Formulae and Kinematics

August 23, 2016

Students learn how to write a formula from a written description and use this formula to model various scenarios. As learning progresses students work with the various kinematics formulae.

This unit takes place in Term 1 of Year 11 and follows on from solving equations.

Formulae and Kinematics Lessons

Writing Formulae

Substitution into Formulae

Kinematics Formulae

Rearranging Formulae

Prerequisite Knowledge

solve linear equations in one unknown algebraically (including those with the unknown on both sides of the equation
translate simple situations or procedures into algebraic expressions
deduce expressions to calculate the nth term of linear sequence

Success Criteria

substitute numerical values into formulae and expressions, including scientific formulae
understand and use the concepts and vocabulary of expressions, equations, formulae, identities inequalities, terms and factors
understand and use standard mathematical formulae; rearrange formulae to change the subject
know the difference between an equation and an identity; argue mathematically to show algebraic expressions are equivalent, and use algebra to support and construct arguments

Key Concepts

When substituting known values into formulae it is important to follow the order of operations.
Students need to have a secure understanding of using the balance method when rearranging formulae. Recap inverse operations, e.g., x² => √x
When generating formulae it is important to associate mathematical operations and their algebraic notation with key words.

Common Misconceptions

Students often consider to be incorrectly calculated as 2a³ as (2a)³. Recap the order of operations to avoid this.
Students often have difficult generating formulae from real life contexts. Encourage them to carefully break down the written descriptions to identify key words.

Mr Mathematics Blog

Showing Progress during a Mathematics Lesson

April 17, 2019

Demonstrating student progression during a mathematics lesson is about understanding the learning objective and breaking that down into explicit success criteria. Using Success Criteria Take, for example, a lesson on calculating the area of compound rectilinear shapes. The intended learning objective was written on the main whiteboard. Success criteria were used to break down the individual […]

Plotting and Interpreting Conversion Graphs

March 26, 2019

Plotting and interpreting conversion graphs requires linking together several mathematical techniques. Recent U.K. examiner reports indicate there are several common misconceptions when plotting and interpreting conversion graphs. These include: drawing non-linear scales on the x or y axis, using the incorrect units when converting between imperial and metric measurements, taking inaccurate readings from either axis not […]

Calculating the Volume of a Pyramid

March 10, 2019

When calculating the volume of a pyramid we can substitute the values of the length, width and perpendicular height into the formula V = 1/3 lwh. In my experience this is often provided for the students with little explanation as to why a volume of a pyramid is exactly one third the volume of a […]