NEW AQA Physics (2016) - Pressure in a liquid at rest

This lesson is designed for the NEW AQA Physics GCSE, particularly the ‘Force and pressure’ SoW.

For more lessons designed to meet specification points for the NEW AQA Trilogy specifications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics please see my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/SWiftScience

The lesson begins with a look at the structure of the Shasta dam in California, students are asked to ‘Think > Pair > Share’ their ideas about why the dam is built like this. After a short class discussion, the next slide explains why it is important for the dam to have a thicker base - in relation to pressure in a liquid.

The next slide explain why pressure in a liquid increases with depth, this is explained to students in terms of particles, weight and force. Students will now be introduced to an investigation that they will carry out, they will pour water into two separate bottles with holes made either vertically or horizontally. Students will make a prediction, based upon their knowledge of pressure in liquids, and then conduct the investigation. They should make a note of their findings in their books. The following PowerPoint slide summarizes the findings from the investigation, and explains the results in terms of pressure.

Students will then be asked to complete a levelled task by drawing a diagram of the demonstration, describe what they observed and explaining why it happened. After this, students will be provided with some data on liquid depth and pressure, they will need to plot this onto a graph and then describe the relationship between the two variables.

In the next task, students will firstly be introduced to the calculation for pressure in a liquid column. A worked example will be modelled to students, before they are given their own set of questions to complete on their own. The answers to which are included so students can self-assess their work. The final task is a worksheet on pressure in a liquid at rest, students can complete these questions in their book and then either self-assess or peer-assess their work using the mark scheme provided.

The plenary task requires students to write three sentences to summarise what they have learned this lesson.

All resources are included. Thanks for looking, if you have any questions please let me know in the comments section and any feedback would be appreciated.

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