Extraction of metals and the Bronze Age

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The reactivity of the metals determines how abundantly they are found on the earth. And an appreciation of their reactivity gives us a timeline of our own development as a species. A study of the reactivity of metals is also a study of very own history. This part of AQA and Edexcel GCSE is one I go through with students all the time. How the Bronze age started and then the Iron Age. All linked to the reactivity series.

An image of Bronze age axes.

Early Bronze age tools (from Natural History Museum Scotland)

Pre-historic humans used stone tools and items in their day to day lives. Tool making was a big deal indeed. But we couldn’t have known of metals besides silver and gold as they were all locked away in unrecognisable oxide form.

A most remarkable discovery moved us from the Stone Age period into the Bronze age. Bronze is an alloy (mixture of metals) of Copper and Tin. And copper would have been found as copper ore in nature. An accidental hot fire near a copper ore in the presence of coal (which contains Carbon, which is more reactive than Copper) would have revealed copper’s true existence. The Carbon reduced the Copper Oxide into Copper. A beautiful gold like substance, soft and malleable. It must have been an extraordinary discovery of its time and it changed the game for humans. We were now able to make much more sophisticated tooling, ornaments and jewellery. It was the first metal we discovered and set us on a path to more discoveries later.

Here are a couple of great videos that show how a green ore of copper called Malachite can easily be reduced into copper. The implications of discovering Copper, and how it was a prime trade item are shown on the videos.

This is a superb resource for GCSE AQA Chemistry students studying the C2 module, or the iGCSE Edexcel 1C modules, both of which I tutor. And if as a student you are feeling bogged down by learning cold facts, then these videos will bring it all to life again.

Do you have any thoughts on the magic of copper? Feel free to comment 🙂

Passing the apex of the tutoring year

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I seem to say this every year, and like last year this year is no exception. This is the busiest time of tuition all year round for me. I tutor consistently 7 days a week from about March. And I have finally passed the peak of the tuition demand period. This has given me some well needed rest and a little time for reflection before I jump into the next peak of the final Summer half tuition period.

Last Wednesday were the GCSE, iGCSE, Functional Skills maths exams all in one day. Preceded by Physics GCSE and A Level Core 2 on the Tuesday. I was also mentoring and preparing a student for another subject and that too ended on Thursday morning.

Atul Rana

Caught up with a couple of other tutor friends before the Easter holidays.

And that’s just tuition with my students. In the tutoring world I run the Maths Tutors UK Facebook group, along with a few other tutor networking projects where I hold a collaborative space for other tutors. I also organise real life meetups with tutors which are an excellent social space in an otherwise lonely profession. I am getting more and more involved with The Profs and BitPaper Whiteboard who have a great forward thinking and innovative team of tutors.

It has been a really inspiring and intense year so far. Online tuition has worked out like a charm and Dyscalculia tutoring has turned out to be one of the most satisfying things I have ever done. It is all rewarding work and the longer, warmer days in May make it perfect for doing these longer hours.

I post fairly regularly on my Facebook Page, so do join or follow me there. Or even my twitter account. And for all my friends who have been trying to get me out and about to socialise or to music gigs, I promise I will get out of being a hermit stage and catch up with you very soon 🙂

 

How is electricity made?

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Electricity. We all use it daily but how is it actually made and where does it come from? Tutoring how electricity is made is one of my favorite parts of teaching Physics. In this BBC video you will see a couple of young children being shown around a power station, and then seeing an excellent, clear demo of a kettle, a turbine and magnets that show how a power station actually works.

How is electricity made? – BBC Education

Steam Turbine

Steam Turbine

When I was 18 I was sponsored by Rolls Royce’s Industrial Power Generation branch of companies, and I took a year out with them before joining university at 19 as a first year. That year turned out to be an invaluable experience and it has come in so very handy when tutoring. I worked in a steam turbine and diesel engine factory, WH Allen of Bedford. And then a year later I worked for an electrical power generators and transformers company. I got to know a lot about power generation at a young age.

Making electricity is no magic though, and relies on some simple part of Physics all coming together. Amazingly this video is pitched for primary school children, but in reality it is invaluable during my online GCSE Physics tuition sessions. The kids are transported by curios cat the narrator to a gas-powered power plant. They get to see how a boiler, steam turbine and a generator work through a simple demo of a kettle boiling steam into a bunch of spoons set up as rotating vanes. There’s also a simple demo of electromagnetic induction using magnets, a conductor and a LED lamp.

So if you are preparing for your GCSE exam, or are just curious to how electricity is made, then click away on the link above and start your journey!

 

From Iron Ore to Steel Biscuit Tins

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A couple of Welsh children, the animated curious cat, Fur Elise by Beethoven, blast furnaces, biscuit tins, 3rd year undergraduates, iron ore and GCSE Chemistry. What’s all this about? And how can this help with your Chemistry revision?

Picture courtesy of BBC

Blast Furnace and Iron Extraction

There are some superb educational videos out there that I use for my tutoring resources when tutoring Science online, and this one linked below is one of my absolute favourites!

How are biscuit tins made?

