Saturday science

Posted: 16th September 2019

Saturday morning saw Mr Iqbal take 17 Year 8 boys to the River Gade to measure speed by setting paper boats to sail down the river. The boys walked to town with enthusiasm and took to the task like ducks to water… The flow was pretty slow; this did not deter the boys who investigated what factors made the speed vary, which types of boats sailed faster and why aerodynamics matter. The boys had a great time and got to see science in action before walking back to school at a steady pace!

Meanwhile, Year 7 were in for a special treat.  They combined cream, milk, sugar and vanilla essence in a plastic bag, this was then sealed and placed in a bigger bag full of ice. Salt was added to the ice and the bag was shaken well for 10 minutes!  After this time the ingredients had turned, as if by magic, into ice cream! Adding the salt lowers the temperature at which ice freezes and the temperature dropped to around -7c which is cold enough to freeze ice cream! Another fun and delicious way to learn about science!