilns for cement manufacture. they’re about 30m long and about 3m in diameter, operating temperature about 775degC.
pic 1, pic 2

making 2bn tonnes of cement globally every year pumps out 5% of the world’s CO2 emissions – more than the entire aviation industry, so any innovations which will reduce this must be welcomed. british scientists (hooray!) have developed a new type of cement that ‘eats CO2′. you can read all about it here.

here’s a clip from topgear with james may showing us the future of motoring – a hydrogen powered electric car. handy for when crude oil runs out…

here’s a good game to test your knowledge of how science works words. usual rules apply.

here’s a load of links about smart materials for c1a chemistry:
a nickel-based alloy that changes shape in response to a magnetic field is attracting interest and funding from some powerful sectors, including the U.S. military.
trick spoons bend when you stir hot coffee.
dental braces and orthodontic archwires: using memory metal causes less pain for patients, and increases the amount of time between needed visits.
nitinol faqs
car parts: shape memory actuators
all these and more can be found in this informative smart materials activity booklet

for this chemistry activity (C2 4.0) visit this site (http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk) and use the two tabs at the top, ‘energy saving products’ and ‘home improvements’.
1. list the ways houses are heated, identifying the source of the heat.
2. list the ways houses are illuminated, identifying the source of the light.
3. list the ways houses are insulated and the materials used, for example, carpets on floors.
4. list the range of devices that use electricity. How can consumption be reduced for each of them?
5. give examples of building materials used for houses, are they renewable resources or not?
6. in pairs, identify ways to reduce some of the ways energy is used at home, try to come up with some imaginative ideas.
7. design a poster, leaflet or fact sheet about the best ways of reducing energy consumption at home.

the chinese government has bought an entire mountain in peru and plans to ship it back to china – every last ounce. why? it’s one of the largest copper resources in the world and china is desperate for copper which it is planning to use to re-wire its entire infrastructure. this from the bbc…

The Peruvian government is happy with the $3bn (£1.53bn) that Chinalco will invest in the Toromocho mines. The Chinese will be even happier. They have got themselves a bargain. The copper Chinalco extracts from Toromocho will cost something like US$410 (£210) per ton. Today, the price for copper on the London Metal Exchange was $8,255 (£4,220) – 20 times more. Chinalco stands to make a 2,000% profit on its investment.

here’s a short video clip.