Workshops

Holiday workshops: Maths in motion (ages 15-18)

Explore the physics of motion in this hands-on workshop where teens use toy cars, ramps, and real data to uncover the acceleration due to gravity.

Image credit: Ed Moore

What if you could measure gravity using just a toy car and a ramp? In this hands-on physics workshop, teens will derive the "suvat" equations from first principles—exploring how displacement, velocity, acceleration, and time are linked in motion. Once the maths is mastered, it’s time to hit the track: participants will set up a simple experiment with an accelerating toy car on a ramp, recording times and distances to gather real data. Using their equations and results, they’ll calculate the acceleration due to gravity (g) and see how close they can get to the real value of 9.8 m/s². A perfect blend of theory, experimentation, and critical thinking.

This workshop is strictly for ages 15–18 only. We reserve the right to refund or deny entry to those who are not in this age range.

Refunds can only be issued for tickets cancelled at least two weeks (14 calendar days) in advance of the event date. Please note that this supersedes our normal event terms and conditions. Please also note that Eventbrite adds a small booking fee to the amount paid for each ticket option.

About Rufus Roberts

Rufus studied Maths at The University of Liverpool. While there he joined the Maths Busking project which fused maths and street entertainment.

After managing a branch of Mad Science, Rufus went on to found Maths Blast to realise his dream of making maths hands-on and accessible to all levels. 
Rufus has delivered maths session across the world. A personal highlight was delivering a summer camp to Syrian refugees in Akkar, Lebanon.

About our workshops

Holiday workshops at the Royal Institution give students a hands-on experience of STEM topics (science, technology, engineering, maths) beyond what they learn at school. Working in groups or pairs, students will get hands-on to complete activities, challenges or projects which help them look deeper at the subject they are exploring. These workshops don’t follow the school curriculum but instead show students the many real world uses of STEM topics, expanding their horizons beyond the classroom to see the amazing possibilities science can give you. Sessions are led by experts from across industry and academia who will share with the students their excitement and knowledge of their areas of expertise.

For any queries regarding this workshop please email events@ri.ac.uk.

Support to attend holiday workshops

The Potential Trust may be able to offer financial assistance to enable children to participate in Ri events and activities if this would otherwise be financially difficult. Please contact Denise Yates, or at their new email address here

 

 

Event terms and conditions