The extraction of iron from iron ore in a blast furnace followed by its conversion into steel is a well known process in the industrial world. And what better way to appreciate this than to see for real how this process happens? This video comes in very handy to me when I am tutoring GCSE Chemistry online. In particular the C1 and C2 modules for AQA Science. Also for the iGCSE Edexcel Chemistry syllabus.

But this video, which is made for primary school children is very versatile indeed. I first used this with a Materials Engineering undergraduate in his third year when we were doing rolling mill calculations for hot steel slabs. The calculations were very complex and at times I felt that we were losing track of what the point of the calculations were. So as always I found a video of the whole steel plate manufacturing process, starting from iron ore, going to the blast iron furnace, then going to the blast oxygen furnace, hot rolling of slabs, cold rolling of slabs, to eventually making the tins.

A couple of Welsh children ask the curios cat in this video on how biscuit tins are made. They are transported to a journey where they steel plants and tin factories. So click on the link above and get transported yourself. The music is very good too, especially at the end with Beethoven’s Fur Elise.

Easter tuition 2017 and the payoff to go all Online

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I have come out of the other side, the Easter tuition period is by far the busiest time of year for me. I first experiened this during the Easter holiday period of 2007, and some of the work I did at the time has led to work even to this very Easter holiday. Amazing how far and long word of mouth can go!

BitPaper Whiteboard Maths Tuition Atul Rana Tutors

Using BitPaper for online tutoring. I love this whiteboard!

Since then, I have gotten busier and busier at Easter. The Easter season is a really intense period of tuition for me, but also very rewarding. I am at my most present, focused and dedicated. I manage all my tuition, client feedback, enquries and admin. I tutor all 7 days a week, and while Sundays can be up to 3 or 4 hours a day, my other days are all more than 6 hours, typically 7 hours or more.

Last Summer I took the plunge and decided only to tutor online from now on. Inevitably I lost a small fraction of my in person clients as some of them were not keen to try out the new medium. But as planned the opening I made for new online clients paid off very well indeed. I had a slow start in September and October and panic somewhat set in at the time, as after all I was used to being booked solid pretty much all year round. But it has all worked out. This time all over the world, and now I can claim to be a truly global tutor. At Easter I tutored students in Singapore, Malaysia, India, Spain, UAE, Baharain and Canada. I tutored students going to British Schools abroad and somehow my own story of growing up in different countries and going to a British school in Kenya has resonated with my new clients and students.

Hanging out with my client’s horse. Dave is relaxed 🙂

There were days I finished tutoring and couldn’t believe how just with one click I can travel to a new country, a new world, different weather, time zone and accents. A slice of being in a different space and part of the world is now instantly available to me, and I feel I have transcended the limits of geography in many ways. I am fortuante to be in this position and my calculated gamble to go all online has well and truly paid off. There is no better valididation of that during the Easter tuition period. I’ve made gambles and trade offs like this before, and it takes a little time for the results to come through fully. I’ve certainly tutored more hours this Easter than ever, but the great thing is that it does not feel like it. With no commute, and from the comfort of my own home I’ve been a lot more relaxed this time of the year.

Despite the full move to online tuition, I have kept going to Yorkshire to see a couple of families to tutor. It was amazing to go there again, and although I have been tutoring 7 days a week flat out, including in Yorkshire, it was great to have a break away from London. I went for walks and had some great dinner time conversations with my clients. Easter is a great season to see tiny lambs running around and bleating, so it’s been great to reconnect with nature’s cycle. 2017 marks my 10th Year of going to one family in the Yorkshire Dales who are like my second home there. I go there in the Summer holidays to visit as well.

This is Charlie the Ram. Met him in Yorkshire as well 🙂

The ball is well and truly in motion for my continued move to online tuition, and next year things will get even better. Although I’m still tutoring every day in May, the hours are reduced now and I’ve had a refreshing break with friends and family. One last push for the busy exam period of May and June and then a nice Summer off, both for me and my students 🙂

Independent Tutors Social – 25 March 2017 London

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Tutoring as an independent tutor can often be a lonely job, yet there’s some excellent educators there who could do with putting their minds together to share ideas on resources, teaching styles, business and many other things. I have got some work through referrals from other tutors by meeting them in person or online. There’s a small and growing community of us now.

London Tutors Meetup

London Tutors Meetup

This is open to all tutors, if you are with an agency, or fully independent and there’s no need to members of any professional bodies either. The Larrik does both drinks and excellent snacks, or modern pub food with a twist. Food is served until 10pm. The Larrik pub is easily accessible via public transport and is close to Edgware Road, Paddington, Baker Street and Marble Arch stations.

Looking forward to meeting you and feel free to contact me if you want to let me know you are coming 🙂

Magnets Floating in Thin Air Demonstration

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Science has some pretty awesome and cool things. Some of them you really have to see to believe! Recently I started a Facebook page for my tuition services. As many of my friends, clients and students know, I am a huge fan of video with my music. And recently Facebook live allows me to livestream gigs to friends across the world. So I took that idea to heart and livestreamed a Physics lesson for about 3 minutes.

