I write about using pinhole cameras with my students in my book Why Don’t Things Fall Up? and include instructions for making one in the book. I also included instructions in Mr Shaha’s Recipes for Wonder. This (rather rough and ready) video shows how to make one. See below for written instructions: You will need: 1 Pringles or similar crisp tube (wiped out and made clean) Sellotape Duct tape or aluminium (tin) foil Scissors or a bread knife 12 cm by 12 cm piece of greaseproof paper (preferably white, not… Read more Crisp-Tin Camera →
“Kissoori” as people from my part of Bangladesh (Sylhet) call it, is a comfort food that I love, particularly when feeling poorly, and which proved to be an excellent first… Read more Sylheti Kissoori / Khichuri (Rice & Lentil Porridge) →
One of the easiest but possibly the most delightful activities in Mr Shaha’s Marvellous Machines is the Balancing Bird. Erich Landstrom (@ScienceGiant on Twitter) took inspiration from it and designed… Read more Balancing Reindeer →
This is a game I first heard about from my friend, the brilliant science educator Sai Pathmanathan, who saw some children playing a version of it at one of the science clubs she runs. I have adapted the game and come up with some rules, which you can download by clicking the link below. It’s incredibly simple to make, and fun to play with children or adults. You could make the game extra special as a gift by selecting items which perhaps hold some special meaning for the person you… Read more Sinkeroo! →
This is perhaps the easiest “machine” to make in the book and is a dramatic demonstration of the effect of soap on water. EXTRAS: written instructions and the science of how the soapy surfer works can be found in this piece I wrote for BBC Focus Magazine. Click here for an article on why washing your hands with soap is better for killing viruses than using just water or alcohol-based wipes or handwashes. Below is a video I made with the Royal Institution in which the comedian Rufus Hound shows his son… Read more Soapy Surfer →
Here’s a word document with most of the equations used in A-level Physics so you can cut and paste them instead of writing them out in Word’s equation editor every time. Please let me know if you spot any errors.
Flashcards are a useful and effective way to revise things like equations and definitions. I know that a large part of the usefulness of flash cards is in the process… Read more A-level Physics Equations Flashcards →
This is my basic recipe for dal – it’s the one I cook when I need a fresh pot of dal quickly. If you like this sort of food, I… Read more Cheap, Easy, Quick Dal →
Every year, I send out a tweet asking UK sci-commers what they’re doing to mark Black History Month (BHM), and every year, I get the same lack of response which tells me that no-one is doing anything. This year, I don’t want to just send out my usual tweet because I suspect all it really accomplishes is to make a few more people in sci-comm dislike me. So, for the past few months I have been talking to lots of important, influential people who I think could make things happen… Read more Black History Month 2018 →