Maths

Maths is a very hard subject to learn but the most important thing to do to learn it is to answer past exam questions.  Here are some.


Quiz created by olivergthall with GoConqr

Latin Easily Confused Vocab

In Latin there are lots of words that can be very easily confused.  So I made some flashcards to help with this.


Flash Card Deck created by olivergthall with GoConqr

Irregular Present Tense French Verbs

Having Trouble With Your Present Tense Verbs?  Help is Here!  Here are a flashcard deck and a short quiz to help you revise and learn.Flash Card Deck created by olivergthall with GoConqr Quiz created by olivergthall with GoConqr

Light

Features of Light

• Light travels at 300 000 000 m/s, one million times faster than sound.  This is why you see lightning before you hear it.
• Light travels in straight lines.
• Cannot travel through opaque materials.  This is when shadows form.  One side of the opaque object is lit up but as light cannot travel through or around it, a shadow is formed on the other side.
• Light rays are emitted from luminous sources, the moon is not one of these!

Reflection

• When light rays hit a surface, they bounce off again.  This is reflection.
• Smooth surfaces like mirrors reflect light in the same direction whereas rough surfaces light a wooden table reflect light in lots of different directions.

How Plane (Flat) Mirrors Reflect Light

• The normal is an imaginary line at 90 degrees to the mirrors surface.
• The angle of incidence is the angle at which light rays being emitted from the light source hit the mirror, these are called incident rays.
• The angle of reflection is the angle at which rays bounce back off the mirror.  These are called reflected rays.

The Angle of Incidence = The Angle of Reflection

Refraction

• When light travels into a different medium to air, such as water or glass, it slows down and bends.
• This can make things seem to be in a different position to what they really are.  This is refraction.

What Affects Britain's Climate?

Many different things affect the climate of the Britain, here are the main ones.

Latitude-
When you travel closer to he equator and further away from the Poles the temperature gets warmer because the sun's rays have less distance to travel..  Britain is fairly in the middle, giving it a maritime climate, but this explains why the north of Britain is generally colder than the South.

Altitude-
This is the height of the land.  The higher you go, the colder it gets.  Generally speaking, every 150m you ascend it gets 1 degree coler.

Distance From The Sea-
In the winter, the sea retains it heat from the summer, making it warmer the closer you are to the sea.  However, in the summer the opposite occurs and the sea retains the cold from the winter so the closer you are to the sea, the colder it is.

Ocean Currents-
The North Atlantic Drift and the Gulf Stream both meet the west side of Britain, making it warmer, but also allowing more frontal rainfall to occur, as warm sea water is required for this.

Prevailing Winds-
The wind in Britain blows from the south-west 80% of the time, this wind is warm.  Because of this the South-West of England is generally warmer than the North.

The Debate

Ever wondered what it would be like to see historical figures debating with each other face to face?  Well I've tried to recreate that here with Lego figures.  Don't know what I'm on about?  Click the link!

The Video Is Here

The French Imperfect Tense

Uses
This tense is used to represent an incomplete event in the past, a habit in the past or when the word was is used in English.

Formation

First the we form of the present tense of the verb must be found and the -ons removed.  For example, with avoir the imperfect stem is av.  Then the imperfect endings must be applied.  These are:

-ais          -aions

-ais          -aiez

-ait           -aient

So for i was having you would say in French, j'avais.

Irregulars

There is only one irregular in the imperfect tense and that is être.  This is because the we form of être

 in the present tense doesn't end in -ons.  The imperfect stem for être in French is therefor ét.

Photosynthesis

This is a must know topic which is near guaranteed to come up in every exam.
Light+CO2+Water=O2+Glucose

• Photosynthesis is the process of using light to make chemicals useful to all living organisms.
• Light energy from the sun is turned into chemical energy and stored in a plant so that it may grow larger.
• More oxygen than the plant needs is made so excess oxygen is released into the atmosphere.
• As a result oxygen males up roughly 20% of all gases in our air.

Benefits of Living In An Area of Volcanic Activity

One of the common questions asked when discussing the topic of volcanoes is, if the danger is so high, then why live there.  As a matter of fact, there are many reasons.

Fertile Soil
After an eruption the soil around the volcano itself is made very fertile by the lava and ash.  This is highly productive and can attract farmers to the area, boosting the economy.
Jobs
After a volcano, great interest from the media and also the public arises.  This dramatically improves the tourism industry, creating more jobs.  After a volcano these jobs may be needed more than ever.

Mining

As the magma in the vent cools then valuable minerals such as diamonds can be formed.  This attracts the mining industry to the area, also creating jobs.

Power
Hot rocks found underneath the ground can be harnessed after a volcano to create geothermal power.  Over 70% of homes in Iceland use geothermal power.

Breathing

• This is also known as gas exchange.
• The main organ for this are the lungs, located in the thorax.
• Muscles in the ribs cause the the diaphragm to move up and down.  This allows air to enter and exit the lungs during breathing.
• You can breath through your nose and your throat which are both connected to your trachea(windpipe).

Respiration

Respiration is the process of releasing energy from cells for the seven life processes.

Respiration releases energy from cells to aid all of the above processes.

• Respiration is NOT BREATHING!!!

The Word Equation

Remember the following word equation:

Glucose+Oxygen=Carbon Dioxide+Water+Energy

• The Glucose comes from digested food.
• The Oxygen comes from the air.
• Glucose and Oxygen are the reactants.
• Carbon Dioxide and water and the waste products.

Gaseous Exchange

When oxygen enters the bloodstream by passing through the walls of the air sacs(a part of the lungs).

