Here to learn

[gascar]

Hello good people

 

In my dotage (63) I find myself volunteer teaching in a catholic girls school. Blimey - WHAT??!! 

Anything with maths in it. DT, electronics, astronomy, phys chem biol. Next year I'll be dibbling into Environmental Science A level.  Kids (and teachers) ask me stuff.

 

Materials engineering then computing grad, career in various industries, C.Eng, got made redundant when companies closed, wound up repairing gas boilers (nobody makes you redundant if you do that), then to teaching/assessing Corgi/GSR gas operatives, and doing electrical qualifications.

 

So I'll be answering a bit but mostly asking, about Alternative Energies especially for homes, practicalities of insulation, and all that.

As far as I can tell from here, there's no way we're going to be able to achieve what Govt has announced.

 

Keeps me off the streets.

[MikeSharp01]

Inspiring the next generation is a great way to spend a chunk of life. The only thing I am worried for you about is if your school is anything like that depicted in Derry girls. Anyway welcome to THE forum for people like US. 

[SteamyTea]

5 hours ago, gascar said:

Environmental Science

I used to lecture in that and have one of my degrees in it.

Good subject, full of 'gotchas'.

I should have a look at the A Level syllabus to see what it is all about.

[gascar]

I've speed-read about half the A level E-S textbook. I found it pretty interesting.

The school I'm in seems to have a dearth of awareness of back-of-envelope maths.

 

Very simplistic optimists! "It'll be fine we'll all have electric cars"

Ok, now look at the 'lectric needed to charge them. In winter we'll need one, or two if we do it inefficiently, Nuclear Power Stations on top of what we have now.  We'll not be using gas in houses either, so add another NPS  to supply us all 10kW or so all night to keep the houses warm and heat water. Then dig all the streets up because we don't have the electrical distribition.

 

SO one of the teachers says (yes, one of the teachers) "But we can put solar panels on the roofs of the cars". Oh dear.

E-S A level - one of the female teachers (biology) said there wouldn't be much interest because it's maths and they're girls. You wouldn't make it up, you'd be arrested for being non-PC.

 

 

Bring back Domestic Science I say - Electricity, Gas, Water, Building materials.....  how to change a friggin tap washer....

 

[SteamyTea]

6 hours ago, gascar said:

a dearth of awareness of back-of-envelope maths.

Most of the world does, this is especially true when it comes to burning timber as a fuel source.

You can get a lot of decent energy information from DUKES and the BP Statistical Review.