Science News

All the students have been very delving into the depths of the Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Psychology topics in the last two weeks. 

Year 7 students have been looking at Forces. What is a force? What type of forces are there? Why should we know about forces in everyday life? Students had the opportunity to look at Electrostatic forces in the classroom. 

Year 8 students have been looking at light and sound! How does light and sound travel through the air? What enables a person to hear things? With this activity they have been looking at the biology of the ear. The students are beginning to look at how eyes work, why lenses in glasses are important for eyesight and how it works. 

Year 9 students have continued to look at adaptations of animals which enable species to survive. They have researched and viewed animals while completing worksheets to help them with Short Answer style questions. 

Year 9 Forensic students have been looking at Blood splatters and what a blood droplet can tell a forensic scientist in a crime scene. The have looked at whether the height of the drop, the angle of the land, the speed of the moving object and the surface of material the drop lands on can change the droplets appearance and size. 

Year 9 Astronomy students have had the opportunity to learn the basics of the program Stellarium so that they can identify constellations and learn about the lifecycle of stars. They then moved on to look at how other cultures viewed the night sky. 

Year 10 students doing the Physics component have been making Egg Cart Crash cars and exploring how to protect people in the car knowing about the forces that can come at play. The Year 10 students doing the Psychology component have been completing their course and getting feedback on the Psychology test. They will be looking at sleep and the importance of sleep armed with the knowledge of the Brain. 

Our Year 11 students have been very bust completing all components required to get an S. Biology has been creating presentations on a Bioethical Issue. Physics students have been researching and experimenting to create a poster of their topic that they wish to learn more about. Chemistry students have been reviewing exams to prepare their understanding of how to approach the exam papers. Psychology students over the past few lessons, been busy investigating the fallibility of both visual perception and gustatory perception. We have made Ames Rooms to show visual perception errors, and coloured our tongues to count the papillae to see if anyone is a "super taster". 

Mrs Melissa Robinson 

Science Learning Area Leader 

PEPSI vs COKE

Earlier this week students were challenged to see if they could tell the difference between Pepsi and Coke in a prac investigating the influence of biological, psychological and social factors on gustatory perception. 

Many students were correctly able to identify the drinks and most said it was due to their prior knowledge (Perceptual Set) and historical/childhood influences (Social/Cultural factors). 

Visual perception test 

Over the past few lessons, students have been busy investigating the fallibility of both visual perception and gustatory perception. We have made Ames Rooms to show visual perception errors, and coloured our tongues to count the papillae to see if anyone is a "super taster".