Scientists in the NC

Scientists

in the English National Curriculum

Paul HOPKINS

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Scientists in the NC

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The English NC (DfE, 2013) states that, "A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena. They should be encouraged to understand how science can be used to explain what is occurring, predict how things will behave, and analyse causes."

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The NC mentions in the guidance a number of scientists and inventors. In Y2 in says, "Pupils might find out about people who have developed useful new materials, for example John Dunlop, Charles Macintosh or John McAdam". In Y5 it mentions looking at the work of David Attenborough, Jane Goodall, Spencer Silver, Ruth Benerito, Ptolemy, Alhazen, Copernicus, Galileo and Isaac Newton and in Year 6, Carl Linnaeus, Mary Anning, Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace.

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You can of course look beyond these people and should be looking to talk to and contact living scientists in your community but this is a starting place to explore some important and famous scientists.

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Click on me - can you be a scientist?

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CONTENTS

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Teaching and Learning

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John Dunlop

The pneumatic tyre

John Boyd Dunlop (5th February, 1840 –
23rd October, 1921) was a Scottish inventor
and veterinary surgeon who spent most of his career in Ireland. Familiar with making rubber devices, he re-invented pneumatic tyres for his child's tricycle and developed them for use in cycle racing.

He sold his rights to the pneumatic tyres to a company he formed with the president of the Irish Cyclists' Association, Harvey Du Cros, for a small cash sum and a small shareholding in their pneumatic tyre business. Dunlop withdrew in 1896.

The science they are famous for

Activities

The pneumatic tyre is a hollow rubber type filed with compressed air which gives a much smoother and faster ride for originally bicycles and later other vehicles

Exploring materials [Research from secondary sources]

Further Links

Where can you find pneumatic types? What vehicles have these? Are they all the same or are they different? What are the advantages of the pneumatic tyre over the solid tyre? What are the disadvantages? Can you find any solid tyres? Explore the properties of the pneumatic tyre.

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyd_Dunlop
Undiscovered Scotland
https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/
usbiography/d/johnboyddunlop.html
National Museum Scotland
https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/science-and-technology/made-in-scotland-changing-the-world/scottish-science-innovations/dunlop-tyre/
Famous Scots
http://www.rampantscotland.com/famous/blfamdunlop.htm

How high do they bounce? [Pattern Seeking]

Start with a bicycle tyre with a pneumatic tyre. If you can get one get a pump with a pressure mode. Pump the tyre up until it feels soft but inflated. Drop the tyre from about 30cm (a ruler) and see how high it bounces. Now pump the tyre up a little more and repeat. Can you find a pattern?

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Activities

Exploring materials [Research from secondary sources]

Where can you find pneumatic types? What vehicles have these? Are they all the same or are they different? What are the advantages of the pneumatic tyre over the solid tyre? What are the disadvantages? Can you find any solid tyres? Explore the properties of the pneumatic tyre.

How high do they bounce? [Pattern Seeking]

Start with a bicycle tyre with a pneumatic tyre. If you can get one get a pump with a pressure mode. Pump the tyre up until it feels soft but inflated. Drop the tyre from about 30cm (a ruler) and see how high it bounces. Now pump the tyre up a little more and repeat. Can you find a pattern?

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Charles Mackintosh

Indiarubber

Charles Macintosh (29th Dec., 1766 – 25th July,
1843) was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father originally came from the Highlands, moving to Glasgow to set up a factory in Dennistoun in 1777 to manufacture a violet-red dying powder made from lichens (cudbear). Macintosh had a strong interest in chemistry.

Macintosh founded his own waterproofing company in Glasgow in 1834 - mainly because to the opposition he faced from tailors, who wanted nothing to do with his new cloth - but moved to Manchester in 1840 to exploit the material further. The factory is now owned by the Dunlop Rubber Company.

Although Charles Macintosh is primarily remembered for his waterproof material, he made a series of important contributions to the field of industrial chemistry in the early 1800s. He died in 1843 at Dunchattan, near Glasgow, and was buried in the churchyard of Glasgow Cathedral.

Activities

The science they are famous for

What makes the best raincoat? [Pattern Seeking]

In 1818, while analysing the by-products of a works making coal gas, he discovered dissolved indiarubber. He joined two sheets of fabric together with this solution, allowed them to dry, and discovered that the new material could not be penetrated by water - the first rainproof cloth! Together with chemist George Hancock, Macintosh solved many of the problems involved in reliably producing waterproofed sheets and coat.

You need to have a bear and a range of materials that you can test to see which one repels the rain water best. Try these out with some tissue or something else
that will show the water under the materials to be tested. Sprinkle some water onto the material to see which one would be best for teddy's raincoat.

Further Links

Science on the Streets
http://scienceonstreets.phys.strath.ac.uk/new/Charles_MacIntosh.html
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Macintosh
Today in Science
https://todayinsci.com/M/Macintosh_Charles/MacintoshCharlesBio.htm

What else is waterproof? [Research from Secondary Sources]

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Activities

What makes the best raincoat? [Pattern Seeking]

You need to have a bear and a range of materials that you can test to see which one repels the rain water best. Try these out with some tissue or something else
that will show the water under the materials to be tested. Sprinkle some water onto the material to see which one would be best for teddy's raincoat.

What else is waterproof? [Research from Secondary Sources]

What other items can you find in your house or in the schools that are both made out of cloth or fabric (flexible) but are also waterproof?

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Tarmac

John McADAM

John MacAdam (23rd September, 1756 – 26th
November, 1836) was a pioneering Scottish Engineer
who single-handedly changed the way roads were
built around the world. His innovative shallow camber,
crushed compacted stone layered roads would become the standard for road building the world over.

The science they are famous for

The development of the road surface using crushed stones compacted and curved so that the water would run off and not lay on the surface of the road. This crushed surface was a major improvement in the existing road surfaces. Before McAdam's roads, large "flat" rocks were laid together to approximate a level surface. Not only did John Loudon McAdam's design result in a smoother surface and carriage ride, but it was cheaper to build and lasted longer. This "new" roadway surface and construction process have since been immortalized with McAdam’s name, though with the Americanised spelling MacAdam or macadam. The covering of this surface with tar was invented by Edgar Hooley who noticed a road in Derby where a barrel of hot tar had fallen on the road and where slag was poured on this to cover up the hot tar. This had cooled to form a smooth waterproof surface.

Activities

Waterproof Surfaces [Pattern Seeking]

You need a range of different surfaces that you can pour water over - these could be tile, wood, carpet, stones, sawdust etc ... Pouring water onto these will allow you to see which one repels the water best. You could put some kitchen paper underneath to see how the water seeps through. You could also explore making a camber (where the road slopes down on the sides) to see how this works.

Further Links

Packing Materials [Pattern Seeking]

Interesting Engineering - https://interestingengineering.com/john-loudon-mcadam-the-father-of-the-modern-road
BBC BItesize - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/z7fnvcw
Kids Encyclopedia - http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/jo/John_MacAdam
BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/content/articles/2009/
07/03/edgar_hooley_tarmac_feature.shtml

One of the key ideas of Macadam was to pack the surface tight so the water could not run between these and then pool there. Experiment with how different things pack together and see which of these pack best. You could try blocks, marbles, small stones etc... Also then look at using other materials to pack in the gaps e.g. sand, gravel etc...

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