In this very simple lesson, I show a very cool demonstration of a magnet floating, or levitating in air. I explain why in the video. Please do comment if you that has got you thinking.

Independent Tutors Drinks – 21 Jan 2017 London

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Being an independent tutor can often be lonely business, but there’s so much potential from many of us professional tutors to meet and learn from each other. So come out and meet some new work colleagues, exchange stories, tutoring tips, teaching resources and even pass on referrals. I have got some work through referrals from other tutors by meeting them in person or online. There’s a small community of us that like to meet, socialise and discuss this special type of private teaching!

  • Date : Saturday 21 January 2017
  • Venue : The Larrik Pub, 32 Crawford Place, Marylebone London W1H 5NN
  • Time : 6:00pm onwards
London Private Tutors Meet up

Tutors meet-up in London.

This is an event open to all tutors, whether or not you are with an agency or registered with any other membership bodies. For those who stay on later, there’s excellent food at The Larrik Pub, which is a spacious gastro pub will a great relaxed atmosphere. The Larrik pub is easily accessible via public transport and is close to Edgware Road, Paddington, Baker Street and Marble Arch stations.

Looking forward to meeting you and feel free to contact me if you want to let me know you are coming 🙂

Growth of Human Population Through Time

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Did you know that the world population took all of evolutionary time to reach the 1 billion mark at around the year 1800 and then between 1999 and 2011, we added another billion in just the space of 12 years? 12 years Vs all the time since the beginning of time, my head just hurts trying to even think about this! The world’s population has done some staggering things over the last 200 years, and it is hard to comprehend this with just looking at the raw numbers. A new video by the AMNH however clarifies this very well.

This latest video by The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)  is directly relevant at GCSE Biology (AQA B3 module “Humans and their environment”) and Geography. Besides that it is a superb demonstration in maths about linear Vs exponential growth. But even more than that the implications of populations growth are directly relevant to each and every one of us.

I can think of three very critical times that represent a major shift in the way humanity has changed.

  1. Spreading out of Africa 100,000 years ago and spreading across the rest of the world as hunter gatherers. Modern humans are believed to have evolved in Africa 200,000 years ago. After that it is believed that a very small number of hunter gatherers were able to start migrating out of the African continent. While there are different theories about the exact nature of this migration, there is very little scientific doubt left that all of humanity originates from Africa.
  2. Discovery of farming 10,000 BC approx. The discovery of agriculture is more recent in the big scheme of things. It is hard to imagine a world without agriculture now, or that we weren’t actually evolved to live in an agricultural society. Yet many of our social ideas have come about from agrarian societies, including the idea of currency and money. In his book Cialdini explains that reciprocity and exchange are evolutionary built in us. That idea of reciprocity when extended out in the context of land ownership in an agricultural society with grains as everlasting currency gave birth to the more tangible idea of wealth and money. Eventually being abstracted in the form of coins and bank notes.
  3. The Industrial Revolution mid 1700s. This totally changed everything again, and to date the population explosion can be explained by modern medicine, urbanisation and the industrial age. The start of the 1900s saw the start of the current population explosion. The discovery of antibiotics in 1928 well and truly added to this population growth. We beat the bugs, and there has been no stopping in our population growth since. But with antibiotic resistance on the rise we risk being taken back in time.

These numbers and facts are what current evidence by Science tell us. The good news is that fertility rates across the world are now decreasing and even now, the rate of population increase is going down. This means that the population won’t keep increasing forever and it will level off in 2100. An average estimate brings this figure to 11 billion in the year 2100. But there’s slight variation in this possible as projections cannot be 100% accurate.

The beautifully captioned video shows a simple graph of the population of the world increasing with time, and all the major historical events to go along the timeline to give us a point of reference. The music is what makes it though and is truly captivating. So enjoy the ride this video takes you on.

What are your thoughts on the population growth and what questions does this get you thinking of? Let me know below through comments.

Determining the Speed of Light – 340 Years Ago

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The Google doodle today shows a massive landmark in Science, the day we found the speed of light. This was done by Danish astronomer Ole Rømer in 1676. More recently Freddie Mercury would sing about travelling at the speed of light in the Queen song, Don’t Stop Me Now. He did have Brian May in the band who has a PhD in Astrophysics.

Going back to the serious business of light having a speed..How can light even have a speed? It is impossible to “see” light having a speed directly. Light just seems to instantaneously “be” everywhere as soon as the sun rises or a light switch is flicked on.

340 years ago, which is a long time ago now in the context of modern Physics, the Danish astronomer did work this out. His genius laid in the fact that he worked out a peculiar quirk in exactly when Jupiter’s moon Io popped into view through his telescope. It appeared to pop into view at different times at different times of the year. It shouldn’t have because celestial mechanics are very stable and steady indeed. He questioned the very assumption that light itself must be taking shorter or longer to get to the earth from Io. This is what the Google doodle shows today. Doing calculations with the speed of light are fairly standard at A Level Physics, but they also come up occasionally at GCSE Physics as well.

Professor Brian Cox explains this much better in his short video that I have linked below. So click away and learn about this big part of Scientific history.