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pressure

Magma on the move

Article

Magma on the move

The high temperatures (900°C) and extremely high pressures that occur in the mantle layer of the Earth are enough to ...

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Investigating the push of air

Activity

Investigating the push of air

Air is largely invisible, but we can feel it and see its effects when the wind blows. This set of ...

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Rockets and thrust

Article

Rockets and thrust

What is a rocket pushing against to make it start moving? Is it pushing against the ground? The air? The ...

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Atmospheric pressure

Activity

Atmospheric pressure

In this activity, students indirectly measure atmospheric pressure using a plastic drink bottle and a ping pong ball. They will ...

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Hypersonic vehicles

Article

Hypersonic vehicles

Hypersonic vehicles are perhaps a dream of the future, but if they have a chance of happening, research is important ...

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Graph power to counter aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance

Article

Pedal power

Competitive cyclists have power meters to carefully monitor their training and race performance. Power is a measure of how much ...

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Investigating rockets – key terms

Article

Investigating rockets – key terms

Taking science and technology to new heights. Rocket science includes ideas of forces and motion, how rockets work and some of the challenges for those wanting ...

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The moving Earth

Article

The moving Earth

Isn’t it funny to think that the Earth is moving! If we stand perfectly still and look into the distance, the Earth appears to be perfectly ...

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Professor Susan Krumdieck

Article

Professor Susan Krumdieck

Position: Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Canterbury University and Director of the Advanced Energy and Material Systems Lab. Field: Energy and materials engineering. Professor Susan Krumdieck ...

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Sir Peter Beck

Article

Sir Peter Beck

Position: CEO and technical director, Rocket Lab Field: Rocket engineering Sir Peter Beck is CEO and technical director of Rocket Lab, a New Zealand rocket technology ...

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Calculating rocket acceleration

Article

Calculating rocket acceleration

How does the acceleration of a model rocket compare to the Space Shuttle? By using the resultant force and mass, acceleration can be calculated. A model ...

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Types of chemical rocket engines

Article

Types of chemical rocket engines

Chemical rocket engines use a fuel (something to burn) and an oxidiser (something to react with the fuel). Together, they are referred to as the propellant. ...

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Materials for hypersonic vehicles

Article

Materials for hypersonic vehicles

Dr Susan Krumdieck from the University of Canterbury is helping to develop new materials for possible future hypersonic vehicles that travel 10 times the speed of ...

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Rocket control

Article

Rocket control

University of Canterbury PhD students Malcolm Snowdon and Avinash Rao are developing flight control systems for rockets. They use electronic sensors to measure any changes in ...

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Investigating rockets – introduction

Article

Investigating rockets – introduction

Rocket science includes ideas of forces and motion, how rockets work and some of the challenges for those wanting to make rockets go faster and higher. ...

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Investigating rockets – question bank

Article

Investigating rockets – question bank

An inquiry approach is a method often used in science education. The question bank provides an initial list of questions about rockets and places where their ...

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Auckland’s forgotten volcano

Article

Auckland’s forgotten volcano

Scientists researching and mapping the Auckland Volcanic Field thought they had discovered a hitherto unknown crater lying beneath the suburb of Grafton. However, it turned out ...

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Causes of aerodynamic drag

Article

Causes of aerodynamic drag

Aerodynamics is the study of how air flows over objects and the forces that the air and objects exert on each other. Drag is the force ...

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Wind tunnel testing of cyclists

Article

Wind tunnel testing of cyclists

Dr Mark Jermy and his team are using the Canterbury University wind tunnel to analyse airflow and drag as high-speed wind moves over cyclists. For cyclists ...

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Rolling resistance

Article

Rolling resistance

Rolling resistance is one of the forces that act to oppose the motion of a cyclist. It is caused mainly because of deformation of the tyre ...

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Investigating volcanoes – key terms

Article

Investigating volcanoes – key terms

Uncovering our explosive past How do volcanoes work? Where do they form? And what does this mean for the people that live around them? This resource ...

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Associate Professor Phil Shane

Article

Associate Professor Phil Shane

Position: Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, Environment, University of Auckland. Fields: Volcanoes, volcano hazards, petrology, geochemistry. Dr Phil Shane has a PhD from Victoria University of ...

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Auckland’s volcanoes

Article

Auckland’s volcanoes

The city of Auckland is built on a volcanic field. There are over 53 volcanoes within an area of 360 square kilometres, forming the hills, lakes ...

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Plate tectonics, volcanoes and earthquakes

Article

Plate tectonics, volcanoes and earthquakes

The Earth rumbles and a hiss of steam issues from the top of Mt Ruapehu. Are these two events related? Is the earthquake caused by the ...

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Volcanology methods

Article

Volcanology methods

Scientists use a range of different methods to learn more about volcanoes. A volcanologist may start by conducting fieldwork, collecting rocks and samples, and then move ...

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Types of volcanoes

Article

Types of volcanoes

Everyone knows what a volcano looks like – isn’t it a steep-sided cone with wisps of ash coming from the top, just like Rangitoto, White Island, ...

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