Indicators, Acids and Alkalis

Definitions
These are definitions for specialist words to do with Indicators, Acids and Alkalies.
Acid-A type of substance which tastes sour.(e.g. Lemon Juice)
Alkali-A type of substance which tastes soapy.(e.g. Soap!)
Neutral-a type of substance which is neither acid nor alkali.(e.g. Distilled Water)

Indicators
Indicators change their appearance when they come in contact with particular substances to indicate the presence of a substance.

Examples

Limewater-  Changes from clear to chalky to indicate the presence of CO2.
Anhydrous Copper Sulphate-  Changes from white to blue to indicate the presence of water.
Anhydrous Cobalt Chloride-  Changes from blue to pink to indicate the presence of water.
Yellow Highlighter=Chemical test for water.


Indicators That Display The Presence of Acids or Alkalis

Litmus

• Litmus is purple.
• Turns red in the presence of acids.
• Turns blue when added to alkalies.
• Does not change colour when added to neutral substances.

Universal Indicator Solution

• Is available as a dye or as a test paper.
• Will change colour for different PH values.

The PH Scale

• Measures the strength of acids and alkalies.
• The scale runs from 0-14.
• Neutral is 7
• Anything below 7 is acidic.
• Anything above 7 is alkali.

The PH Scale With Examples, These Must Be Remembered

Types of Erosion

There are several different types of erosion in rivers and coasts, the following are the main four from each topic.

Erosion in Rivers

• Attrition-When the load of a river collide with each other and break each other up.
• Abrasion-When small material rubs against the bed and banks of the river.
• Corrosion-When acid in the water dissolves rock from the bed and banks of the river.
• Hydraulic Action-When the water and the air force each over into small holes in the soil, moving them away.

Coastal Erosion

• Attrition-When pebbles and other stones in waves hit each other, eventually creating sand.#
• Abrasion-Waves throwing its rocks and pebbles at cliffs, eroding their base.
• Corrosion-Acid in the sea spray dissolves rock.
• Hydraulic Action-When water fores air into cracks in cliffs, which, when the air is continually compressed by the water, forces the rock to break.

Headlands

Headlands are large pieces of hard rock which stretch out into the sea, this is how they are formed.

The creation of headlands

Firstly waves attack the coastline alternating soft rock, hard rock.  Headlands are created when the soft rock is worn away but the hard rock remains.  They are a form of erosion.

Caves, Arches, Stacks and Stumps

 The following describes the formation of the above.

1. The line of weakness is attacked by waves by Hydraulic action and abrasion.
2. The fault is enlarged to create a cave.  A blowhole may now appear on the roof of the cave due to upward erosion.
3. Hydraulic action and abrasion then cause the cave to erode to the other side of the headland, leaving an arch.
4. A mix of undercutting, weathering, and lack of support then force the arch to collapse, thus leaving a stack separate from the headland.
5. Weathering and all types of erosion then turn the stack into a stump.

The French Perfect Tense

Use
The perfect tense is used for a completed action in the past, for example,  I ate a cookie.

Formation
Generally the first part of formation is from the verb avoir:   J'ai                        Nous avons
                                                                                                 Tu as                     Vous avez
                                                                                                  Il/Elle a                Ils/Elles ont

The second part is the verb this is called the past participle.  Remove either er, ir, or re and for er add é.  For ir add i.  For re add u.  However there are some irregulars.(see later.)

For example I ate= j'ai mangé

VerbsWhich Take Etre
Although most verbs take avoir some take the verb être.

Je suis                  Nous sommes
Tu es                    Vous etes
Il/Elle est              Illes/Elles sont


These verbs can be remembered like so.

Verbs which take être must also agree with the subject of the sentence.  Add an e for feminine and an s for plural and es for feminine plural.
Irregulars
As always in French there are irregular past participles, the most common and important of these are shown below.

• avoir --> eu (had)
• boire --> bu (drunk)
• comprendre --> compris (understood)
• connaître --> connu (known)
• croire --> cru (believed)
• devoir --> dû (had to)
• dire --> dit (said)
• écrire --> écrit (written)
• être --> été (been)
• faire --> fait (done)
• lire --> lu (read)
• mettre --> mis (put)
• ouvrir --> ouvert (opened)
• pouvoir --> pu (been able to)
• prendre --> pris (taken)
• savoir --> su (known)
• voir --> vu (seen)
• vouloir --> voulu (wanted)

Useful Practice Site

With these practice is essential.  A great way to do this is languages online.

Languages Online

The Water Cycle

The water cycle is the process by which water travels.  The water in the universe is the same all of the time.

Definitions
Evaporation-Water is transferred from the sea or a lake into the sky by the heat from the sun.
Condensation-The evaporated water cools at dew point and forms clouds.
Precipitation-Things which come from clouds, usually rain but can be snow, hail etc.
Transpiration-Trees give off water.
Run-Off-Water runs down the land to the sea, this can sometimes cause flash floods.
Percolation/Infiltration-water soaks into the ground.
Groundwater Flow-Water travels underneath the ground.

Differ According to Seasons
In the winter there is less evaporation due to the sun being low in the sky, there is therefor less rain.  The ground is harder so less percolation can occur, lading to more surface run-off and therefor more flooding.

Affect From Humans
Deforestation means that less transpiration occurs, also contributing to less rain.  Humans also build tarmac which means less percolation and more run-off, causing flooding.  There is also less interception (when trees stop water hitting the ground), which can also cause flooding.  Global warming means more evaporation so therefor more precipitation.