Fiction  

1. The Time and Space of Uncle Albert by Russell Stannard
   "Russell Stannard has a series of books about "Uncle Albert", who of course is the famous Physicist Albert Einstein. Accompanied by his niece, Einstein completes various thought experiments and explains, in quite simple terms, many of his very complex ideas. This is a great introducation to Einstein and his theories on relativity." - Miss Allcoat
   
2. Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland, or Stories of c, G, and h by G. Gamow
   "An excellent and hillarious tale about Universal constants and how these affect the lives we lead. Mr. Tompkins attends a series of Physics lectures which is struggles to understand at the time, but the following evenings he has strange dreams where the Physics we all know is slightly different to usual..." - Miss Allcoat.  

Non Fiction 

1. Bad Science, Ben Goldacre, Covers media misrepresentations of science, with a particular focus on medicine.
   
2. Schrödinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality, John Gribbin, attempts to explains the mysteries of modern quantum mechanics in a popular-scientific way.
   
3. Big Bang: The Most Important Scientific Discovery of All Time and Why You Need to Know About it, Simon Singh
   
4. The God delusion, Richard Dawkins.
   
5. Unweaving the rainbow, Richard Dawkins
   
6. The language instinct, Steven Pinker, argues that humans are born with an innate capacity for language.
   
7. Surely You're Joking, Mr.Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character, Ralph Leighton, Richard P. Feynman, edited collection of reminiscences by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman.
   
8. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
    
9. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
   "I read this book whilst studying A-level Physics, and it really got me interested and intrigued in the subject in a big way. It introduced me to some of the mind-boggling theories of modern Physics and got me to think about completely new and exciting concepts. It also has the positive attribute of avoiding mathematical proofs, so anyone can understand very complex Physics ideas." - Miss Allcoat. 

E-Learning

Access the school e-learning resources here

 

Physics Educational Web Portals

New Scientist Archive
Physical Science Information Gateway
Physics World

 

Physics A-Z

Albert Einstein
Amusement Park Physics - what are the forces behind the fun? a simple guide to the physics behind some popular fairground rides
AS/A Level Physics Links (Edexcel)
British National Space Centre (BNSC)
Cambridge Relativity - everything you need to know about cosmology, black holes, cosmic strings, inflation, quantum gravity... and Stephen Hawking. There are even movies.
CERN: European Laboratory for Particle Physics
Computer animations of physical processes - waves, optics, mechanics, thermodynamics
Design your own wind farm
Education Using Power Point
Electricity and Magnetism animations
Eric Weisstein's World of Physics
Fermilab Inquiring Minds
Fusion - animations illustrating how thermonuclear fusion works
gcsephysics
How Stuff Works
International System of Units - units of measurement
Marie Curie
Physics 2000 - uses interactive applets to explain and demonstrate concepts - fascinating!
Physics Central
Physics Classroom - Focussed on explaining the fundamental physics ideas relevant to KS3 and KS4. It's great for revision and includes animations to help explain ideas.
Physics World 
The Soda Constructor - construct your own 2-D models from masses and springs, then play around with the laws of physics... it's addictive!
Space Weather
Star Child
Science Museum

 

Astronomy  

Armagh Planetarium
Astronomy
Astronomy Now
BBC Science & Nature: Space  - provides a braod, accessible review of the cosmos, from tours of the solar system to the origin of the universe.
Bad Astronomy - sets out to correct some popular misunderstandings and errors
Bradford Robotic Telescope Observatory - Anyone on the Internet can register and ask the telescope to look at anything in the northern night sky. Observations are automatically prioritised and scheduled and completed by the telescope as time allows
British National Space Centre - visit UK space programmes, meet those involved, see what they do and assess some of the many ways for putting space to work.
Cassini Huygens
Celestia - a space simulation which allows you to explore the universe in 3D.
European Space Agency (ESA) - brimming with news and images from space missions.
Hubble Newsdesk for the very latest
The inconstant moon - " Explore the Moon... discover its dramatic features and phenomena "
Mars Exploration
Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Meterorites
Mars Express
NASA - The gateway to a vast resource, including images and live data, on space and its exploration
The Nine Planets - a multimedia tour of the solar system - the best place to start. Have a look at The Moon to see just how much information is there
Sky & Telescope Magazine
The Solar System - From the National Geographic, a 3D presentation on the solar system. Requires a plug-in to get the full effects.
Space.com - Packed with news about space activities and discoveries, photographs, games and interesting facts.
Spacedout - A virtual tour of the solar system, which also includes a useful resources section.
Spaceflight now -
Spacetech's Orrery the solar system in action
Views of the Solar System - " a vivid multimedia adventure unfolding the splendor of the Sun, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, and more. "

 

Particle Theory

Antimatter
Big Bang Science
Enquiring Minds - the science of matter, space and time
Introduction to Particle Physics
Particle Adventure
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
String Theory Web Site

 

Space Project

Solarviews
Space Exploration

 

Optics

The Magic Factory - Uses Shockwave to demonstrate simple ideas about reflection, refraction and colours.
Lights and Colours - the physics of fireworks, which describes how just a few compounds are combined to give a range of coloured effects
Light and color - "explores many of the aspects of visible light starting with an introduction to electromagnetic radiation and continuing through to human vision and the perception of color."
The Science of Light - a series of online simulations which help you to explore everyday phenomena

 

Magnetism

 

The physics of magnetism - more advanced coverage from the University of Winnipeg
Snacks about magnetism - more accessible information on the physics of magnetism, with a range of ideas for experiments - part of the Exploratorium website
The Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere - a clear and helpful set of notes from NASA on magnetism, field lines, the magnetosphere and the way in which magnetic fields interact with charged particles

 

Energy

 

Energy Saving Trust - " one of the UK's leading organisations addressing the damaging effects of climate change. Our goal is to achieve the sustainable and efficient use of energy, to cut the carbon dioxide emissions which are the key contributor to global warming. "
US Department of Energy - Includes a useful education section and information on different types of renewable energy.
Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) - described as 'Europe's foremost eco-centre', this site comes from 'a charity striving to achieve the best cooperation between the natural, technological and human worlds'
The Green Energy Website - From tThe National Energy Foundation, the site aims to encourage sustainable and green sources of energy. Has useful information on such things as solar energy, wind energy, biomass and hydropower, and their contribution to the reduction in global warming and climate change
The Energy Hotlist - from the Franklin Research Institute, this has links to sites on all types of energy