Click here for an online version of this workshop!
Curriculum links
This workshop uses skills students will learn in the course of their physics studies and applies them to gravitational waves. It is aimed at upper high school students, broadly age 14-16 (Intermediate) and 16-18 (Advanced).
The workshop allows the students to apply their knowledge and practice their skills on cutting-edge science and real-world applications. Examples are:
- Maths-based activities:
- Trigonometry (used to localise sources)
- Graph analysis (analysing simulated data)
- Knowledge of waves (frequency-period relationship)
- Mathematical equation manipulation (A-level only)
- Scale conversion (metres -> light years, megaparsec etc.)
- Hubble’s law and expansion of the Universe
- Practical activities:
- Knowledge of waves (frequency, wavelength .etc)
- Interference and Michelson Interferometers
- Pendulums and resonance
- Data taking and recording
- Data analysis and inference
Workshop Overview
How do the LIGO and VIRGO detectors detect gravitational waves, while accounting for local sources of interference?
The activities in this workshop introduce students to the technology used in the LIGO and VIRGO observatories to detect gravitational waves and limit seismic interference in the detected signals. The activities also introduce students to the data analysis techniques used to localise where gravitational wave events have taken place, their distance from earth and the sizes of the astronomical bodies involved in the events.
This activity has been developed in partnership with the National Space Academy and funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council. To book a Masterclass (subsidies may exist) through the National Space Academy please use their contact form. For a workshop directly through Cardiff University, please email us at schools@astro.cf.ac.uk or use our Contact Form.
Gravitational Waves Workshop Resources
- Explanatory material:
- Student Activity Packs:
- Model answers for teachers
- Workshop risk assessment [Word] [PDF]
- Evaluation:
- Student pre-evaluation [PDF] [Online Form]
- Student post-evaluation [PDF] [Online Form]
- Teacher pre-evaluation [PDF] [Online Form]
- Teacher post-evaluation [PDF] [Online Form]
- Folder containing all resources [Google Drive]
Evaluation Results
The initial results of the workshop evaluation are available in a poster, which was joint winner of the a best-poster prize at the 690th WE-Heraeus Seminar on “General Relativity as a Challenge for Physics Education” (Bonn, Feb 2019).
Curriculum links
| Key Stage | Age Group | Topics covered | Skills |
| KS5/A-Level | 16+ | Properties of waves Trigonometry Interference Detection of gravitational waves Black holes |
Drawing and interpreting graphs Use of scientific equipment Using scientific formulae Numeracy skills Literacy skills |
